WorldWideScience

Sample records for nonpartisan independently funded

  1. (Re)integrating Simmel in Contemporary Social Exchange: The Effect of Nonpartisans on Relational Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collett, Jessica L.

    2011-01-01

    Despite the increased prevalence of neutral third parties in both formal and informal exchange processes, social exchange theory has yet to consider the effect of nonpartisans on important cognitive and affective outcomes of exchange. This research integrates Simmel's conceptualization of small groups and nonpartisans with contemporary theory and…

  2. Independent Auditors Report on the Examination of DoD Execution of Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund Donations to the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-07-31

    Independent Auditor’s Report on the Examination of DoD Execution of Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund Donations to the Afghanistan Security Forces...Execution of Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund Donations to the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (Report No. DODIG-2015-154) We are providing this...046, “Independent Auditor’s Report on the Examination of DoD Execution of North Atlantic Treaty Organization Contributing Countries’ Donations to

  3. Does Independent Schools Funding Make a Mockery of the Public Schools Funding Formula? BCTF Research Report. RR2015-01 rev2

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Margaret; Kuehn, Larry

    2015-01-01

    This report describes the methodology used by the Ministry of Education to calculate per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student funding for independent schools and discusses the underlying inequities when the public school funding formula is applied to funding for private schools. Vancouver school district is provided as a case example to work through…

  4. Funding Science with Science: Cryptocurrency and Independent Academic Research Funding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward Lehner

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Scientific funding within the academy is an often complicated affair involving disparate and competing interests. Private universities, for instance, are vastly outpacing public institutions in garnering large, prestigious, science-related grants and external research investment. Inequities also extend to the types of research funded, with government, corporate, and even military interests privileging certain types of inquiry. This article proposes an innovative type of science research fund using cryptocurrencies, a fast-growing asset class. Although not a total funding solution, staking coins, specifically, can be strategically invested in to yield compound interest. These coins use masternode technologies to collateralize the network and speed transaction pace and may pay dividends to masternode holders, allowing institutions that purchase these types of central hubs to potentially engage in a lucrative form of dividend reinvestment. Using cryptocurrencies as a new funding stream may garner large amounts of capital and creation of nonprofit institutes to support the future of funding scientific research within educational institutions.

  5. Creating A Nationwide Nonpartisan Initiative for Family Caregivers in Political Party Platforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scribner, Ben; Lynn, Joanne; Walker, Victoria; Morgan, Les; Montgomery, Anne; Blair, Elizabeth; Baird, Davis; Goldschmidt, Barbara; Kirschenbaum, Naomi

    2017-06-01

    Policymakers have been slow to support family caregivers, and political agendas mostly fail to address the cost burdens, impact on employment and productivity, and other challenges in taking on long-term care tasks. This project set out to raise policymakers' awareness of family caregivers through proposals to Republican and Democratic party platforms during the 2016 political season. The Family Caregiver Platform Project (FCPP) reviewed the state party platform submission process for Democratic and Republican parties in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We built a website to make each process understandable by caregiver advocates. We designed model submissions to help volunteers tailor a proposal and recruited caregiver advocates participating in their state process. Finally, we mobilized a ground operation in many states and followed the progress of submissions in each state, as well as the formation of the national platforms. In 39 states, at least one party, Republican or Democrat, hosted a state party platform process. As of September 2016 FCPP volunteers submitted proposals to 29 state parties in 22 states. Family caregiver language was added to eight state party platforms, one state party resolution, two bipartisan legislative resolutions, and one national party platform. The FCPP generated a non-partisan grassroots effort to educate and motivate policymakers to address caregiving issues and solutions. Democratic party leaders provided more opportunities to connect with political leaders, with seven Democratic parties and one Republican party, addressing family caregiver issues in their party platforms. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

  6. Investment Fund Governance: An empirical investigation of Luxembourg UCITS

    OpenAIRE

    Hazenberg, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Investment funds potentially suffer from the conflict of interest between investors and fund management companies. Fund boards could help mitigate this conflict. In Luxembourg, the second largest fund domicile globally, fund boards are not required to have independent board members. Nevertheless, many firms have independent board members on their fund boards. The research question investigated is whether or not boards with (more) independent board members are more effective for investors,...

  7. The Issues of Self-Funding Benefits for Texas Independent School Districts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cryar, Virginia P.

    This paper examines whether self-funding health benefit plans for employees are appropriate for Texas school districts. In a self-funding plan, the cost of benefits is funded directly by the employer without the protection of an insurance contract. Proponents of the self-funding plan argue that it: (1) controls costs and improves the cash flow;…

  8. Funding oil and gas ventures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billingsley, L.T.

    1992-01-01

    This paper is addressed to geologists who must raise external funds for prospect acquisition, exploratory and development drilling, or to a limited extent, production acquisition. In the ranks of independent geologists, external funding is what separates a dreamer with a good idea from a successful oil and gas producer who gets ideas evaluated on a regular basis. The quantity of external funding usually dictates the level of drilling activity for independent geologists and small companies. Companies or individuals with high levels of internal cash flow set budgets to determine their drilling activity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an independent geologist with an overview of raising external funding. The scope is purposely general. The real motivation behind this paper is not to provide a cookbook for selling prospects. Instead, the author hopes to stimulate geologists to become students of salesmanship and thereby increase the effectiveness of their fund

  9. Danish mutual fund performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Michael

    2013-01-01

    This article provides the first independent performance analysis of Danish mutual funds. We analyse selectivity and market timing abilities for 71 mutual funds that have been in operation from 2001 to 2010. The results show great fund performance diversity. Half the funds have performed neutrally......, whereas 42% of the funds have shown significantly negative performance and only 7% of the funds have over-performed their benchmark. Furthermore, 14% of the funds analysed possess market timing abilities, but for 8 out of 10 funds, their market timing ability has been unsuccessful....

  10. GAO Performance and Accountability Report 2001

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2001-01-01

    The U.S. General Accounting Office is an independent, professional, nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch that is commonly called the investigative arm of the Congress or the Congress's "watchdog...

  11. A perfect 10: Why Sweden comes out on top in early child development programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bremberg, Sven

    2009-12-01

    Sweden ranked first in the United Nations Children's Fund 2008 league table of early childhood education and care. In a book published 74 years previously, Crisis in the Population Question, Alva and Gunnar Myrdal outlined many of the features that were later assessed by the United Nations Children's Fund. Three aspects may have affected the implementation of Myrdal's ideas. First, the Social Democratic Party has been in power for 85% of the time since 1932. They often had to form coalitions with other parties that supported a nonpartisan stance. Second, according to evidence from the World Values Survey, Swedes are more individualistic than people in any of the other 64 societies included in that study. The State is expected to create social conditions on equal terms for individuals to realize their own goals. Finally, schools and other social services are managed by 290 semi-independent municipalities. Thus, reforms can be tested in a few municipalities before others follow suit.

  12. Finding Funding: A Guide to Federal Sources for Asset-Building Initiatives. Finding Funding Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lind, Christianne; Relave, Nanette; Schmid, William; Terzaghi, Damon

    2009-01-01

    This guide outlines strategies for financing asset-building initiatives and provides information on 71 federal funding sources that can be used to support a range of activities and services. It includes well-known sources of funding for asset building, for example, the Assets for Independence Demonstration Program and the Family Self-Sufficiency…

  13. Long-Short Fund Performance Evaluation in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fábio Augusto Reis Gomes

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Long-Short Funds should be able to provide positive returns, above the opportunity cost and independent of market conditions, once they can have both long and short positions. For this reason, this study aims to evaluate the Long-Short funds in Brazil, assessing whether customers of these products are buying just market returns (Beta, or if there is excess return (alpha independent of the stock market. Analyzing a sample of 76 funds from January 2, 2001 to March 31, 2008, using daily and monthly data, we found evidence that a small number of funds are able to generate excess return. Besides, this excess does not exhibit persistence. Finally, there is little or no evidence for market timing.

  14. TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: Centre for Policy Research | CRDI ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    CPR is an independent, non-partisan research institute focused on improving policy-making and management, and promoting national development in India. CPR's research covers ... For CPR, this project will help enhance its research quality, organizational performance, and policy engagement. Policy influence in India

  15. Danish Mutual Fund Performance - Selectivity, Market Timing and Persistence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Michael

    Funds under management by Danish mutual funds have increased by 25% annually during the last 10 years and measured per capita Denmark has the third largest mutual fund industry in Europe. This paper provides the first independent performance analysis of Danish mutual funds. We analyse selectivity...

  16. Funding the right care and support for everyone: creating a fair and transparent funding system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    The United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health commissioned an independent review of palliative care funding in the nation. The review team consisting of Tom Hughes-Hallet, Professor Sir Alan Craft, Catherine Davies, Isla Mackay, and Tilde Nielsson filed its report with funding recommendations on July 1, 2011. A summary of the report is presented.

  17. General IDRC Funding Guidelines

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Loretta Rocca

    Financial and Administrative Assessment ... the organization has independent legal status (or 'legal personality') and is capable of contracting ... Books and journal articles generated from IDRC-funded projects will be made accessible free of.

  18. The Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruitt, Stephen L.

    2015-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) were released almost two years ago. Work tied to the NGSS, their adoption, and implementation continues to move forward around the country. Stephen L. Pruitt, senior vice president, science, at Achieve, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization that was a lead…

  19. Tenneco raises $75 million for independents' E and P

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Land, R.

    1992-01-01

    Tenneco Gas's ventures group, Houston, has raised $75 million to invest in gas exploration and production by independent operations on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Institutional investors committed $50 million to the fund and a group of industrial investors $25 million. Tenneco the the fund will expand to accommodate additional investors through this year. This paper reports that the company's ventures group is evaluating acquisition and drilling opportunities with independents. Ventures group capital will be invested in independent exploratory, development, and producing properties

  20. The secret of business success in Quebec : its transparency!

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fahey, R.

    2004-01-01

    The role of La Federation Canadienne de l'Entreprise Independante, a non-partisan, not public-funded organization was presented. Members of the Federation are from various economic sectors, covering all regions in Quebec. It participates in Quebec's La Regie de l'energie's review processes and activities, and raises questions as issues arise. Its role constitutes one of the better methods in supervising tender invitation process to ensure regulations are followed to achieve transparency. (author)

  1. Understaning the "funding effect"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oreskes, N.

    2016-12-01

    There is a long history of industry funding of scientific and engineering research in the USA. Much of this work has been of high quality. Research demonstrates, however, that corporate funding can represent a threat to scientific independence and integrity. Studies show that sponsors' interests can affect research results, particularly when sponsors have a strong interest in a particular research outcome. The effects may occur through the impact of subconscious bias on sampling, study design, data interpretation, and/or reporting of results. Corporate funding can also skew research toward investigating certain questions at the expense of others, downplaying the significance of adverse findings, and/or failing to report adverse results. Gifts can affect behavior, even when they are unrelated to research activities. These impacts that are so substantial that they have a name: "the funding effect."[i] Evidence shows that scientists who strive to be objective and fair-minded may nonetheless fall prey to the funding effect. In many cases, the challenges of corporate gifts and funding can be addressed through education and improved self-awareness, agreements that protect researchers' freedom to publish without sponsor approval, sensible disclosure policies, and reasonable sanctions for failures of disclosure. However, in some cases, it may be appropriate for researchers and scientific societies to decline funding.

  2. Analysis of Factors Affecting Growth of Pension Mutual Funds in Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    Ersin Acikgoz; Hasan Uygurturk; Turhan Korkmaz

    2015-01-01

    In this study, the level of relationship between the real growth rate of the stock pension mutual funds that have been involved in the individual pension system and the variables such as the number of fund participants, the real fund returns, fund operating expenses and share of fund assets to the total assets of the funds are analyzed with panel data methodology. The results have reported that apart from the fund operating expenses, the selected independent variables are statistically signif...

  3. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Document Server

    2001-01-01

    The Governing Board met on 4 September in its first session since the summer break. On this occasion, the Board invited the two actuaries entrusted with the three-yearly actuarial review of the Fund, MP Actuaires SA (Geneva) and AON Consulting (Brussels), to present their results. Although the two studies were conducted independently and simultaneously, the Governing Board noted that the underlying methodology was remarkably similar in both cases. Both actuaries adopted a stochastic approach, both performed analyses based on the closed-fund method and on the open-fund method, and both made an evaluation of the risks for the appreciation of the Fund's financial position. This methodology produced consistent results which, while not always identical, are superimposable in terms of their order of magnitude. Under the closed-fund method, which involves assessing the Fund's financial situation as if it were closed on the date of calculation without any new members being admitted, both actuaries conclude that the s...

  4. 237 Interrogating Nollywood and its Sources of Funding: The Case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The problem of funding continues to haunt start-ups in Africa and there seems to be ... hospitality business where funding, which catalyses the efforts of independent ..... find her testimony too easy, but Emem Isong made the above statement in ...

  5. Measuring Diversity of the National Institutes of Health-Funded Workforce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heggeness, Misty L; Evans, Lisa; Pohlhaus, Jennifer Reineke; Mills, Sherry L

    2016-08-01

    To measure diversity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded workforce. The authors use a relevant labor market perspective to more directly understand what the NIH can influence in terms of enhancing diversity through NIH policies. Using the relevant labor market (defined as persons with advanced degrees working as biomedical scientists in the United States) as the conceptual framework, and informed by accepted economic principles, the authors used the American Community Survey and NIH administrative data to calculate representation ratios of the NIH-funded biomedical workforce from 2008 to 2012 by race, ethnicity, sex, and citizenship status, and compared this against the pool of characteristic individuals in the potential labor market. In general, the U.S. population during this time period was an inaccurate comparison group for measuring diversity of the NIH-funded scientific workforce. Measuring accurately, we found the representation of women and traditionally underrepresented groups in NIH-supported postdoc fellowships and traineeships and mentored career development programs was greater than their representation in the relevant labor market. The same analysis found these demographic groups are less represented in the NIH-funded independent investigator pool. Although these findings provided a picture of the current NIH-funded workforce and a foundation for understanding the federal role in developing, maintaining, and renewing diverse scientific human resources, further study is needed to identify whether junior- and early-stage investigators who are part of more diverse cohorts will naturally transition into independent NIH-funded investigators, or whether they will leave the workforce before achieving independent researcher status.

  6. 78 FR 33800 - Notice of Funding Availability: Section 515 Multi-Family Housing Preservation Revolving Loan Fund...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-05

    ... Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) assistance, when a tenant receives such housing benefits. Additional tenant... matching funds from third parties, including housing tax credits for rural housing assistance and to... unqualified audited opinion signed by an independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) acceptable to the...

  7. ARGICULTURAL LAND PROTECTION FUND AND FOREST FUND AS ECOLOGICAL FUNDS

    OpenAIRE

    Bartosz Bartniczak

    2009-01-01

    Funds for environmental protection and water management, Agricultural Land Protection Fund and Forest Fund make up the Polish system of special fund in environment protection. The main aim of this article is to analyze the activity of two latest funds. The article tries to answer the question whether that funds could be considered as ecological funds. The author described incomes and outlays of that funds and showed which reform should be done in Polish special funds system.

  8. Establishing a green lights revolving fund

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-07-01

    The report details the experiences of the City of Houston in establishing a Green Lights Revolving Fund. It provides examples of key documents and guidelines which can be used in other jurisdictions to establish an internal revolving fund to provide continuing monies through recapture of cost savings for an ongoing program of energy improvements in governmental facilities. It provides guidelines on how to establish a continuing source of funds for governmental facility energy improvements. The report provides background information on the ongoing energy improvement programs in the City of Houston, including its participation in the Environmental Protection Agency`s Green Lights Program. It reviews the steps required to establish a Green Lights Revolving Fund, including the administrative, legal, budgetary, accounting, interdepartmental, mayoral, and governing body approvals and actions needed to create a self-sustaining revolving fund devoted to energy improvements. The report also describes two funding sources in addition to the grant seed funds which were used to increase the initial funds available in the Green Lights Revolving Fund. It provides sample documents for modification and use in other jurisdictions that want to use similar funding sources. It reports the initial project submission and selection procedure and criteria, and provides a transferable project application kit based on the criteria specified. It also details a sample repayment memorandum of understanding between departments, which can be used in other governments. Other transferable products provided in the report are sample energy audit summaries which were conducted by qualified, independent staff to determine the accuracy of the departmental project costs and savings payback calculations.

  9. Report: Nevada Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Financial Statements with Independent Auditor's Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Examination of the balance sheet of the Nevada Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program as of June 30, 2001, the related statement of revenues, expenses, and changes in retained earnings, and the statement of 2001 cash flows.

  10. Danish independent film, or how to make films without public funding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kim Toft

    Studying independent film in Denmark is a new and interesting way to analyse power relations in Danish film productions. The sheer magnitude of Danish indiefilms is in itself a very convincing voice to be heard. Throughout the past almost two decades we have seen a developing challenge to the typ......Studying independent film in Denmark is a new and interesting way to analyse power relations in Danish film productions. The sheer magnitude of Danish indiefilms is in itself a very convincing voice to be heard. Throughout the past almost two decades we have seen a developing challenge...... known as – Danish independent film is the American director Robert Rodriguez and especially his book Rebel without a crew (1995). The book is a diary of his first successful feature film production El mariachi (1992) and, basically, here he outlines a very different do-it-yourself-method of film...

  11. Does skin in the game matter?: director incentives and governance in the mutual fund industry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cremers, M.; Driessen, J.; Maenhout, P.; Weinbaum, D.

    2009-01-01

    We use a unique database on ownership stakes of equity mutual fund directors to analyze whether the directors' incentive structure is related to fund performance. Ownership of both independent and nonindependent directors plays an economically and statistically significant role. Funds in which

  12. UNIT TRUST FUND'S INITIAL SERVICE CHARGE AND ITS DETERMINANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nur Adiana Hiau Abdullah

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the variables that might explain the initial service charge (ISC imposed on unit-holders of Malaysian unit trust funds in the year 1999. By using 39 openend unit trust funds, customer service and board structure variables are found to have asignificant effect in explaining the variations of ISC. Financial performance variables do not seem to have any influence on the level of ISC charged to the unit-holders. Our results also showed that funds which charged higher ISC do not necessarily provide higher returns to investors. Furthermore, there are unit trust funds that are having an initial service charge beyond the maximum 10% level required by the Securities Commissions or did not fulfil the independent directors requirement.

  13. An Analysis of the Mutual Fund Industry: Mutual Fund Investors, Mutual Fund Managers and Mutual Fund Companies

    OpenAIRE

    Fang, Jieyan

    2012-01-01

    In this dissertation I investigate the mutual fund industry, especially the three most important participants within this industry: mutual fund investors, mutual fund companies and mutual fund managers. The main research questions of this dissertation are: 1. Does rapid trading exist among German equity mutual fund investors? What are the determinants of rapid trading? Does rapid trading have a negative impact on mutual fund performance? 2. Do mutual fund investors, as a whole, have...

  14. PERFORMANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MUTUAL FUNDS: EVIDENCE FROM THE PORTUGUESE MARKET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Júlio Lobão

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we aim to study the relation between fund performance and fund attributes in the Portuguese market. The sample includes 124 equity funds, bond funds and money market funds that traded in the 2004-2011 period. A comprehensive set of fund-specific characteristics, never used before in conjunction in the literature, was considered. The methodology which was adopted had two distinct phases. Firstly, we compared the returns of each category of funds with the appropriate reference markets. Secondly, the fund performance, measured by the Jensen’s alpha, was used in a multi-factor model with panel data in which the independent variables were the fund attributes. The results show that Portuguese funds were, in general, not able to beat the benchmarks which is consistent with the existence of efficient financial markets. Only the fixed income mutual funds performed well. Moreover, it is possible to conclude that, for each category of mutual funds, their characteristics are useful to the investor in the moment of choosing the best funds. For example, in the case of funds that invest in Portuguese stocks, the best performance occurs among older and larger funds, funds with higher costs, funds with good past performance and funds whose trading activity is low.

  15. Capital Investment by Independent and System-Affiliated Hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, Nathan W; Smith, Dean G; Wheeler, John R C

    2015-01-01

    Capital expenditures are a critical part of hospitals' efforts to maintain quality of patient care and financial stability. Over the past 20 years, finding capital to fund these expenditures has become increasingly challenging for hospitals, particularly independent hospitals. Independent hospitals struggling to find ways to fund necessary capital investment are often advised that their best strategy is to join a multi-hospital system. There is scant empirical evidence to support the idea that system membership improves independent hospitals' ability to make capital expenditures. Using data from the American Hospital Association and Medicare Cost Reports, we use difference-in-difference methods to examine changes in capital expenditures for independent hospitals that joined multi-hospital systems between 1997 and 2008. We find that in the first 5 years after acquisition, capital expenditures increase by an average of almost $16,000 per bed annually, as compared with non-acquired hospitals. In later years, the difference in capital expenditure is smaller and not statistically significant. Our results do not suggest that increases in capital expenditures vary by asset age or the size of the acquiring system. © The Author(s) 2015.

  16. Capital Investment by Independent and System-Affiliated Hospitals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, Nathan W.; Smith, Dean G.; Wheeler, John R. C.

    2015-01-01

    Capital expenditures are a critical part of hospitals’ efforts to maintain quality of patient care and financial stability. Over the past 20 years, finding capital to fund these expenditures has become increasingly challenging for hospitals, particularly independent hospitals. Independent hospitals struggling to find ways to fund necessary capital investment are often advised that their best strategy is to join a multi-hospital system. There is scant empirical evidence to support the idea that system membership improves independent hospitals’ ability to make capital expenditures. Using data from the American Hospital Association and Medicare Cost Reports, we use difference-in-difference methods to examine changes in capital expenditures for independent hospitals that joined multi-hospital systems between 1997 and 2008. We find that in the first 5 years after acquisition, capital expenditures increase by an average of almost $16 000 per bed annually, as compared with non-acquired hospitals. In later years, the difference in capital expenditure is smaller and not statistically significant. Our results do not suggest that increases in capital expenditures vary by asset age or the size of the acquiring system. PMID:26105571

  17. Independent technical review, handbook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-02-01

    Purpose Provide an independent engineering review of the major projects being funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. The independent engineering review will address questions of whether the engineering practice is sufficiently developed to a point where a major project can be executed without significant technical problems. The independent review will focus on questions related to: (1) Adequacy of development of the technical base of understanding; (2) Status of development and availability of technology among the various alternatives; (3) Status and availability of the industrial infrastructure to support project design, equipment fabrication, facility construction, and process and program/project operation; (4) Adequacy of the design effort to provide a sound foundation to support execution of project; (5) Ability of the organization to fully integrate the system, and direct, manage, and control the execution of a complex major project

  18. Independent technical review, handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-02-01

    Purpose Provide an independent engineering review of the major projects being funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. The independent engineering review will address questions of whether the engineering practice is sufficiently developed to a point where a major project can be executed without significant technical problems. The independent review will focus on questions related to: (1) Adequacy of development of the technical base of understanding; (2) Status of development and availability of technology among the various alternatives; (3) Status and availability of the industrial infrastructure to support project design, equipment fabrication, facility construction, and process and program/project operation; (4) Adequacy of the design effort to provide a sound foundation to support execution of project; (5) Ability of the organization to fully integrate the system, and direct, manage, and control the execution of a complex major project.

  19. A PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF HEDGE FUNDS, HEDGED MUTUAL FUNDS AND HEDGE FUND ETFS

    OpenAIRE

    Shenyan Gu; Tina Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Hedged mutual funds and hedge fund ETFs are new entrants to the market thatallow individual investors to invest in funds using hedge fund strategies.   In this paper, we study the performance of these two funds relative to the traditional hedge funds to see if the three asset classes are comparable investments. We use four performance measurement models, including CAPM, Fama French three factor model, Carhart four factor model and Fung and Hsieh eight factor model, to test the fund...

  20. Reporting of sources of funding in systematic reviews in periodontology and implant dentistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faggion, C M; Atieh, M; Zanicotti, D G

    2014-02-01

    Industry-supported clinical trials may present better outcomes than those supported by other sources. The aim of this paper was to assess whether systematic reviews (SRs) published in periodontology and implant dentistry report and discuss the influence of funding sources on study results. Two reviewers conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews independently and in duplicate to identify SRs published up to 11 November 2012. Speciality dental journals and the reference lists of included SRs were also scrutinised. Information on the reporting and discussion of funding sources of primary studies included in the SRs was extracted independently and in duplicate. Any disagreement regarding SR selection or data extraction was discussed until consensus was achieved. Of 146 SRs included in the assessment, only 45 (31%) reported the funding sources of primary studies. Fourteen (10%) SRs discussed the potential influence of funding sources on study results, that is, sponsorship bias. Funding sources are inadequately reported and discussed in SRs in periodontology and implant dentistry. Assessment, reporting, and critical appraisal of potential sponsorship bias of meta-analytic estimates are paramount to provide proper guidance for clinical treatments.

  1. Foreign Assistance: Enterprise Funds' Contributions to Private Sector Development Vary

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1999-01-01

    ...- and medium-sized businesses in which other financial institutions are reluctant to invest. With the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, enterprise funds were subsequently established in the newly independent states...

  2. Online Crowdfunding Campaign for an Independent Video Game

    OpenAIRE

    Kivikangas, Inessa

    2014-01-01

    Over the past several years online reward-model crowdfunding platforms have become a popular tool for raising funds among independent game developers. Big success of several brilliant indie titles brought to the online crowdfunding platforms Kickstarter and Indiegogo hundreds of hopeful independent developers. However, apart from creating an excellent game indie developers have to be able to reach out to their audience and capture attention of potential supporters and gaming media. Time and e...

  3. Decommissioning nuclear power plants: a case for external funding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendren, C.B.

    1987-01-01

    In deciding how to finance the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, there are five basic criteria for choosing between internal and external funding methods: (1) the desire for financial assurance, (2) the cost of the assurance, (3) the degree of equity in the recovery program, (4) the program's ability to respond to changes, and (5) the program's adaptability to different utilities. To fulfill its obligations to protect long-term public interests, the Missouri Public Service Commission decided it had to assure, to the maximum extent possible, that sufficient decommissioning funds were available when needed. For this reason, it chose the external funding method. In an external fund, the money currently collected from ratepayers to cover decommissioning costs is placed in an independent trust fund comprised of low-risk investments. The funds and the interest they accrue are available to the utility only at the time of decommissioning (and only for that purpose), thus assuring a certain amount of money will be on-hand to cover decommissioning costs as they arise. Such a fund may prove critical to the financial well-being of the utility, particularly if one considers that the utility would need additional generating facilities to replace the capacity lost through the retirement of its nuclear plant. 3 references

  4. Leaders' experiences and perceptions implementing activity-based funding and pay-for-performance hospital funding models: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxter, Pamela E; Hewko, Sarah J; Pfaff, Kathryn A; Cleghorn, Laura; Cunningham, Barbara J; Elston, Dawn; Cummings, Greta G

    2015-08-01

    Providing cost-effective, accessible, high quality patient care is a challenge to governments and health care delivery systems across the globe. In response to this challenge, two types of hospital funding models have been widely implemented: (1) activity-based funding (ABF) and (2) pay-for-performance (P4P). Although health care leaders play a critical role in the implementation of these funding models, to date their perspectives have not been systematically examined. The purpose of this systematic review was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of health care leaders implementing hospital funding reforms within Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. We searched literature from 1982 to 2013 using: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Elite, and Business Source Complete. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts using predefined criteria. We included 2 mixed methods and 12 qualitative studies. Thematic analysis was used in synthesizing results. Five common themes and multiple subthemes emerged. Themes include: pre-requisites for success, perceived benefits, barriers/challenges, unintended consequences, and leader recommendations. Irrespective of which type of hospital funding reform was implemented, health care leaders described a complex process requiring the following: organizational commitment; adequate infrastructure; human, financial and information technology resources; change champions and a personal commitment to quality care. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Innovative funding solution for special projects: Crowd funding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sentot Imam Wahjono

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of crowd funding knowledge, applica-tion, platform, and project initiator toward successful crowd funding. This study conducted by quantitative approach, data have been collected with web-based ques-tionnaires via Kickstarter.com direct message and e-mail to 200 successful crowd funding project initiators as a sample and as much 152 sets questionnaire returned by a complete answer and should be analyzed further. Deployment and data collection take 3 month from October to December 2013. This study found evidence that crowd funding knowledge, crowd funding application, crowd funding platform, and project initiator has positive and significant relationship toward the success of crowd funding. The implication from this research is crowd funding can be a source of capital to finance the projects, not just rely on traditional sources of financing just like banking and capital markets. Crowd funding can be innovative funding solution.

  6. Report: State of Utah Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Financial Statements with Independent Auditor’s Report, June 30, 2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    Report #2003-1-00110, June 3, 2003.Audit of the net assets statement of the Utah Dept of Env Quality Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Prog as of June 30, 2002, and the statements of revenues, expenses and changes in fund net assets, and 2002 cash flows.

  7. Sovereign funds: energy products and investors in energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertin Delacour, Caroline

    2009-01-01

    Energy, especially oil, is the source of wealth of two-thirds of SWFs, located in the Middle East, Africa, America, Russia and Norway. The countries exporting natural resources use these investment vehicles to fight against the drawbacks of their rent economy: price volatility, non-renewal of resources, resource curse and 'dutch disease'. SWFs can indeed stabilize export earnings, preserve wealth for future generations and diversify the economy. Energy is also a prime area for investment of sovereign wealth funds, which have different objectives depending on their origin. The funds of the Persian Gulf, already rich in fossil resources, form partnerships with leading groups in the field of energy to acquire the technology they lack. The funds from countries lacking natural resources, such as China, seek to take control of foreign companies operating or processing raw materials with a view to secure energy independence of their country

  8. 77 FR 59407 - Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Funding Opportunity

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-27

    ... (TA Center) is to support the federally funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) and Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health (Project LAUNCH) grant programs. The Safe Schools/Healthy... Center, Inc. based on the receipt of a satisfactory application that is approved by an independent review...

  9. The Effects of the Structural Funds on the Romanian Economic Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ionica Oncioiu

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The European funds are considered an attractive tool for supporting economic growth on short-term and at a macroeconomic level. The impact assessment of structural and cohesion funds on Romania's economic growth is sluggish because of the mismatches between official information at national and regional levels. The role of economic models in quantifying the impact of structural and cohesion funds at a macroeconomic level cannot be minimized. This paper aims to investigate the impact of European funds totally absorbed by Romania on the evolution of total GDP (Gross Domestic Product in the period 2007-2015. Using linear regression in R (lm function, our goal is to explain the relationship between attracted European funds in total, as an independent variable, and the Gross Domestic Product which was considered a dependent variable. For data processing, the authors used the ANOVA software. However, the results shows that the impact of the absorption rate on short-term economic growth does not confirm the theoretical expectations.

  10. STAKEHOLDERS’ OPINIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE GLOBAL FUND AND THEIR POTENTIAL ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galárraga, Omar; Bertozzi, Stefano M.

    2009-01-01

    Objective To analyze stakeholder opinions and expectations of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and to discuss their potential economic and financial implications. Design The Global Fund commissioned an independent study, the “360° Stakeholder Assessment,” to canvas feedback on the organization’s reputation and performance with an on-line survey of 909 respondents representing major stakeholders worldwide. We created a proxy for expectations based on categorical responses for specific Global Fund attributes’ importance to the stakeholders, and current perceived performance. Methods Using multivariate regression, we analyzed 23 unfulfilled expectations related to: resource mobilization; impact measurement; harmonization and inclusion; effectiveness of the Global Fund partner environment; and portfolio characteristics. The independent variables are personal- and regional-level characteristics that affect expectations. Results The largest unfulfilled expectations relate to: mobilization of private sector resources; efficiency in disbursing funds; and assurance that people affected by the three diseases are reached. Stakeholders involved with the Fund through the Country Coordinating Mechanisms, those working in multilateral organizations, and persons living with HIV are more likely to have unfulfilled expectations. In contrast, higher levels of involvement with the Fund correlate with fulfilled expectations. Stakeholders living in sub-Saharan Africa were less likely to have their expectations met. Conclusions Stakeholders unfulfilled expectations result largely from factors external to them, but also from factors over which they have influence. In particular, attributes related to partnership score poorly even though stakeholders have influence in that area. Joint efforts to address perceived performance gaps may improve future performance, and positively influence investment levels and economic viability. PMID:18664957

  11. 77 FR 20369 - Applications for New Awards; Centers for Independent Living-Training and Technical Assistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-04

    ... Education ACTION: Notice. Overview Information Centers for Independent Living--Training and Technical.... Funding Opportunity Description Purpose of Program The purpose of the Training and Technical Assistance grant under the Centers for Independent Living program is to provide training and technical assistance...

  12. The role of the Technical Review Panel of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: an analysis of grant recommendations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt-Traub, Guido

    2018-04-01

    The independent Technical Review Panel (TRP) of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a unique mechanism to review funding proposals and to provide recommendations on their funding. Its functioning and performance have received little attention in the scientific literature. We aimed to identify predictors for TRP recommendations, whether these were in line with the Global Fund's ambition to give priority to countries most in need, and whether they correlated with grant performance. We combined data on proposals and applications under the Rolling Continuation Channel, TRP recommendations and grant implementation during the rounds-based mechanism (2002-2010) with country characteristics. Ordered logistic and OLS regressions were used to identify predictors for per-capita funding requests, TRP recommendations, Global Fund funding and grant performance ratings. We tested for financial suppression of large funding proposals and whether fragile or English-speaking countries performed differently from other countries. We found that funding requests and TRP recommendations were consistent with disease burden, but independent of other country characteristics. Countries with larger populations requested less funding per capita, but there is no evidence of financial suppression by the TRP. Proposals from fragile countries were as likely to be recommended as proposals from other countries, and resulting grants performed equally well except for lower performance of HIV/AIDS grants. English-speaking countries obtained more funding for TB and malaria than other countries. In conclusion, the independent TRP acted in line with the guiding principles of the Global Fund to direct funding to countries most in need without ex ante country allocation. The Global Fund appears to have promoted learning on how to design and implement large-scale programs in fragile and non-fragile countries. Other pooled financing mechanisms may consider TRP operating principles to

  13. [Food industry funding and epidemiologic research in public health nutrition].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva María; Tardón, Adonina; Romaguera, Dora; Martínez-González, Miguel Ángel; Vioque, Jesús

    The interests of the food industry to fund nutrition and health research are not limited to promoting scientific advances. Recently, several systematic reviews conducted about the effect of sugar-sweetened beverages and health outcomes have shown some biased conclusions in studies that acknowledge industry sponsorship. In this context, the Nutrition Working Group of the Spanish Epidemiology Society presented a scientific session entitled Food industry and epidemiologic research at its annual meeting. In a round table, four experts in nutrition research presented their points of view about whether the food industry should fund nutrition-related research and the related potential conflicts of interest of the food industry. All the experts agreed not only on defending independence in nutritional epidemiology regarding the design, interpretation and conclusion of their studies but also on the crucial need for guaranteed scientific rigor, scientific quality of the results and measures to protect studies against potential biases related to the conflicts of interest of funding by the food industry. Drs Pérez-Farinós and Romaguera believe that the most effective way to prevent conflicts of interest would be not to allow the food industry to fund nutrition research; Drs Marcos and Martínez-González suggested the need to establish mechanisms and strategies to prevent the potential influences of the food industry in selecting researchers or institutional sponsorship and in the analysis and results of the studies, to ensure maximum independence for researchers, as well as their professional ethics. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  14. The effect of funding sources on donepezil randomised controlled trial outcome: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killin, Lewis O J; Russ, Tom C; Starr, John M; Abrahams, Sharon; Della Sala, Sergio

    2014-04-07

    To investigate whether there is a difference in the treatment effect of donepezil on cognition in Alzheimer disease between industry-funded and independent randomised controlled trials. Fixed effects meta-analysis of standardised effects of donepezil on cognition as measured by the Mini Mental State Examination and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale. Studies included in the meta-analyses reported in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technical appraisal 217 updated with new studies through a PubMed search. Inclusion criteria were double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of any length comparing patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer disease (according to the NINCDS-ADRDA/DSM-III/IV criteria) taking any dosage of donepezil. Studies of combination therapies (eg, donepezil and memantine) were excluded, as were studies that enrolled patients with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease associated with other disorders (eg, Parkinson's disease and Down's syndrome). Our search strategy identified 14 relevant trials (4 independent) with suitable data. Trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies reported a larger effect of donepezil on standardised cognitive tests than trials published by independent research groups (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.46, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.55 vs SMD=0.33, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.48, respectively). This difference remained when only data representing change up to 12 weeks from baseline were analysed (industry SMD=0.44, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.53 vs independent SMD=0.35, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.52). Analysis revealed that the effect of funding as a moderator variable of study heterogeneity was not statistically significant at either time point. The effect size of donepezil on cognition is larger in industry-funded than independent trials and this is not explained by the longer duration of industry-funded trials. The lack of a statistically significant moderator effect may indicate that the differences are due to

  15. Self Managed Superannuation Funds and the Bear Market of 2007-2008

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J Phillips

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we examine the bear market performance of self managed superannuation funds(SMSFs. Previous studies have highlighted some problems with the portfolio construction ofSMSFs. This provides a rationale for examining the performance of SMSFs during the recentbear market. Based on data from two independent samples of a total of 141 self managedsuperannuation funds, two archetype SMSF portfolios are constructed in order to generateinsights into the average performance of the funds in the samples. The performance of thesefunds is compared with (1 the unmanaged market index; and (2 the average returnsgenerated by retail (balanced superannuation funds. Interestingly, whilst the SMSFs havegenerated negative returns and problems with the portfolio construction remain, the relativeperformance of the overall portfolios vis-à-vis the market index and professionally managedfunds is reasonably favourable. However, the equity portions of the SMSF portfolios sufferfrom under-diversification and could be more efficiently constructed.

  16. Mutual Fund Performances of Polish Domestic Equity Fund Managers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ömer faruk tan

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose of the article: The main purpose of the paper is empirically evaluating selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers during the period from January 2009 to November 2014. After the global financial crisis of 2008, in this period of quantitative easing (QE, thanks to an increase in the money supply, a capital flow from developed countries to developing countries was observed. In this study, we try to analyse that although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, whether fund managers show better or worse performance than the market. Methodology/Methods: In order to evaluate fund manager performances, Jensen alpha (1968 is computed, which depicts selectivity skills of fund managers. For determining market timing ability of fund managers, Treynor & Mazuy (1966 regression analysis and Henriksson & Merton (1981 regression analysis are applied. Fund performances are evaluated using Warsaw Stock Exchange Index as the benchmark index. Scientific aim: In this study, we have tried to evaluate selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers. A total of 14 equity fund managers’ performances are analysed. The study can be guiding especially for investors who are interested in Polish equity fund performances in a period where emerging stock markets outperformed with quantitative easing. Findings: Jensen (1968 alphas indicate that over this period fund managers did not have selective ability, as none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive alphas. Furthermore, Treynor & Mazuy (1966 and Henriksson & Merton (1981 regression analysis indicate that over the same period fund managers did not also have market timing ability, as again none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive coefficients. Conclusions: In this work, we can detect that in the era of quantitative easing, although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, the fund returns were

  17. Relationship between funding source and conclusion among nutrition-related scientific articles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesser, Lenard I; Ebbeling, Cara B; Goozner, Merrill; Wypij, David; Ludwig, David S

    2007-01-01

    Industrial support of biomedical research may bias scientific conclusions, as demonstrated by recent analyses of pharmaceutical studies. However, this issue has not been systematically examined in the area of nutrition research. The purpose of this study is to characterize financial sponsorship of scientific articles addressing the health effects of three commonly consumed beverages, and to determine how sponsorship affects published conclusions. Medline searches of worldwide literature were used to identify three article types (interventional studies, observational studies, and scientific reviews) about soft drinks, juice, and milk published between 1 January, 1999 and 31 December, 2003. Financial sponsorship and article conclusions were classified by independent groups of coinvestigators. The relationship between sponsorship and conclusions was explored by exact tests and regression analyses, controlling for covariates. 206 articles were included in the study, of which 111 declared financial sponsorship. Of these, 22% had all industry funding, 47% had no industry funding, and 32% had mixed funding. Funding source was significantly related to conclusions when considering all article types (p = 0.037). For interventional studies, the proportion with unfavorable conclusions was 0% for all industry funding versus 37% for no industry funding (p = 0.009). The odds ratio of a favorable versus unfavorable conclusion was 7.61 (95% confidence interval 1.27 to 45.73), comparing articles with all industry funding to no industry funding. Industry funding of nutrition-related scientific articles may bias conclusions in favor of sponsors' products, with potentially significant implications for public health.

  18. Early stage fuel cell funding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergeron, C.

    2004-01-01

    'Full text:' Early stage venture funding requires an in depth understanding of both current and future markets as well as the key technical hurdles that need to be overcome for new technology to commercialize into successful products for mass markets. As the leading fuel cell and hydrogen investor, Chrysalix continuously reviews global trends and new technologies, evaluates them with industry leaders worldwide and tries to match them up with the best possible management teams when selecting its early stage investments. Chrysalix Energy Limited Partnership is an early-stage venture capital firm focusing on fuel cell and related fueling technology companies and is a private equity joint venture between Ballard Power Systems, BASF Venture Capital, The BOC Group, The Boeing Company, Duke Energy, Mitsubishi Corporation and Shell Hydrogen. Operating independently, Chrysalix offers a unique value proposition to its clients throughout the business planning, start-up and operations phases of development. Chrysalix provides early-stage funding to new companies as well as management assistance, technological knowledge, organized networking with industry players and experience in the management of intellectual property. (author)

  19. Bureaucracy blights funding in Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Michael

    2009-04-01

    The process of applying for money from the Framework programme of the European Union (EU) is a "stain" on the EU's reputation and a "radical overhaul" of the administration is needed. That is the view of an independent panel of scientists charged with evaluating the €18bn Sixth Framework programme, which lasted from 2002 to 2006 and funded collaborative research performed within more than one country. The panel says that grants handed out by the programme take, on average, over a year to get approved, with a quarter of proposals taking more than 450 days before being signed.

  20. National Institutes of Health Funding in Plastic Surgery: A Crisis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvestre, Jason; Abbatematteo, Joseph M; Serletti, Joseph M; Chang, Benjamin

    2016-09-01

    Decreasing funding rates and increasing competition for National Institutes of Health research grants have prompted diverse interventions in various fields of biomedicine. Currently, the state of National Institutes of Health funding for plastic surgery research is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the portfolio of National Institutes of Health grants in academic plastic surgery. Plastic surgery faculty at integrated and independent programs were queried individually in the National Institutes of Health RePORTER database for grants awarded in 2014. Funding totals, mechanisms, and institutes were calculated. Abstracts were categorized by research type and field of interest. Characteristics of National Institutes of Health-funded principal investigators were elucidated. Eight hundred sixty-one academic plastic surgeons at 94 programs were queried, and only 18 investigators (2.1 percent) were funded at 12 programs (12.8 percent). National Institutes of Health-funded investigators were predominately male (72 percent), fellowship-trained (61 percent), and aged 49.3 ± 7.8 years. A total of 20 awards amounted to $6,916,886, with an average award of $345,844 ± $222,909. Costs were primarily awarded through the R01 mechanism (77.2 percent). The top three National Institutes of Health institutes awarded 72.9 percent of the entire portfolio. Funding supported clinical (41.1 percent), translational (36.9 percent), and basic science (22.0 percent) research. Craniofacial (20.5 percent), hand (18.7 percent), and breast (16.2 percent) had the greatest funding. Few programs and faculty drive the National Institutes of Health portfolio of plastic surgery research. These data suggest a tenuous funding situation that may be susceptible to future spending cuts. Future research is needed to identify barriers to National Institutes of Health funding procurement in academic plastic surgery.

  1. Are Sunshine Private Funds More Beneficial than Publicly Offered Funds to the Fund Managers in Their Investment Performance?

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YAN Wu; XIONG Hang

    2016-01-01

    From the perspective of the comparison between the investment performances of the fund managers before and after investment transfer from publicly offered funds to sunshine private funds,we can better explore the influences of the two institutional environments on the investment performances of the fund managers.This paper conducts a comparative analysis of the fund managers,investment performances before and after their investment transfer with the help of a number of fund performance evaluation models.The results show that the overall investment ability of the fund managers have been improved significantly when they transfer from publicly offered funds to sunshine private funds.If decomposing the overall investment ability into time-choosing and stock-picking abilities,the improvement of the fund managers' overall investment ability is mainly reflected in the significant improvement of their time-choosing ability after the transfer,while their stock-picking ability would then decrease a little.At the same time,by studying the personal characteristics of the fund managers,it is found that those who had investment research experience can obtain better investment performances.

  2. Rating mutual funds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bechmann, Ken L.; Rangvid, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    We develop a new rating of mutual funds: the atpRating. The atpRating assigns crowns to each individual mutual fund based upon the costs an investor pays when investing in the fund in relation to what it would cost to invest in the fund's peers. Within each investment category, the rating assigns...... the return of a fund in a certain year generally contains only little information about the future return that the fund will generate. Finally, we have information on the investments in different mutual funds made by a small subgroup of investors known to have been exposed to both the atp...... five crowns to funds with the lowest costs and one crown to funds with the highest costs. We investigate the ability of the atpRating to predict the future performance of a fund. We find that an investor who has invested in the funds with the lowest costs within an investment category would have...

  3. Financial Energy Conservation Projects at Independent Colleges and Universities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrell, L. R.

    1981-01-01

    Factors affecting financial decisions for energy conservation projects at independent colleges and universities and methods that may be used when making a financial investment decision are examined, along with sources of funding for the projects. Projects that result in the conservation of energy resources might, in a time of extreme shortages,…

  4. A Systematic Review of Surgical Randomized Controlled Trials: Part 2. Funding Source, Conflict of Interest, and Sample Size in Plastic Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voineskos, Sophocles H; Coroneos, Christopher J; Ziolkowski, Natalia I; Kaur, Manraj N; Banfield, Laura; Meade, Maureen O; Chung, Kevin C; Thoma, Achilleas; Bhandari, Mohit

    2016-02-01

    The authors examined industry support, conflict of interest, and sample size in plastic surgery randomized controlled trials that compared surgical interventions. They hypothesized that industry-funded trials demonstrate statistically significant outcomes more often, and randomized controlled trials with small sample sizes report statistically significant results more frequently. An electronic search identified randomized controlled trials published between 2000 and 2013. Independent reviewers assessed manuscripts and performed data extraction. Funding source, conflict of interest, primary outcome direction, and sample size were examined. Chi-squared and independent-samples t tests were used in the analysis. The search identified 173 randomized controlled trials, of which 100 (58 percent) did not acknowledge funding status. A relationship between funding source and trial outcome direction was not observed. Both funding status and conflict of interest reporting improved over time. Only 24 percent (six of 25) of industry-funded randomized controlled trials reported authors to have independent control of data and manuscript contents. The mean number of patients randomized was 73 per trial (median, 43, minimum, 3, maximum, 936). Small trials were not found to be positive more often than large trials (p = 0.87). Randomized controlled trials with small sample size were common; however, this provides great opportunity for the field to engage in further collaboration and produce larger, more definitive trials. Reporting of trial funding and conflict of interest is historically poor, but it greatly improved over the study period. Underreporting at author and journal levels remains a limitation when assessing the relationship between funding source and trial outcomes. Improved reporting and manuscript control should be goals that both authors and journals can actively achieve.

  5. Rating Mutual Funds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bechmann, Ken L.; Rangvid, Jesper

    We develop a new rating of mutual funds: the atpRating. The atpRating assigns crowns to each individual mutual fund based upon the costs an investor pays when investing in the fund in relation to what it would cost to invest in the fund’s peers. Within each investment category, the rating assigns......, whereas the return of a fund in a certain year generally contains only little information about the future return that the fund will generate. Finally, we have information on the investments in different mutual funds made by a small subgroup of investors known to have been exposed to both the atp...... five crowns to funds with the lowest costs and one crown to funds with the highest costs. We investigate the ability of the atpRating to predict the future performance of a fund. We find that an investor who has invested in the funds with the lowest costs within an investment category would have...

  6. 77 FR 33760 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Public Housing Capital Fund Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-07

    ... that are not subject to Independent Public Accountant (IPA) audit requirements. DATES: Comments Due... numerous PHAs that are not subject to Independent Public Accountant (IPA) audit requirements. Number of... Proposed Information Collection to OMB Public Housing Capital Fund Program AGENCY: Office of the Chief...

  7. Random matrix theory and fund of funds portfolio optimisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conlon, T.; Ruskin, H. J.; Crane, M.

    2007-08-01

    The proprietary nature of Hedge Fund investing means that it is common practise for managers to release minimal information about their returns. The construction of a fund of hedge funds portfolio requires a correlation matrix which often has to be estimated using a relatively small sample of monthly returns data which induces noise. In this paper, random matrix theory (RMT) is applied to a cross-correlation matrix C, constructed using hedge fund returns data. The analysis reveals a number of eigenvalues that deviate from the spectrum suggested by RMT. The components of the deviating eigenvectors are found to correspond to distinct groups of strategies that are applied by hedge fund managers. The inverse participation ratio is used to quantify the number of components that participate in each eigenvector. Finally, the correlation matrix is cleaned by separating the noisy part from the non-noisy part of C. This technique is found to greatly reduce the difference between the predicted and realised risk of a portfolio, leading to an improved risk profile for a fund of hedge funds.

  8. Offshore Investment Funds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shang-Jin Wei

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available Offshore investment funds are alleged to have engaged in trading behavior that is different from their onshore counterparts because they may be subject to less supervision and regulation. In particular, they may trade more intensely. They could also pursue more aggressively certain trading strategies such as positive feedback trading or herding that could contribute to a greater volatility in the market. Using a unique data set, this chapter compares the trading behavior in the Korean stock market between offshore investment funds with their onshore counterparts registered in the US and UK. There are a number of interesting findings. First, there is indeed evidence suggesting that the offshore funds trade more intensely than their onshore counterparts. Second, however, there is no evidence that the offshore funds engage in positive feedback trading. In contrast, there is strong evidence that the funds from the U.S. and U.K. do. Third, while offshore funds do herd, they do so far less than onshore funds in the U.S. or UK. Fourth, offshore funds hold less glamour stocks (e.g. stocks with high P/E in their portfolio than funds in the U.S. or U.K. do. Moreover, flight to glamour stocks during the in-crisis period is less evident in the case of offshore funds. In sum, offshore funds are no especially worrisome monsters.

  9. KT Fund: Five years of funding for impact

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN Bulletin

    2015-01-01

    Cryogenic safety, ion beam therapy, event management for communities, emergency lighting… this year’s applications for funding through the Knowledge Transfer Fund demonstrate the breadth of possible applications of CERN technology beyond high-energy physics.     The use of high index glass spherical targets as retroreflectors for a 3D interferometer is the subject of one of the 2015 KT Fund Projects.   Following the 2015 selection committee held in January, the KT Fund has funded a total of seven new projects that aim to further develop CERN technologies to a level where they can be transferred and subsequently make a positive impact on society. “CERN’s ambitious scientific programme requires state-of-the-art technologies that are not always directly reusable by society because they were not designed with this purpose in mind,” explains David Mazur, Section Leader of the IP Dissemination Section. “Since 2011, the KT...

  10. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    In line with the decisions concerning the new governance of the Pension Fund taken by the Council in June and September 2007, amendments to Section 2 "Structure and Functions" of the Rules of the Fund (Article I 2.08 – Composition of the Investment Committee and Article I 2.08b – Chairman of the Investment Committee) entered into force on 1st January 2009. These articles replace the provisions of the existing Regulations of the Investment Committee of the Pension Fund relating to the composition and chairman of the Investment Committee. Amendment No. 27 (PDF document) may be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund website: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Administration of the Fund (Tel. 022 7672742, mailto:Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch).

  11. Independent technical review of the Pinellas Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-07-01

    This report documents an Independent Technical Review (ITR) of facilities, organizations, plans, activities and various other elements required to successfully transition the Pinellas Plant from Defense Program (DP) funded operation to either community developed reuse or safe deactivation leading to decontamination and decommissioning (D&D). The review was conducted at the request of the Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Facility Transition and Management (EM-60) and is a consensus of the nine member ITR Team.

  12. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    The Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) held two meetings over the summer, the first on 9 June and the second on 1st September. The agendas of the two meetings had several items in common, including progress reports on the work of the four working groups. Group 1, which is responsible for the revision of Chapter I, Section 2 of the Rules of the Fund, has made good progress but will need more time to complete its terms of reference in view of the number and complexity of the articles to be amended. In parallel, the Group has approved a code of conduct for the Pension Fund, which is based, in particular, on the new charter introduced for Swiss pension funds by the Swiss Association of Provident Institutions (ASIP) and the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) code of ethics applicable to members of pension fund bodies. The PFGB took note that the Group had also been working on the rules relating to the status of the personnel of the Fund and the composition of the Investment Committee. The work of Group 2, responsi...

  13. Pension fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    At its June 2006 meeting, the Finance Committee approved the following amendment to Article 6a of the Regulations for elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund, which will enter into force on 1.7.2006: Current text New text ... 6a. The Administrator of the Fund shall be responsible for holding the elections and for issuing all relevant information. ... ... 6a. The Administrator of the Fund shall be responsible for holding the elections by electronic voting or, if this method cannot be used, following the procedure outlined in Articles 6i., 6j. and 6k. below. He shall issue to the members of the Pension Fund all relevant information concerning the elections. The deadlines mentioned in paragraphs 6i. and 6j. below shall apply mutatis mutandis to electronic voting. ... The amendment will allow the Pension Fund to use an electronic voting procedure for the election of elected members to the Governing Board of the Fund. It will be included in a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulatio...

  14. Fund management plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-05-01

    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, P.L. 97-425 (the Act), provides for establishment of two separate special funds in the US Treasury, the Interim Storage Fund and the Nuclear Waste Fund (the Funds). The Interim Storage Fund (Sec. 136) is the financing mechanism for the provision of federal interim storage capacity, not to exceed 1900 metric tons, for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from civilian reactors. Basically, interim storage of SNF is the responsibility of the owners and generators of nuclear wastes. Storage at government facilities will be provided only if the utilities do not have adequate storage capacity. The Nuclear Waste Fund (Sec. 302) is the statutory financing approach for the Department's radioactive waste disposal program. P.L. 97-425 directs utilities to pay a mandatory fee to cover DOE's expected costs for nuclear waste disposal. The Funds are administered by the Department of Energy. This Plan identifies how DOE will implement and manage the Nuclear Waste and Interim Storage Funds

  15. Management of Existing Funding Systems in Switzerland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maxeiner, H.

    2006-01-01

    1 - Funds for D and D and Waste disposal: Producers pay principle: Producers of radioactive waste are responsible for financing its safe disposal. Two independent funds supervised by the Confederation: Decommissioning fund for nuclear facilities (Secure financial resources for D and D and for disposal of the resulting waste (not SF), Established January 1, 1984 as a public law entity, Berne); Disposal fund for nuclear power plants (Cover costs for management of operational waste and SF after decommissioning, Established April 1, 2000, Repositories: 2020 - 2050). Decommissioning fund: Calculation of contributions based on Estimated D and D costs (taking account of cost development (first studies 1984, latest studies 2000/2001), Disposal of waste arising from D and D, Administration costs Latest decommissioning studies: Costs amount to 1.9 Billion CHF; Annual contributions based on 40 years operation time. Disposal fund: Calculation of contributions based on Management of operational waste and SF following the decommissioning, Transport/storage containers, transport, reprocessing and/or direct disposal of SF, conditioning and interim storage, deep geological disposal, Administration costs. Latest studies: Costs amount to 12 Billion CHF. Annual contributions based on 40 years operation time. 2 - Organisation and payments: Contributions to the decommissioning fund: Contributions required up to the assumed decommissioning date are converted into annual amounts; Assumed inflation rate 3%, capital projected on a basis of 5% (net return 2%); Annual contributions reviewed every 5 years (shorter periods possible in case of unforeseen events), if new operators enter or a facility is decommissioned. Fund organisation: Executive bodies: Management Committee and Secretariat, MC nominated by Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Sub committees set up by MC (Investment Committee, Cost Committee). Management committee: 9 members (4 operators

  16. The Promise of Kickstarter: Extents to Which Social Networks Enable Alternate Avenues of Economic Viability for Independent Musicians Through Crowdfunding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cynthia Wang

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Since its inception in 2009, Kickstarter, a crowdsourced funding site, has been a platform for independent creative projects to get funding, ostensibly providing alternate routes of economic viability outside of a traditional framework of creative production and distribution. Kickstarter comes onto the scene after the proliferation of online social networking sites, through which bridging social capital ties are more easily maintained. This article investigates the ways in which independent musicians have used Kickstarter in conjunction with pre-existing social networks to fund their album and sustain themselves and their artistic endeavors economically while also exploring how social networks provide ways for these “Kickstarter campaigns” to reach potential backers (funders. Through three online surveys targeting musicians, their backers, and general Kickstarter backers, yielding a total of 61 respondents, this article finds that pre-existing personal social networks and relations are imperative to the successful funding of Kickstarter campaigns.

  17. Governance of pension funds: interlocking and compensation of Australian superannuation fund boards

    OpenAIRE

    Ooi, Elizabeth Meishan

    2017-01-01

    This thesis documents the incidence and determinants of board interlocking (where directors simultaneously sit on multiple boards) in pension funds and examines its effect on fund performance. It also investigates the determinants of pension fund director compensation. The motivation to examine these issues stems from the distinctive interlocking and compensation practices in pension funds. Data on a sample of 249 Australian pension funds from 2004 to 2011 is collected from fund documents ...

  18. Return Persistence and Fund Flows in the Worst Performing Mutual Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Jonathan B. Berk; Ian Tonks

    2007-01-01

    We document that the observed persistence amongst the worst performing actively managed mutual funds is attributable to funds that have performed poorly both in the current and prior year. We demonstrate that this persistence results from an unwillingness of investors in these funds to respond to bad performance by withdrawing their capital. In contrast, funds that only performed poorly in the current year have a significantly larger (out)flow of funds/return sensitivity and consequently show...

  19. 34 CFR 674.17 - Federal interest in allocated funds-transfer of Fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Federal interest in that Fund: (1) A capital distribution of the liquid assets of the Fund according to... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Federal interest in allocated funds-transfer of Fund... Provisions § 674.17 Federal interest in allocated funds—transfer of Fund. (a) If an institution responsible...

  20. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    As announced in the Bulletin during the summer, the Pension Fund has published a complete new version of the Fund's Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1 November 2006, following the decisions of the CERN Council. This new version of the Rules and Regulations can be downloaded in A4 format (pdf document) directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm for the Rules and http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/règlements___regulations.htm for the Regulations) or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030, or by e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

  1. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    In line with the decisions taken by the Council in June and September 2007 concerning the new governance of the Pension Fund, amendments to Section 2 «Structure and Functions» of the Rules of the Fund entered into force on 1st January 2009 (Article I 2.08 – Composition of the Investment Committee and Article I 2.08bis – Chairman of the Investment Committee). Amendment n°27 may be downloaded (PDF document) directly from the Pension Fund website: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Administration of the Fund (Tel. 022 767 2742, mailto:Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch).

  2. ADVERTISING ON FACEBOOK: THE EFFECT ON FUND FLOWS OF FUND FAMILY

    OpenAIRE

    Kang, Jiaqi

    2017-01-01

    Using data for the top 100 US mutual fund families for the period between Jan 2009 to Jun 2016, this paper studies the relationship between mutual fund families’ advertising on Facebook and their fund flow. In particular, I examine whether advertising via social media helps mutual funds to attract new fund flow. I also include the number of followers to proxy for visibility and past returns to control for performance. In line with previous research, I find that large part of the variation in ...

  3. 76 FR 4113 - Independent Scientific Peer Review Panel Meeting on an In Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-24

    ... antagonist activity. These studies were funded primarily by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant... Vitro Estrogen Receptor Transcriptional Activation Test Method for Endocrine Disruptor Chemical... Toxicological Methods (NICEATM); Announcement of an Independent Scientific Peer Review Panel Meeting on an In...

  4. 25 CFR 170.925 - Is ERFO funding supplemental to IRR Program funding?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Miscellaneous Provisions Emergency Relief § 170.925 Is ERFO funding supplemental to... construction and maintenance funds for FHWA-approved repairs. If IRR construction or maintenance funds are used... used to reimburse the construction or maintenance funds expended. ...

  5. Funding ATLAS 2012 key indicators for publicly funded research in Germany

    CERN Document Server

    Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

    2013-01-01

    The Funding ATLAS is a reporting system (previously referred to as the Funding Ranking) employed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to provide information in the form of indicators of key developments in publicly funded research in Germany every three years. This English version of the Funding ATLAS 2012 presents selected findings from the more comprehensive German edition. At the core of the report are indicators that provide information on which subject areas have received funding at higher education and other research institutions in the period 2008-2010. This report also includes, as a supplement not found in the German edition, the decisions on the Excellence Initiative, which were taken shortly after the German edition of the Funding ATLAS 2012 was published. The report also addresses the subject of internationality by presenting selected indicators that show how attractive Germany's research institutions are for visiting scientists. In summary, the DFG Funding ATLAS furnishes reliable indicators o...

  6. Picking Funds with Confidence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grønborg, Niels Strange; Lunde, Asger; Timmermann, Allan

    We present a new approach to selecting active mutual funds that uses both holdings and return information to eliminate funds with predicted inferior performance through a sequence of pair-wise comparisons. Our methodology determines both the number of skilled funds and their identity, funds...... identified ex-ante as being superior earn substantially higher risk-adjusted returns than top funds identified by conventional alpha ranking methods. Importantly, we find strong evidence of variation in the breadth of the set of funds identified as superior, as well as fluctuations in the style and industry...... exposures of such funds over time and across different volatility states....

  7. Fund management plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-08-01

    This revision of the Fund Management Plan updates the original plan published in May 1983. It is derived from and supplements the Mission Plan of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. A major purpose in preparing this Plan is to inform the public about management of the Nuclear Waste Fund and the Interim Storage Fund. The purpose of the Interim Storage Fund is to finance the provision of the Federal interim storage capacity of up to 1900 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Fund is a separate account for all revenues and expenditures related to the geological disposal and monitored retrieval storage of civilian radioactive waste

  8. PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    1999-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its first three meetings of the year on 2 February, 2 March and 13 April.At the first of these meetings the Board first heard a presentation by Mrs H. Richmond of JP Morgan on the results of the currency overlay programme applied to the Fund's assets. Thanks to the policy pursued by this company, volatility, i.e. portfolio risk for assets denominated in currencies other than the Swiss franc, has been reduced. However, despite the fact that JP Morgan has considerable expertise in this field, no gain has been achieved over the past year. The Governing Board heard a report by the Investment Committee Chairman G. Maurin on the meetings of 21-22 and 28 January at which the Pension Fund's various fund managers had been interviewed on their results. Decisions were taken on benchmarks aimed at optimising management and on the terms of reference of the Internal Management Unit. It was also decided to place two fund managers on a watching list and to request them to make eve...

  9. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    The PFGB held two meetings over the summer, the first on 9 June and the second on 1st September. The agendas of the two meetings had several items in common, including progress reports on the work of the four working groups. Group 1, which is responsible for the revision of Chapter I, Section 2 of the Rules of the Fund, has made good progress but will need more time to complete its terms of reference in view of the number and complexity of the articles to be amended. In parallel, the Group has approved a code of conduct for the Pension Fund, which is based, in particular, on the new charter introduced for Swiss pension funds by the Swiss Association of Provident Institutions (ASIP) and the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) code of ethics applicable to members of pension fund bodies. The PFGB took note that the Group had also been working on the rules relating to the status of the personnel of the Fund and the composition of the Investment Committee. The work of Group 2, resp...

  10. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 8 October 2003 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: 1. Opening RemarksJ. Bezemer 2. Annual Report 2002: Presentation and results Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats. C. Cuénoud 3. Overview of the present situation with regard to pension funds C. Cuénoud 4. Performance of the Fund since the year 2000 and aspects of the ongoing asset/liability modelling exercise G. Maurin 5. Questions from members and beneficiariesPersons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 6. Conclusions J. Bezemer As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2002 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund tel.(+4122)767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch)

  11. Shifting investments strategy from equity funds to money market funds – the case of Romanian open - end fund market during the financial crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radu, I.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Mutual funds are one of the key suppliers of liquidity in Romanian capital market. This paper uses quarterly data on Romanian open-end funds starting with 2006 until 2010. We find that significant negative flows (outflows were registered beginning with the end of 2007 (equity funds, during 2008 (equity funds, balanced funds, other funds and bond funds in the last 2 quarters of the year and from 2009 to 2010 (in the case of money market funds. There is evidence that the changing market conditions attract differently the incoming flows in these mutual funds. This is the reason why such perturbations affect investors’ confidence for these investment vehicles and impose the reorientation of the investment funds and of their investors to other alternatives in order to preserve their capital.

  12. Pension funds' herding

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Broeders, D.; Chen, D.; Minderhoud, P.; Schudel, W.

    2016-01-01

    This paper uses unique and detailed transaction data to analyse herding behavior among pension funds. We distinguish between weak, semi strong and strong herding behaviour. Weak herding occurs if pension funds have similar rebalancing strategies. Semi strong herding arises when pension funds react

  13. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    The Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund have been updated, following Council's decision of December 2006 concerning the adjustment of pensions, fixed amounts and allowances by 1.16% with effect from 1.1.2007 (Annex B, page 31). The updated version can be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030, or by e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

  14. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    The Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund have been updated, following Council's decision of December 2006 concerning the adjustment of pensions, fixed amounts and allowances by 1.16% with effect from 1.1.2007 (Annex B, page 31). The updated version can be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm) or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030), or by e-mail (Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

  15. Modernizing "San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez": How Evolving Supreme Court Jurisprudence Changes the Face of Education Finance Litigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Matthew

    2011-01-01

    This article aims to "modernize" the current legal debate over inequitable public school funding at the state and local level. The 1973 Supreme Court case of "San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez" established precedent, allowing for property-tax based education funding programs at the state-level--a major source…

  16. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    Amendment No 21 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Department/Unit secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 17.03.2005, concerns Article I 2.05 (Composition of the Governing Board) and Article I 2.06 (Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Governing Board) of the Rules of the Pension Fund.

  17. Net Stable Funding Ratio: Impact on Funding Value Adjustment

    OpenAIRE

    Siadat, Medya; Hammarlid, Ola

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the relationship between Funding Value Adjustment (FVA) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR). FVA is defined in a consistent way with NSFR such that the new framework of FVA monitors the costs due to keeping NSFR at an acceptable level, as well. In addition, the problem of choosing the optimal funding strategy is formulated as a shortest path problem where the proposed FVA framework is applied in the optimization process. The solution provides us with the optimal f...

  18. Natural resource trust funds : a comparison of Alberta and Alaska resource funds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warrack, A.A.; Keddie, R.R. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

    2002-09-01

    Alberta and Alaska both have an economy based largely on natural resources. The cyclical nature of their economies poses a challenge to stability and sustained prosperity. During the oil crisis of 1973-1974, Alberta and Alaska began receiving oil and gas royalties. The idea of an endowment-type fund began taking shape. This fund would assist in the gradual transition from dependence on non-renewable resources to the responsible management of these resources. Both the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund were created in 1976. The governments of both jurisdictions set aside revenues from natural resource royalties to provide economic stability. Both jurisdictions followed different policies in terms of management, structure, governance, and objectives. In this paper, the authors compared both funds, examining the policy options which had an impact on their growth and successes. The results showed that in Alaska, monies are paid directly to eligible persons, while allocation decisions in Alberta have been made by the government. The government manages the fund in Alberta, while in Alaska, the fund is managed by a separate entity. The Alaskan fund continues to grow, while the the size of the Alberta fund has remained unchanged for a number of years and is not growing. 21 refs., 5 figs.

  19. Do firm characteristics influence mutual fund performance? An empirical study for European mutual funds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, F.C.J.M.; Wingens, L.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the influence of fund management firm characteristics on mutual fund performance. Using a sample of European domiciled open-end equity funds for the period 1998-2008, this study finds that the funds of private companies have performed better than the funds of public

  20. Report: State of Washington Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund Financial Statements with Independent Auditor's Report, June 30, 2003

    Science.gov (United States)

    Report #2004-1-00067, May 26, 2004. The financial statements referred to in the first paragraph present fairly the financial position of the Washington Department of Ecology Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund as of June 30, 2003.

  1. PENSION FUND - ELECTIONS

    CERN Multimedia

    2000-01-01

    This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund.   Candidate: Name: RANJARD First Name: Florence Having been a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund since 1983 as Guy Maurin’s alternate, I am standing for a further 3-year term of office. Over the past few years work has concentrated essentially on following items: Monitoring of the work of the fund managers and their performances. The three-yearly study of the Fund’s actuarial situation. The pension guarantees ­ second phase. The Fund is approaching its maturity: the level of benefits exceeds contributions. In this context it has to strike a suitable balance between management of the risk from a dynamic investment policy, while by a prudent policy avoiding any significant loss of its capital. These will be my concerns within the Governing Board of the Pension Fund if you give me your support.

  2. Funding innovation

    CERN Multimedia

    Marina Giampietro

    2012-01-01

    For the first time, six knowledge and technology transfer activities are set to benefit from a dedicated fund made available by the Knowledge Transfer group. This initiative cements CERN’s commitment to sharing its technological knowledge and expertise with society.   GEM detectors for flame detection and early earthquake prediction, radio-frequency absorbers for energy recovery, and exotic radioisotopes for medical applications are among the projects funded by the recently introduced KT Fund. “CERN’s scientific programme generates a considerable amount of intellectual property, a natural driver for innovation,” explains Giovanni Anelli, Head of the Knowledge Transfer Group. “Very often, though, financial support is needed to bring the newly-born technologies a step further and make them ready for transfer to other research institutes or to companies.” This is where the KT fund comes into play. It provides vital support in the early sta...

  3. Pension funds investments in hedge funds-a necessary regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Gaftoniuc

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available When it comes to investment strategies, generally, pension funds have proved to be conservative investors with a long term approach on investments and constant preoccupation for asset diversification as well as tendencies to secure their portfolios through investments in established financial products. Nevertheless, within this constant preoccupation for portfolio diversification as well as gain of notable profits, private pension funds have invested to a certain degree also in less cautious products respectively have conducted less stable investments. The financial turbulences that hit the US towards the end of 2007 and spread globally to become one of the most severe financial crisis witnessed, haven’t left pension funds immune to this phenomenon. Although, as previously stated, the special feature of pension funds is based on long term investments, which confers a certain degree of natural protection, there can not be the talk of absolute immunity either.

  4. The use of fund accounting and the need for single fund reporting by institutional healthcare providers. Principles and Practices Board Statement No. 8. Healthcare Financial Management Association.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-06-01

    For many years, hospitals and other institutional healthcare providers used fund accounting as a basis for presenting their financial statements. Recently, authoritative literature has placed less emphasis on separate fund reporting. This is evidenced by the reduction of fund classifications specified in the literature. This trend seems to follow the recognition that institutional healthcare activities should be reported in a manner comparable to other businesses. The Principles and Practices Board (P&P Board) of the Healthcare Financial management Association believes that general purpose financial statements of institutional healthcare providers should be comparable to reporting by other businesses. That is, all assets, liabilities, and equity are presented in a single aggregated balance sheet without differentiation by fund. This form of presentation, referred to in this statement as single fund reporting, should be used by all institutional healthcare providers including those that are part of HMOs, universities, municipalities, and other larger entities when separate reports of the provider are issued. The P&P Board is studying other significant issues concerning the reporting of revenues and components of equity and changes therein. The conclusion in this statement can be implemented even though conclusions on these related subjects are not yet complete. The P&P Board recognizes that certain circumstances may require detailed records and reports for special purposes. This statement deals only with those general purpose financial statements on which an independent accountant's opinion is expressed.

  5. Comparing the determinants of fund flows in domestically managed Malaysian Islamic and conventional equity funds.

    OpenAIRE

    Othman, J.; Asutay, M.; Jamailan, N.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to provide an empirical evidence on the fund flows-past return performance relationship by also considering the management expense ratio, the portfolio turnover, the fund size and the fund age of Islamic equity funds (IEF) investors in comparison with conventional equity funds (CEF) investors. Design/methodology/approach: By using panel data, the sample of Malaysian domestic managed equity funds are considered comprised of 20 individual funds from IEF a...

  6. The year 2012 is already rich in highlights for the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB)

    CERN Multimedia

    2012-01-01

    In this new column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) will regularly present the latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments of the Governing Board to the members and beneficiaries of the Fund.   At the start of the year, the PFGB examined the question of the contribution rate for new members joining the Fund after 1st January 2012. The PFGB confirmed that, on the basis of the independent expert's calculations, the proposed total contribution rate of 31.6% for new members is sufficient to finance their pension promise. The proposed new contribution rate was subsequently approved by the Council at its March 2012 meeting. The PFGB has also approved the assumptions to be used in the preparation of the Financial Statements of the Fund for the year 2011. The assumptions for longevity will reflect the latest Swiss publicly available longevity tables (see here). The investment return assumption will continue to reflect the objective set by the Council, w...

  7. INVESTMENT FUNDS IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    COPIL CRINA ANGELA

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available I chose this topic because my goal was to capture in detail all aspects of the evolution of investment funds under the influence of factors leading to globalization of the banking financial market. Main motivation was that I proposed to present in an original manner the concept of investment in mutual funds by the thoroughness of the following points: the different types of investment funds from Romania, the advantages, the risks and the specific costs of the investment in mutual funds and the effects of the financial crisis on the industry of the investment funds on the national level. The financial crisis and the risk of infecting the global economy affected the taste of risk of the investors and their request for the investment fund, determining the orientation of the investors to the funds with a lower risk – the diversified funds, the funds of bonds and the monetary funds. I considered important the theoretical approach of the concept of investments in investment funds because they are a barometer of the macro economical stability, in case the economical increase is positive on the macro economical level the investments in investments funds are increasing too. In Romania the market of the mutual funds is at an incipient level, but with potential and perspectives of development. Due to the bankruptcy of FNI in the beginning of the years 2000 and due to the absence of a clear legislation regarding the calculation of the unitary value of the net asset and the control of the activity developed by the investment funds, the development of the industry of the investment funds had to fight against the crisis of credibility generated by these events. The convergence of the Romanian economy to the European standards will attract also a modification of the structure of the financial investments of the individuals, by an increase of the investments in funds. In the world the investment funds are preferred by the investors for their advantages

  8. Are fund of hedge fund returns asymmetric?

    OpenAIRE

    Lynch, Margaret; Hutson, Elaine; Stevenson, Max

    2004-01-01

    We examine the return distributions of 332 funds of hedge funds and associated indices. Over half of the sample is significantly skewed according to the skewness statistic, and these are split 50/50 positive and negative. However, we argue that the skewness statistic can lead to erroneous inferences regarding the nature of the return distribution, because the test statistic is based on the normal distribution. Using a series of tests that make minimal assumptions about the shape of the ...

  9. A Diversified Approach to Funding a Paleontology Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dooley, A., Jr.

    2014-12-01

    Routine field collection of fossils and other geologic specimens and maintenance of the resulting collections do not typically receive frequent infusions of large amounts of grant money, in spite of the relatively low costs of these activities and the baseline of data they provide. This type of work is often carried out by chronically-underfunded museums that that must use innovative methods of fundraising to carry out their missions. The Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) is an independent state agency that is not affiliated with a university or any other institution. The VMNH paleontology department carries out frequent excavations of vertebrate fossils at three different localities in Virginia and Wyoming, maintains a collection of several hundred thousand specimens, and conducts original research and participates in professional meetings. Yet the annual operations (non-salary) appropriation for the paleontology department is only $500/year. Since 2007, state appropriations have accounted for only 3% of the department's non-salary funding, while grants (excluding salary-specific funding) have accounted for 27% and cash donations provided 1%. The remaining 69% has come from a diverse suite of alternate fundraising methods. Ecotourism and educational programming fees (37%) include fees paid by students and members of the public to participate in VMNH excavations, as well as fee-based field trips and programs involving fossils or casts. Merchandise sales (15%) are based on casts of specimens held in either the VMNH collections or at smaller museums that have contracted with VMNH to provide paleontology services. Contract work (13%) has included paleo-themed exhibit design, specimen evaluation, and repair of fossil specimens for smaller museums and visitor centers that lack a paleontology staff. A crowdfunding campaign designed to support a specific fossil excavation was responsible for 4% of the department's funds. This diverse range of funding sources has

  10. Gas tax fund and public transit fund outcomes report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    Federal gas tax and public transit agreements were signed in 2005 by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto in order to address long-term community sustainability and invest in municipal infrastructure. The agreement committed to providing $1.9 billion to Ontario municipalities over a 5-year period. An additional $2.4 billion has been provided for a further 4-year period from 2010 to 2014. The funds are used by communities to invest in capacity building or environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects. This report identified the intermediate and ultimate outcomes of the federal gas tax fund and public transit fund as of December 2008. Outcomes were presented in the categories of community energy systems, public transit, water and wastewater, solid waste, and roads and bridges. Funding highlights and economic spin-offs for the projects were also presented, as well as summaries of ancillary social outcomes. 6 tabs., 4 figs.

  11. Report: South Carolina Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program Financial Statements with Independent Auditor’s Report, June 30, 2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    Report #2003-1-00138, September 17, 2003. We have audited the balance sheet of the SCDWSRF Program as of June 30, 2002, the related statement of revenues, expenses, and changes in fund equity, and the statement of cash flows for the year then ended.

  12. The Role of Training and Promotion to Increase The 3rd Party Funds Indonesian Islamic Banking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahmat Hidayat

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective – This study aims to determine whether the role of training is much larger than the promotion in raising third-party funds in Islamic banks in Indonesia given the cost of the training is spent is greater than the cost of promotion. This study empirically examines the relationship and impact of training and promotion to raise funds for a 3rd party in Indonesia Islamic banks.Methods – This study uses secondary data Islamic commercial banks in the form of panel (time-series and cross-section of Bank Indonesia data from 2010 until 2012. There are two independent variables training cost (X1 and promotion cost (X2 and one dependent variable is 3rd-party funds (Y. The analysis technique used path analysis to examine the role of training and the promotion of financial performance (The 3rd Party Funds.Result – Simultaneously, training and promotion gives an effect by 52%, and partially or individual training gives an insignificant negative effect, while the promotion has a significant positive impact on financial performance (financial-party funds on Islamic banking.Conclusion – The role of promotion is higher in raising The 3rd Party Funds than training. Keywords : Cost, Training, Promotion, The 3rd Party Funds 

  13. Department of Energy`s Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund fiscal year 1997 financial statement audit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-08-21

    This report presents the results of the independent certified public accountants` audit of the Department of Energy`s Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund (D&D Fund) financial statements as of September 30, 1997. The auditors have expressed an unqualified opinion on the 1997 statement of financial position and the related statements of operations and changes in net position and cash flows. The 1997 financial statement audit was made under provisions of the Inspector General Act (5 U.S.C. App.) as amended, the Government Management Reform Act (31 U.S.C. 3515), and Office of Management and Budget implementing guidance. The auditor`s work was conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. To fulfill our audit responsibilities, we contracted with the independent public accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP (KPMG) to conduct the audit for us, subject to our review. The auditors` report on the D&D Fund`s internal control structure disclosed no reportable conditions. The auditors` report on compliance with laws and regulations disclosed one instance of noncompliance. This instance of noncompliance relates to the shortfall in Government appropriations. Since this instance was addressed in a previous audit, no further recommendation is made at this time. During the course of the audit, KPMG also identified other matters that, although not material to the financial statements, nevertheless, warrant management`s attention. These items are fully discussed in a separate letter to management.

  14. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate : Name : CHIAVERI First Name : Enrico I have been a CERN staff member since 1973 and have always been interested in our working conditions. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association I participated from 1980 to 1984 in the Working Group on Pensions mandated by the CERN Council. This commitment led to my becoming a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund in 1983, since when I have taken an active part in various commissions and working groups (Real Estate Asset Management Committee, Working Group on Actuarial Matters etc.); in so doing I have gained a thorough knowledge of different areas of the Pension Fund. Since ...

  15. ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact with staf...

  16. ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact with staff...

  17. ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact ...

  18. Analysis of the mutual funds and pension funds in Spain: evolution and performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mercedes Alda García

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Mutual funds and pension funds are the most important investment products in Spain. Nonetheless, it should not be confused with each other, or take them as equivalent; since the latter have also the characteristic of a long-term savings product, in order to obtain additional funds for retirement. These differences may influence the investor when deciding on one of these instruments, but also the manager, developing different management strategies.Therefore, on this paper we examine the main magnitudes of both markets in Spain. Moreover, we analyze the performance of two Spanish fund samples (one with global equity mutual funds and another with global equity pension funds with the purpose of showing if their performance is efficient, and if there are differences on their management.

  19. A Fund of Wisdom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seabrooke, Leonard; Broome, André

    2006-01-01

    The International Monetary Fund spends most of its time monitoring its member states' economic performance and advising on institutional change. While much of the literature sees the Fund as a policy enforcer in "emerging market" and "frontier" economies, little attention has been paid to exploring...... for change on the basis of like-characteristics among economies. Many Western states, particularly small open economies, consider the Fund's advice as important not only for technical know-how, but because Fund assessments are significant to international and domestic political audiences. This article traces...... the Fund's advice on taxation and monetary reform to two coordinated market economies, Denmark and Sweden, and two liberal market economies, Australia and New Zealand from 1975 to 2004. It maps how the Fund advocated "policy revolutions" and "policy recombinations" during this period, advice that coincided...

  20. A Comparative Analysis of Corporate and Independent Foundations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin Koushyar

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Notwithstanding some visible debates, systematic evidence about the implications of greater corporate involvement in the social sector is sparse. We provide some of this evidence by examining one channel of corporate influence within the nonprofit sector–company sponsorship of philanthropic foundations. Our analysis shows that corporate foundations raise more funds and distribute grants with lower overhead than similar independent (i.e., non-corporate foundations. However, their grantmaking is also more dispersed and less relational, and they tend to be governed by more ephemeral groups of officers and trustees. These findings suggest that corporate foundations benefit from having access to the resources of the companies that sponsor them but are constrained by their additional market-based motivations. The findings also update and refine what nonprofits might expect from corporate foundations relative to their more traditional independent counterparts.

  1. SOGIN Decommissioning strategy and funding (Italy)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    Statement: In Italy, as it is well known, there are no more operational NPPs. The four existing nuclear plants are definitely shutdown and ready for decommissioning. Considerations on decommissioning funding system have to take into account this particular situation. Strategy for decommissioning: New inputs given to SOGIN by the Italian Government are: conditioning all radioactive waste existing on the NPPs within the year 2010, release all nuclear sites - free of radiological constraints - by 2020. The last task is conditioned by availability of the national waste repository by the year 2009. Strategy for decommissioning: Key issue is prompt dismantling considering No more nuclear activities in Italy and Progressive loss of competencies. Previously Existing funds: Before plant shutdown, ENEL has cumulated provisions for decommissioning, even in absence of a clear regulatory framework. These provisions were not sufficient for decommissioning, considering the early closure of the plants. An additional fund was granted to ENEL by the government, in the form of a 'credit' to be paid by the 'electric system' (CCSE). This fund (provisions + credit) was considered sufficient by ENEL for a decommissioning with Safe Store strategy (fund = discounted foreseen costs). The total fund (provisions + credit) was assigned to Sogin at the incorporation date. The amount, money 1999, was about 800 M euros. Considering the new context: new strategy (Prompt Dismantling with site release by 2020), Sogin constitution (societal costs), new economic conditions. The fund was not considered sufficient for all Sogin tasks. This conclusion was agreed upon also by the independent 'Authority for electric energy and gas'. A new regulatory framework was therefore defined. Regulatory aspects: The Legislative Decree 79/99 has stated that costs for the decommissioning of NPP, fuel cycle back end and related activities should be considered as stranded costs for the general electric system. The same

  2. The development of funding policies for hospices: is casemix-based funding an option?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, H; MacLeod, R; Hicks, E; Carter, J

    1999-06-25

    The 1993 health reforms, with their emphasis on the purchasing of defined amounts or units of service, have led to the implementation of casemix-based funding for the acute medical and surgical services of the public hospitals. Despite growing interest in New Zealand in casemix-based funding for non-acute services such as palliative care, the nature of this service and the characteristics of its patient population pose particular difficulties for the development and implementation of casemix. This paper examines the feasibility of implementing casemix-based funding for hospice/palliative care services and discusses the development of casemix classification systems for palliative care. Problems associated with implementing casemix-based funding are considered including: the dual funding of hospices, the multi-agency nature of palliative care service provision and the need for the Health Funding Authority to identify and specify the hospice services it is willing to fund. While it is concluded that these problems will impede the introduction of casemix-based funding of hospice care, they highlight important issues that the hospice movement must address if it is to ensure its future within the new health environment.

  3. PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 104th and 105th meetings on 8th November and 4th December 2001, respectively. The agenda of the 8th November meeting was devoted to a single item, namely the outcome of the Finance Committee's meeting the previous day. The Governing Board noted with satisfaction that both its proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Fund - allowing, in particular, the award of a deferred retirement pension after five years of service - and its proposal for the adjustment of pensions on 1.1.2002 had been approved for recommendation to the Council in December. At its meeting on 4th December, the Governing Board dealt mainly with the items examined at the latest meeting of the Investment Committee. The Committee's chairman, G. Maurin, stated that the 2001 return on the Fund's overall investments was likely to be between -2% and -3%. He also noted that a new study of the Fund's cash flows (incomings and outgoings) had been performed. He underlined that, while the flo...

  4. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Following the approval by the CERN Council, at its Session in March 2006, of the amendments to Administrative Circular No. 14 (Protection of the members of the personnel against the financial consequences of illness, accident and disability) and the resulting amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, the Administration of the Fund has decided to publish a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1st July 2006. Members of the Fund will be informed once the new edition of the Rules and Regulations is available from Departmental secretariats.In the meantime, the amendments to the text of the Pension Fund Rules and Regulations, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, are presented below (Previous text/Amended text): Chapter II - Section 1: Contributions and benefits Article II 1.04 - Reference Salary - Part-time Work OLD TEXT: The reference salary of a member with a contract for part-time work shall b...

  5. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Following the approval by the CERN Council, at its Session in March 2006, of the amendments to Administrative Circular No. 14 (Protection of the members of the personnel against the financial consequences of illness, accident and disability) and the resulting amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, the Administration of the Fund has decided to publish a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1st July 2006. Members of the Fund will be informed once the new edition of the Rules and Regulations is available from Departmental secretariats. In the meantime, the amendments to the text of the Pension Fund Rules and Regulations, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, are presented below (Previous text/Amended text) : Chapter II - Section 1: Contributions and benefits Article II 1.04 - Reference Salary - Part-time Work OLD TEXT: the reference salary of a member with a contract for part-time work shall be e...

  6. Patterns of Feedback on the Bridge to Independence: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of NIH Mentored Career Development Award Application Critiques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaatz, Anna; Dattalo, Melissa; Regner, Caitlin; Filut, Amarette; Carnes, Molly

    2016-01-01

    NIH Mentored Career Development (K) Awards bridge investigators from mentored to independent research. A smaller proportion of women than men succeed in this transition. The aim of this qualitative study was to analyze reviewers' narrative critiques of K award applications and explore thematic content of feedback provided to male and female applicants. We collected 88 critiques, 34 from 9 unfunded and 54 from 18 funded applications, from 70% (n = 26) of investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with K awards funded between 2005 and 2009 on the first submission or after revision. We qualitatively analyzed text in the 5 critique sections: candidate, career development plan, research plan, mentors, and environment and institutional commitment. We explored thematic content within these sections for male and female applicants and for applicants who had received a subsequent independent research award by 2014. Themes revealed consistent areas of criticism for unfunded applications and praise for funded applications. Subtle variations in thematic content appeared for male and female applicants: For male applicants criticism was often followed by advice but for female applicants it was followed by questions about ability; praise recurrently characterized male but not female applicants' research as highly significant with optimism for future independence. Female K awardees that obtained subsequent independent awards stood out as having track records described as "outstanding." This exploratory study suggests that K award reviewer feedback, particularly for female applicants, should be investigated as a potential contributor to research persistence and success in crossing the bridge to independence.

  7. Financial Literacy and Mutual Fund Investments : Who Buys Actively Managed Funds?

    OpenAIRE

    Müller, Sebastian; Weber, Martin

    2008-01-01

    Previous research indicates that lacking financial sophistication among private investors might be important in explaining the strong growth in active management over the past. Based on questionnaire data with more than 3,000 mutual fund customers, we therefore construct an objective financial literacy score and analyze the relationship between financial literacy and mutual fund investment behavior. While sophisticated investors are indeed more aware of passive, low cost fund alternatives lik...

  8. Funding begets biodiversity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahrends, Antje; Burgess, Neil David; Gereau, Roy E.

    2011-01-01

    Aim Effective conservation of biodiversity relies on an unbiased knowledge of its distribution. Conservation priority assessments are typically based on the levels of species richness, endemism and threat. Areas identified as important receive the majority of conservation investments, often...... facilitating further research that results in more species discoveries. Here, we test whether there is circularity between funding and perceived biodiversity, which may reinforce the conservation status of areas already perceived to be important while other areas with less initial funding may remain overlooked......, and variances decomposed in partial regressions. Cross-correlations are used to assess whether perceived biodiversity drives funding or vice versa. Results Funding explained 65% of variation in perceived biodiversity patterns – six times more variation than accounted for by 34 candidate environmental factors...

  9. 77 FR 13619 - Notice of Proposed Information for Public Comment for: Public Housing Capital Fund Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-07

    ... that are not subject to Independent Public Accountant (IPA) audit requirements. Agency form numbers, if... Information for Public Comment for: Public Housing Capital Fund Program AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, HUD. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The proposed information collection...

  10. Regulating hedge funds.

    OpenAIRE

    Daníelsson, J.; Zigrand, JP.

    2007-01-01

    Due to the ever-increasing amounts under management and their unregulated and opaque nature, hedge funds have emerged as a key concern for policymakers. While until now, hedge funds have been left essentially unregulated, we are seeing increasing calls for regulation for both microprudential and macroprudential reasons. In our view, most calls for the regulation of hedge funds are based on a misperception of the effectiveness of financial regulations, perhaps coupled with a lack of understand...

  11. Mutual Fund Flight-to-Liquidity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rzeznik, Aleksandra

    This paper examines the liquidity choices of mutual funds during times of market uncertainty. I find that when markets are uncertain, mutual funds actively increase the liquidity of their portfolio – often referred to as a ‘flight-to-liquidity.’ In aggregate, mutual fund behaviour has implications...... for the market; the market driven flight-toliquidity places upward pressure on the liquidity premium. I examine the underlying mechanisms driving fund behaviour. I show that market volatility is associated with lower fund performance and withdrawals, which causes funds to adjust the composition...... of their portfolio towards more liquid assets in order to meet potential redemptions. This causal chain is consistent with Vayanos (2004), who argues that fund managers are investors with time-varying liquidity preferences due to threat of withdrawal. Aggregated over funds, the effect is substantial: a one standard...

  12. Mutual Fund Flight-to-Liquidity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rzeznik, Aleksandra

    This paper examines the liquidity choices of mutual funds during times of market uncertainty. I find that when markets are uncertain, mutual funds actively increase the liquidity of their portfolio { often referred to as a `flight-to-liquidity.' In aggregate, mutual fund behaviour has implications...... for the market; the market driven flight-toliquidity places upward pressure on the liquidity premium. I examine the underlying mechanisms driving fund behaviour. I show that market volatility is associated with lower fund performance and withdrawals, which causes funds to adjust the composition...... of their portfolio towards more liquid assets in order to meet potential redemptions. This causal chain is consistent with Vayanos (2004), who argues that fund managers are investors with time-varying liquidity preferences due to threat of withdrawal. Aggregated over funds, the effect is substantial: a one standard...

  13. Importance of the fund management company in the performance of socially responsible mutual funds

    OpenAIRE

    Belghitar, Yacine; Clark, Ephraim; Deshmukh, Nitin

    2017-01-01

    We compare the performance of a sample of U.K.-based socially responsible investment (SRI) funds with similar conventional funds using a matched-pair analysis based on size, age, investment universe, and fund management company (FMC). We find that both the SRI and conventional funds outperform the market index about 50% of the time, even after fees. Subsample tests show that the SRI funds in our sample perform better in the pre- and postfinancial crisis periods but underperform during the fin...

  14. Nuclear Waste Fund management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosselli, R.

    1984-01-01

    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) established two separate special bank accounts: the Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF) was established to finance all of the Federal Government activities associated with the disposal of High-Level Waste (HLW) or Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF). The Interim Storage Fund (ISF) is the financial mechanism for the provision of Federal Interim Storage capacity, not to exceed 1900 metric tons of SNF at civilian power reactors. The management of these funds is discussed. Since the two funds are identical in features and the ISF has not yet been activated, the author's remarks are confined to the Nuclear Waste Fund. Three points discussed include legislative features, current status, and planned activities

  15. deepening decentralisation through non-partisan district assembly ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PUBLICATIONS1

    -depth analysis of the legal framework within which decentralisation reforms are implemented was also ... country's democracy, the legal framework need to be revised for competitive partisan elections to be pursued ..... the quality of debates in the general Assembly will be poor as .... Coleman, J. S. (Eds.) Social Theory for a.

  16. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    The 2007 Annual Report and Accounts of the Pension Fund which was approved by Council at its session of 20 June 2008, is now available from the Departmental secretariats. Pension beneficiaries who wish to obtain this document should contact Emilie Clerc (Tel. + 41 22 767 87 98), building 5-5/017. It is also available on the Pension fund site: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/

  17. Paying for College: Trends in Student Financial Aid at Independent Colleges and Universities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrift, Julianne Still; Toppe, Christopher M.

    Sources of funds for students at private colleges are assessed, along with major changes in student financial aid during 1979-1984, based on the Student Aid Recipient Data Bank of the National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities. A random sample of actual student financial aid records was examined in order to show how aid is…

  18. An Empirical Study of Mutual Fund Performance and Its Relation with Fund Size

    OpenAIRE

    Lu, Daofen

    2007-01-01

    The increasing popularity of mutual fund investment is a remarkable phenomenon of recent decades. Mutual funds have been among the largest investors and played an important role in the financial market worldwide. The evaluation of mutual fund performance has been achieving a great deal of academic interest since the 1960s. This study employed a time-series data to examine the performance of sixty actively-managed equity growth funds of the United States during the period of July, 2002 to June...

  19. Performance-Based Funding Brief

    Science.gov (United States)

    Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2011

    2011-01-01

    A number of states have made progress in implementing performance-based funding (PFB) and accountability. This policy brief summarizes main features of performance-based funding systems in three states: Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. The brief also identifies key issues that states considering performance-based funding must address, as well as…

  20. 24 CFR 214.311 - Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Internet or other electronic media. (b) Local funding sources. HUD recommends that approved agencies seek and secure funding from funding sources that may include local and state governments, private... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Funding. 214.311 Section 214.311...

  1. Hedge Fund Contagion and Liquidity

    OpenAIRE

    Nicole M. Boyson; Christof W. Stahel; Rene M. Stulz

    2008-01-01

    Using hedge fund indices representing eight different styles, we find strong evidence of contagion within the hedge fund sector: controlling for a number of risk factors, the average probability that a hedge fund style index has extreme poor performance (lower 10% tail) increases from 2% to 21% as the number of other hedge fund style indices with extreme poor performance increases from zero to seven. We investigate how changes in funding and asset liquidity intensify this contagion, and find ...

  2. A model to compare a defined benefit pension fund with a defined contribution provident fund

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.M. Nevin

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available During 1994 universities and certain other institutions were given the option of setting up private retirement funds as an alternative to the AIPF. Because of the underfundedness of the AIPF only a substantially reduced Actuarial Reserve Value could be transferred to the new fund on behalf of each member. Employees at these institutions had to make the difficult decision of whether to remain a member of the AIPF or to join a new fund. Several institutions created defined contribution funds as an alternative to the AIPF. In such funds the member carries the investment risk and most institutions felt the need to provide some form of top-up of the Transfer Value. A simple mathematical model is formulated to aid in the comparison of expected retirement benefits under the AIPF and a private fund and to investigate the management problem of distributing additional top-up funds in a fair manner amongst the various age groups within the fund.

  3. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    Amendment No 20 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Department/Unit secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 1.1.2004, concerns the fixed sums and allowances adjusted at same date (Annex B).

  4. Funding strategies for wilderness management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carolyn Alkire

    2000-01-01

    Funding wilderness protection will continue to be a challenge for public land managers. With continuing competition for federal funds and balanced budget goals, other sources of funds may be necessary to supplement annual federal appropriations. This paper identifies and evaluates five potential funding strategies and provides examples of each that are currently in use...

  5. Funding Mechanisms, Cost Drivers, and the Distribution of Education Funds in Alberta: A Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neu, Dean; Taylor, Alison

    2000-01-01

    Critical analysis of historical financial data of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) examined the impact of Alberta's 1994 funding changes on the CBE and the distribution of Alberta's education funding. Findings illustrate how funding mechanisms are used to govern from a distance and how seemingly neutral accounting/funding techniques function…

  6. Sources of funding for community schemes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-11-01

    There is an increasing level of interest amongst community groups in the UK to become involved in the development of renewable energy schemes. Often however these community groups have only limited funds of their own, so any additional funds that can be identified to help fund their renewable energy scheme can be very useful. There are a range of funding sources available that provide grants or loans for which community groups are eligible to apply. Few of these funding sources are targeted towards renewable energy specifically, nevertheless the funds may be applicable to renewable energy schemes under appropriate circumstances. To date, however, few of these funds have been accessed by community groups for renewable energy initiatives. One of the reasons for this low take-up of funds on offer could be that the funding sources may be difficult and time-consuming to identify, especially where the energy component of the fund is not readily apparent. This directory draws together details about many of the principal funding sources available in the UK that may consider providing funds to community groups wanting to develop a renewable energy scheme. (author)

  7. Risk analytics for hedge funds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pareek, Ankur

    2005-05-01

    The rapid growth of the hedge fund industry presents significant business opportunity for the institutional investors particularly in the form of portfolio diversification. To facilitate this, there is a need to develop a new set of risk analytics for investments consisting of hedge funds, with the ultimate aim to create transparency in risk measurement without compromising the proprietary investment strategies of hedge funds. As well documented in the literature, use of dynamic options like strategies by most of the hedge funds make their returns highly non-normal with fat tails and high kurtosis, thus rendering Value at Risk (VaR) and other mean-variance analysis methods unsuitable for hedge fund risk quantification. This paper looks at some unique concerns for hedge fund risk management and will particularly concentrate on two approaches from physical world to model the non-linearities and dynamic correlations in hedge fund portfolio returns: Self Organizing Criticality (SOC) and Random Matrix Theory (RMT).Random Matrix Theory analyzes correlation matrix between different hedge fund styles and filters random noise from genuine correlations arising from interactions within the system. As seen in the results of portfolio risk analysis, it leads to a better portfolio risk forecastability and thus to optimum allocation of resources to different hedge fund styles. The results also prove the efficacy of self-organized criticality and implied portfolio correlation as a tool for risk management and style selection for portfolios of hedge funds, being particularly effective during non-linear market crashes.

  8. Securing decommissioning funds. Why organization matters?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tchapga, F.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: Securing decommissioning funds requires that the financial resources set aside for the purpose of decommissioning be managed prudently. Decommissioning of nuclear power plant is prescribed by National Atomic Laws or by other nuclear legislation. It is a mandatory operation. The operators of nuclear power plants set money aside for that purpose. This is known as 'Decommissioning reserve fund'. Decommissioning implies costs very distant in time. Thus, it is obvious, from an economic point of view, that the funds set aside should be managed. As decommissioning is mandatory, the funds accumulated should be secured. In others words, they should be available when needed. Availability of funds is influenced by endogenous and exogenous factors. Endogenous factors are a matter of design of the reserve funds. They include the management of the funds, its monitoring and control... Availability of funds is influenced by these factors, depending on the rules to which the behaviour of the manager of the funds is subjected. In contrast, exogenous factors deal with the energy context. These factors are mainly the electricity sector organisation and/or the overall economic situation. They are decisive factors of the economic performance of the reserve fund for a given design. Therefore, the requirement of availability of funds, when needed, is a matter of compatibility between the design of the decommissioning funds and the electricity context. Put differently, reserve fund's design need to be consistent with the electricity context's features in respect of the availability of funds. Current reserve funds were designed in a context of monopoly regime. In this context, availability of decommissioning funds was not questionable. At least, as far as the design of the reserve funds is concerned. This is because nuclear generator didn't confront any competition pressure. Electricity prices were set trough rate base mechanism, and all the business risks were borne by the

  9. 25 CFR 47.11 - Can these funds be used as matching funds for other Federal programs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... EDUCATION UNIFORM DIRECT FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR BUREAU-OPERATED SCHOOLS § 47.11 Can these funds be used as matching funds for other Federal programs? A Bureau-operated school may use funds that it receives under...

  10. Externalizing Tacit Knowledge in Independent Documentary Film Production via Pattern Language

    OpenAIRE

    Ming-Shu Yuan

    2008-01-01

    Recently, Taiwan locally made documentary has been received high regards at international movie festivals and by domestic reviewers. The independent documentary producers in Taiwan are different from the commercial documentary producers in other countries. Since these producers in Taiwan don’t have enough funds to have a big production team, they have to possess whole knowledge in documentary production. The knowledge is hidden in the producers’ mind which is difficult to express, share, and ...

  11. Public Funding of Political Parties

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ortuno-Ortin, Ignacio; Schultz, Christian

    This paper concerns public funding of parties. Parteis receive public funds depending on their vote share. Funds finance electoral campaigns. Two cases are investigated. In the first, some voters are policy motivated and some are ?impressionable? ? their vote depends directly on campaign...... expenditures. In the second, campaigning is informative and all voters are policy motivated. Public funds increase policy convergence in both cases. The effect is larger, the more funding depends on vote shares. When campaigns are informative, there may be multiple euqilibria. Intuitively, a large party can...

  12. Optimal distribution of science funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Ding-wei

    2018-07-01

    We propose a new model to investigate the theoretical implications of a novel funding system. We introduce new parameters to model the accumulated advantage. We assume that all scientists are equal and follow the same regulations. The model presents three distinct regimes. In regime (I), the fluidity of funding is significant. The funding distribution is continuous. The concentration of funding is effectively suppressed. In both regimes (II) and (III), a small group of scientists emerges as a circle of elites. Large funding is acquired by a small number of scientists.

  13. The influences on women who choose publicly-funded home birth in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catling, Christine; Dahlen, Hannah; Homer, Caroline S E

    2014-07-01

    to explore the influences on women who chose a publicly-funded home birth in one Australian state. a constructivist grounded theory methodology was used. a publicly-funded home birth service located within a tertiary referral hospital in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. data were collected though semi-structured interviews of 17 women who chose to have a publicly-funded home birth. six main categories emerged from the data. These were feeling independent, strong and confident, doing it my way, protection from hospital related activities, having a safety net, selective listening and telling, and engaging support. The core category was having faith in normal. This linked all the categories and was an overriding attitude towards themselves as women and the process of childbirth. The basic social process was validating the decision to have a home birth. women reported similar influences to other studies when choosing home birth. However, the women in this study were reassured by the publicly-funded system׳s 'safety net' and apparent seamless links with the hospital system. The flexibility of the service to permit women to change their minds to give birth in hospital, and essentially choose their birthplace at any time during pregnancy or labour was also appreciated. women that choose a publicly-funded home birth service describe strong influences that led them to home birth within this model of care. Service managers and health professionals need to acknowledge the importance of place of birth choice for women. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. 24 CFR 1000.122 - May NAHASDA grant funds be used as matching funds to obtain and leverage funding, including any...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... considered an affordable housing activity? 1000.122 Section 1000.122 Housing and Urban Development... Housing Activities § 1000.122 May NAHASDA grant funds be used as matching funds to obtain and leverage...

  15. INDEXING AND INDEX FUNDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HAKAN SARITAŞ

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Proponents of the efficient market hypothesis believe that active portfolio management is largely wasted effort and unlikely to justify the expenses incurred. Therefore, they advocate a passive investment strategy that makes no attempt to outsmart the market. One common strategy for passive management is indexing where a fund is designed to replicate the performance of a broad-based index of stocks and bonds. Traditionally, indexing was used by institutional investors, but today, the use of index funds proliferated among individual investors. Over the years, both international and domestic index funds have disproportionately outperformed the market more than the actively managed funds have.

  16. 12 CFR 615.5010 - Funding Corporation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Funding Corporation. 615.5010 Section 615.5010... POLICIES AND OPERATIONS, AND FUNDING OPERATIONS Funding § 615.5010 Funding Corporation. (a) The Funding Corporation shall issue, market, and handle the obligations of the banks issued under section 4.2(b) through...

  17. Risk Management Framework for Hedge Funds: Role of Funding and Redemption Options on Leverage

    OpenAIRE

    Dai, John; Sundaresan, Suresh

    2009-01-01

    We develop a model of hedge fund returns, which reflect the contractual relationships between a hedge fund, its investors and its prime brokers. These relationships are modelled as short option positions held by the hedge fund, wherein the “funding option” reflects the short option position with prime brokers and the “redemption option” reflects the short option position with the investors. Given an alpha producing human capital, the hedge fund’s ability to deploy leverage to magnify its alph...

  18. Activity Fund Accounting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cool, David W.

    1983-01-01

    Addresses the need of school districts in many states to decide on an appropriate mingling of centralization and decentralization in the operation of activity funds. Argues for analysis of activity fund operation through a breakdown into such major components as policy, the accounting system, and reporting and auditing. (JBM)

  19. Western Michigan University: Quasi-Revolving Fund. Green Revolving Funds in Action: Case Study Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billingsley, Christina

    2011-01-01

    Western Michigan University has designed an innovative "Quasi-Revolving Fund" model that demonstrates the institution's full commitment to incorporating sustainability into campus operations. The Quasi-Revolving Fund recaptures money from cost-savings, similar to a typical green revolving fund, but it also sources capital from the…

  20. Independent management and financial review, Yucca Mountain Project, Nevada. Final report, Appendix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Public Law 97-425), as amended by Public Law 100-203, December 22, 1987, established the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) within the Department of Energy (DOE), and directed the Office to investigate a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine if this site is suitable for the construction of a repository for the disposal of high level nuclear waste. Work on site characterization has been under way for several years. Thus far, about $1.47 billion have been spent on Yucca Mountain programs. This work has been funded by Congressional appropriations from a Nuclear Waste Fund to which contributions have been made by electric utility ratepayers through electric utilities generating power from nuclear power stations. The Secretary of Energy and the Governor of the State of Nevada have appointed one person each to a panel to oversee an objective, independent financial and management evaluation of the Yucca Mountain Project. The Requirements for the work will include an analysis of (1) the Yucca Mountain financial and, contract management techniques and controls; (2) Project schedules and credibility of the proposed milestones; (3) Project organizational effectiveness and internal planning processes, and (4) adequacy of funding levels and funding priorities, including the cost of infrastructure and scientific studies. The recipient will provide monthly progress report and the following reports/documents will be presented as deliverables under the contract: (1) Financial and Contract Management Preliminary Report; (2) Project Scheduling Preliminary Report; (3)Project Organizational Effectiveness Preliminary Report; (4) Project Funding Levels and Funding Priorities Preliminary Report; and (5) Final Report

  1. Independent management and financial review, Yucca Mountain Project, Nevada. Final report, Appendix

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-07-15

    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Public Law 97-425), as amended by Public Law 100-203, December 22, 1987, established the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) within the Department of Energy (DOE), and directed the Office to investigate a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine if this site is suitable for the construction of a repository for the disposal of high level nuclear waste. Work on site characterization has been under way for several years. Thus far, about $1.47 billion have been spent on Yucca Mountain programs. This work has been funded by Congressional appropriations from a Nuclear Waste Fund to which contributions have been made by electric utility ratepayers through electric utilities generating power from nuclear power stations. The Secretary of Energy and the Governor of the State of Nevada have appointed one person each to a panel to oversee an objective, independent financial and management evaluation of the Yucca Mountain Project. The Requirements for the work will include an analysis of (1) the Yucca Mountain financial and, contract management techniques and controls; (2) Project schedules and credibility of the proposed milestones; (3) Project organizational effectiveness and internal planning processes, and (4) adequacy of funding levels and funding priorities, including the cost of infrastructure and scientific studies. The recipient will provide monthly progress report and the following reports/documents will be presented as deliverables under the contract: (1) Financial and Contract Management Preliminary Report; (2) Project Scheduling Preliminary Report; (3)Project Organizational Effectiveness Preliminary Report; (4) Project Funding Levels and Funding Priorities Preliminary Report; and (5) Final Report.

  2. Non-communicable diseases: mapping research funding organisations, funding mechanisms and research practices in Italy and Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephani, Victor; Sommariva, Silvia; Spranger, Anne; Ciani, Oriana

    2017-10-02

    Evidence shows that territorial borders continue to have an impact on research collaboration in Europe. Knowledge of national research structural contexts is therefore crucial to the promotion of Europe-wide policies for research funding. Nevertheless, studies assessing and comparing research systems remain scarce. This paper aims to further the knowledge on national research landscapes in Europe, focusing on non-communicable disease (NCD) research in Italy and Germany. To capture the architecture of country-specific research funding systems, a three-fold strategy was adopted. First, a literature review was conducted to determine a list of key public, voluntary/private non-profit and commercial research funding organisations (RFOs). Second, an electronic survey was administered qualifying RFOs. Finally, survey results were integrated with semi-structured interviews with key opinion leaders in NCD research. Three major dimensions of interest were investigated - funding mechanisms, funding patterns and expectations regarding outputs. The number of RFOs in Italy is four times larger than that in Germany and the Italian research system has more project funding instruments than the German system. Regarding the funding patterns towards NCD areas, in both countries, respiratory disease research resulted as the lowest funded, whereas cancer research was the target of most funding streams. The most reported expected outputs of funded research activity were scholarly publication of articles and reports. This cross-country comparison on the Italian and German research funding structures revealed substantial differences between the two systems. The current system is prone to duplicated research efforts, popular funding for some diseases and intransparency of research results. Future research will require addressing the need for better coordination of research funding efforts, even more so if European research efforts are to play a greater role.

  3. NREL Funding Reductions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced today that it will further reduce its work force as a result of million. Recent indications, however, are that NREL's funding will be lowered by an additional $27 million employees. NREL Director Charles F. Gay said the additional funding cuts are a result of lower than expected

  4. Managerial multitasking in the mutual fund industry

    OpenAIRE

    Agarwal, Vikas; Ma, Linlin; Mullally, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    We examine the determinants and consequences of mutual fund managers simultaneously managing multiple funds. Well-performing managers multitask by taking over poorly performing funds or launching new funds. Subsequent to multitasking, funds run by managers prior to multitasking (i.e., incumbent funds) experience performance deterioration while the performance of the acquired funds improves. Multitasking increases the assets of fund companies but results in a wealth transfer from shareholders ...

  5. 25 CFR 170.614 - Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice... Contracts and Agreements Under Isdeaa § 170.614 Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability? A tribe can receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability...

  6. Funding Public Higher Education in Colorado: How Has the College Opportunity Funding Model Impacted Educational Funding and Performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middlemist, George Edward

    2017-01-01

    During the 2004 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 189 (SB189), which established the first system of college vouchers in the United States. The supporters of SB189 hoped that the voucher system, called the College Opportunity Fund (COF), would: 1) stabilize the flow of state funding to higher education; 2)…

  7. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-twenty-second meeting on 3 February 2004. Opening the meeting, the Chairman, J. Bezemer, welcomed W. Zapf's alternate T. Lagrange, A. Naudi's alternate P. Geeraert, and M. Goossens' alternate M. Vitasse, who were attending the Governing Board for the first time. The Governing Board heard a report from its Chairman on the meeting of the CERN Council on 19 December 2003, at which, under Pension Fund matters, the Council had approved a pensions adjustment of 0.7%. The Governing Board then heard a report on the main elements of the Investment Committee's meeting on 3 December 2003. During a presentation, Expert Timing System (Madrid) and the Compagnie de Trésorerie Benjamin de Rothschild (Geneva) had proposed a bond portfolio investment following the same quantitative investment principles as the equities portfolio they already managed for the Fund. After some deliberation, the Investment Committee had decided, on that basis, to award t...

  8. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TURKISH TYPE A MUTUAL FUNDS AND PENSION STOCK FUNDS BY USING TOPSIS METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nesrin ALPTEKIN

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, it is evaluated performance of Turkish Type A mutual funds and pension stock funds by using TOPSIS method which is a multicriteria decision making approach. Both of these funds compose of stocks in their portfolios, so it can be enabled to compare each other. Generally, mutual or pension funds are evaluated according to their risk and return. At this point, it is used traditional performance measurement techniques of funds like Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio, Treynor index and Jensen’s alpha. TOPSIS method takes into consideration all of these fund performance measurement techniques and provides more reasonable performance measurement.

  9. Funding Decommissioning - UK Experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacKerron, Gordon

    2006-01-01

    'Funding' started with CEGB and SSEB (state-owned electric utilities) in 1976 using the internal un-segregated fund route (i.e unfunded). This continued until privatisation of electricity industry (excluding nuclear) in 1990. Assets bought with the internal un-segregated fund were mostly transferred into non-nuclear private utilities. New state-owned Nuclear Electric (England and Wales) was given a 'Fossil Fuel Levy', a consumer charge of 10% on retail bills, amounting to c. BP 1 bn. annually. This allowed Nuclear Electric to trade legally (A reserve of BP 2.5 bn. was available from Government if company ran out of money). By 1996 the newer nuclear stations (AGRS plus PWR) were privatised as British Energy. British Energy started an external segregated fund, the Nuclear Decommissioning Fund, with a starting endowment of c. BP 225 m. - and BE made annual contributions of British Pound 16 m. into the Fund. Assumptions were that BE had 70 to accumulate cash and could get a 3.5% average annual real return. Older stations (Magnox) were left in private sector and went to BNFL in 1997. Magnox inherited the surplus cash in BE - mostly unspent Fossil Fuel Levy receipts - of c. BP 2.6 bn. Government gave an 'Undertaking' to pay BP 3.8 bn. (escalating at 4.5% real annually) for Magnox liabilities, should Magnox Electric run out of cash. BNFL inherited the BP 2.6 bn. and by 2000 had a 'Nuclear Liabilities Investment Portfolio' of c. BP 4 bn. This was a quasi-segregated internal fund for liabilities in general. [Note: overall UK nuclear liabilities in civilian sector were running at c. BP 48 bn. by now]. BE started profitable and paid BP 100 m. annually in dividends to private investors for several years. BE ran into severe financial problems after 2001 and Government organised restructuring aid, now approved by European Commission. Terms include: - BE now to contribute BP 20 m. a year into an expanded Nuclear Liabilities Fund; - A bond issue of BP 275 m. to go to Fund; - 65

  10. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO U.S. INDEPENDENT OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Donald Duttlinger

    2001-11-01

    The Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) continued pursuing its mission of helping U.S. independent oil and gas producers make timely, informed technology decisions during Fiscal Year 2001 (FY01). Functioning as a cohesive national organization, PTTC has active grassroots programs through its ten Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs). They bring research and academia to the table via their association with geological surveys and engineering departments. The regional directors interact with independent oil and gas producers through technology workshops, resource centers, websites, newsletters, various technical publications and other outreach efforts. These are guided by regional Producer Advisory Groups (PAGs), who are area operators and service companies working with the regional networks. The role of the national Headquarters (HQ) staff includes planning and managing the PTTC program, conducting nation wide technology transfer activities, and implementing a comprehensive communications effort. The organization effectively combines federal funding through the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy, state, and industry funding to achieve important goals for all of these sectors. This integrated funding base, combined with industry volunteers guiding PTTC's activities and the dedication of national and regional staff, are achieving notable results. PTTC is increasingly recognized as a critical resource for information and access to technologies, especially for smaller companies without direct contact to R&D efforts. This technical progress report summarizes PTTC's accomplishments during FY01, which lays the groundwork for further growth in the future. At a time of many industry changes and wide market movements, the organization itself is adapting to change. PTTC has built a reputation and expectation among producers and other industry participants to quickly distribute information addressing technical needs. The organization

  11. Shotgun Wedding: Interagency Transformation for the 21st Century Security Environment

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Gibler, Michael L

    2008-01-01

    .... Equally present are the numerous statements and studies by governmental bodies, military leadership, non-partisan think tanks, academia and political elites who believe the current National Security...

  12. Investible benchmarks & hedge fund liquidity

    OpenAIRE

    Freed, Marc S; McMillan, Ben

    2011-01-01

    A lack of commonly accepted benchmarks for hedge fund performance has permitted hedge fund managers to attribute to skill returns that may actually accrue from market risk factors and illiquidity. Recent innovations in hedge fund replication permits us to estimate the extent of this misattribution. Using an option-based model, we find evidence that the value of liquidity options that investors implicitly grant managers when they invest may account for part or even all hedge fund returns. C...

  13. Mutual aid fund commission

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2011-01-01

    The composition of the Board of the Mutual Aid Fund for 2011 is as follows: President: Pascal Droux Vice-president: Connie Potter Treasurer: Louis Pereira Deputy treasurer: Barbara Brugger Secretary: Sonia Casenove Deputy secretary: Isabelle Mardirossian Members: Christopher David Thomas   Jean-Claude Vialis (GAC member)   Marie-Luce Falipou   Gunilla Santiard (Jean-Claude Vialis’s alternate) The role of the Fund is to provide financial help to members of personnel and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund who are in need of exceptional financial assistance. All requests are treated in the strictest confidence. Should you wish to apply for aid from the Fund, kindly contact any member of the Board as given above or Social Services, tel.74479 – 73867.

  14. Funding Ohio Community Colleges: An Analysis of the Performance Funding Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krueger, Cynthia A.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined Ohio's community college performance funding model that is based on seven student success metrics. A percentage of the regular state subsidy is withheld from institutions; funding is earned back based on the three-year average of success points achieved in comparison to other community colleges in the state. Analysis of…

  15. Bitter Sweetness For Fund Managers

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2007-01-01

    An influx of small investors eager to earn money puts heavy pressure on fund managers Fund managers control millions in capital and call the shots in the stock market. They can make a fortune from a single judgment. The debut of fund management operation

  16. CERN Pension Fund move

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    The CERN Pension Fund has moved to new offices on the 5th floor of Building 5. The Benefits Service of the Fund is now located in Offices 5-5-017 - 5-5-021 - 5-5-023. We remind you that the office hours are: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 10 am to 12 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. The Fund would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank all the persons involved in the relocation.

  17. 28 CFR 23.30 - Funding guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Funding guidelines. 23.30 Section 23.30 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS OPERATING POLICIES § 23.30 Funding guidelines. The following funding guidelines shall apply to all Crime Control Act funded...

  18. Decommissioning funding: ethics, implementation, uncertainties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This status report on Decommissioning Funding: Ethics, Implementation, Uncertainties also draws on the experience of the NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD). The report offers, in a concise form, an overview of relevant considerations on decommissioning funding mechanisms with regard to ethics, implementation and uncertainties. Underlying ethical principles found in international agreements are identified, and factors influencing the accumulation and management of funds for decommissioning nuclear facilities are discussed together with the main sources of uncertainties of funding systems. (authors)

  19. Open-end Investment Funds in Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bojan Morić Milovanović

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available This work discusses investment funds in Croatia, with a particular emphasis on openend investment funds. After a short review of the development of the funds, the perception of the funds is analysed, as are the trends in total assets and in average yields. The degree of concentration of open-end investment funds is shown with statistical measures of concentration (the Gini Coefficient, the Lorenz Curve and concentration ratios. All these indicators show that the concentration is moderate to strong. The greatest yields are given by the equity funds, but these are also the most risky.

  20. [Crisis and the independence of public health policies. SESPAS report 2014].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández Aguado, Ildefonso; Lumbreras Lacarra, Blanca

    2014-06-01

    Independence in the formulation of public health policies can be affected by various agents with objectives contrary to population health, such as large corporations. This lack of independence may be exacerbated by the economic crisis due to lower funding for health regulatory bodies or other measures designed to protect health. Large corporations have influenced the formulation of certain policies with an impact on health, such as those related to the tobacco industry, the chemical industry, nutrition, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and health technology. The main areas in which these companies can influence policies are science, education, politics, and society in general. In this scenario, public health associations should take an active role in ensuring the independence of political decisions via actions such as the following: supporting strategies that guarantee the independence of public health policies and apply criteria of impartiality and transparency; rejecting those public-private partnerships launched to prevent health problems partly caused by these corporations; establishing partnerships to achieve independent training of health professionals and an institution with scientific authority in order to improve public health communication and counteract the lack of sound public health information; promoting a critical analysis of the definition of health problems and their solutions, and establishing related agendas (scientific, political and media) and alliances, so that continuing training for health professionals is independent. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  1. Using simplified peer review processes to fund research: a prospective study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbert, Danielle L; Graves, Nicholas; Clarke, Philip; Barnett, Adrian G

    2015-01-01

    Objective To prospectively test two simplified peer review processes, estimate the agreement between the simplified and official processes, and compare the costs of peer review. Design, participants and setting A prospective parallel study of Project Grant proposals submitted in 2013 to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. The official funding outcomes were compared with two simplified processes using proposals in Public Health and Basic Science. The two simplified processes were: panels of 7 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed only the nine-page research proposal and track record (simplified panel); and 2 reviewers who independently reviewed only the nine-page research proposal (journal panel). The official process used panels of 12 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed longer proposals of around 100 pages. We compared the funding outcomes of 72 proposals that were peer reviewed by the simplified and official processes. Main outcome measures Agreement in funding outcomes; costs of peer review based on reviewers’ time and travel costs. Results The agreement between the simplified and official panels (72%, 95% CI 61% to 82%), and the journal and official panels (74%, 62% to 83%), was just below the acceptable threshold of 75%. Using the simplified processes would save $A2.1–$A4.9 million per year in peer review costs. Conclusions Using shorter applications and simpler peer review processes gave reasonable agreement with the more complex official process. Simplified processes save time and money that could be reallocated to actual research. Funding agencies should consider streamlining their application processes. PMID:26137884

  2. Funding source, conflict of interest and positive conclusions in neuro-oncology clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moraes, Fabio Y; Mendez, Lucas C; Taunk, Neil K; Raman, Srinivas; Suh, John H; Souhami, Luis; Slotman, Ben; Weltman, Eduardo; Spratt, Daniel E; Berlin, Alejandro; Marta, Gustavo N

    2018-02-01

    We aimed to test any association between authors' conclusions and self-reported COI or funding sources in central nervous system (CNS) studies. A review was performed for CNS malignancy clinical trials published in the last 5 years. Two investigators independently classified study conclusions according to authors' endorsement of the experimental therapy. Statistical models were used to test for associations between positive conclusions and trials characteristics. From February 2010 to February 2015, 1256 articles were retrieved; 319 were considered eligible trials. Positive conclusions were reported in 56.8% of trials with industry-only, 55.6% with academia-only, 44.1% with academia and industry, 77.8% with none, and 76.4% with not described funding source (p = 0.011). Positive conclusions were reported in 60.4% of trials with unrelated COI, 60% with related COI, and 60% with no COI reported (p = 0.997). Factors that were significantly associated with the presence of positive conclusion included trials design (phase 1) [OR 11.64 (95 CI 4.66-29.09), p source [OR 2.45 (95 CI 1.22-5.22), p = 0.011]. In a multivariable regression model, all these factors remained significantly associated with trial's positive conclusion. Funding source and self-reported COI did not appear to influence the CNS trials conclusion. Funding source information and COI disclosure were under-reported in 14.1 and 17.2% of the CNS trials. Continued efforts are needed to increase rates of both COI and funding source reporting.

  3. 12 CFR 619.9185 - Funding Corporation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Funding Corporation. 619.9185 Section 619.9185 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9185 Funding Corporation. The term Funding Corporation refers to the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation...

  4. RECONSTRUCTION OF PENSION FUND PERFORMANCE MODEL AS AN EFFORT TO WORTHY PENSION FUND GOVERNANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Apriyanto Gaguk

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to reconstruct the performance assessment model on Pension Fund by modifying Baldrige Assessment method that is adjusted to the conditions in Dana Pensiun A (Pension Fund A in order to realize Good Pension Fund Governance. This study design uses case study analysis. The research sites were conducted in Dana Pensiun A. The informants in the study included the employer, supervisory board, pension fund management, active and passive pension fund participant as well as financial services authority elements as the regulator. The result of this research is a construction of a comprehensive and profound retirement performance assessment model with attention to aspects of growth and fair distribution. The model includes the parameters of leadership, strategic planning, stakeholders focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, workforce focus, standard operational procedure focus, result, just and fair distribution of wealth and power.

  5. 75 FR 81979 - Proposed Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Social Innovation Fund 2011 Awards; Request for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-29

    ... Social Innovation Fund 2011 Awards; Request for Feedback AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community... of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Social Innovation Fund Awards. SUMMARY: The Corporation for... the 2011 Social Innovation Fund competition. This release will initiate a public input period that...

  6. United States Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decomissioning Fund financial statements, September 30, 1996 and 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-05-01

    The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Act) established the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund (D and D Fund, or Fund) to pay the costs for decontamination and decommissioning three gaseous diffusion facilities located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Portsmouth, Ohio (diffusion facilities). The Act also authorized the Fund to pay remedial action costs associated with the Government`s operation of the facilities and to reimburse uranium and thorium licensees for the costs of decontamination, decommissioning, reclamation, and other remedial actions which are incident to sales to the Government. The report presents the results of the independent certified public accountants` audit of the D and D Fund financial statements as of September 30, 1996. The auditors have expressed an unqualified opinion on the 1996 statement of financial position and the related statements of operations and changes in net position and cash flows.

  7. How a new funding model will shift allocations from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Victoria Y; Glassman, Amanda; Silverman, Rachel L

    2014-12-01

    Policy makers deciding how to fund global health programs in low- and middle-income countries face important but difficult questions about how to allocate resources across countries. In this article we present a typology of three allocation methodologies to align allocations with priorities. We then apply our typology to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. We examined the Global Fund's historical HIV allocations and its predicted allocations under a new funding model that creates an explicit allocation methodology. We found that under the new funding model, substantial shifts in the Global Fund's portfolio are likely to result from concentrating resources in countries with more HIV cases and lower per capita incomes. For example, South Africa, which had 15.8 percent of global HIV cases in 2009, could see its Global Fund HIV funding more than triple, from historic levels that averaged 3.0 percent to 9.7 percent of total Global Fund allocations. The new funding model methodology is expected, but not guaranteed, to improve the efficiency of Global Fund allocations in comparison to historical practice. We conclude with recommendations for the Global Fund and other global health donors to further develop their allocation methodologies and processes to improve efficiency and transparency. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  8. Funding in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santiago, Juan Luis

    2006-01-01

    Decommissioning strategies currently considered are: Immediate dismantling (for all LWR), Deferred dismantling (only for Vandellos-I). Dismantling is assumed to commence 3 years after shutdown. End point: Release the site for industrial uses without radiological restrictions. Considerations for Planning and Funding: 40 years of lifetime for the nuclear power plants currently in operation (7.6 GWe installed). Decommissioning of NPPs: Vandellos I (Partial dismantling (Level 2) in 2003, Total dismantling (Level 3) after a 30 years period); Rest of NPPs: Total dismantling (Level 3), as regards calculation and planning 3 years after final reactor shutdown. Distribution of Responsibilities: Decommissioning is planned to start about 3 years after plant shutdown. During this period the Utility is still responsible for the plant and should remove the spent fuel and condition all the operational wastes, prior to the transfer of responsibility to Enresa. After transfer, Enresa is fully responsible for decommissioning. Decommissioning Funding and Management Rules: The cost of the decommissioning of nuclear installations are financed by the producers of such wastes. The financing of these responsibilities is by way of a Fund set up for this purpose. The costs are calculated by Enresa by means of an annual study, which reviews the status of the techniques and assesses the associated costs, this study being submitted in the General Radioactive Waste Plan to the Ministry of Economy for its approval. The Fund, managed by Enresa, is raised by a charge on the electricity price. The accumulated fund is administrated by Enresa under the supervision of the competent governmental authorities. Rules are established by a Fund Control Committee reporting to the Ministry of Economy. Financing via electricity Billing: The costs of activities arising as a result of radioactive waste management are to be financed by the producers. For NPPs, Establishment of a percentage quota on electricity

  9. HEDGE FUND MANAGERIAL INCENTIVES AND PERFORMANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nor Hadaliza ABD RAHMAN

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The growth of the hedge fund industry over the decades has brought an interesting form of performance contract between the portfolio managers and their investors. The contractual relation has given an impact to the performance of the hedge fund industry, which benefited both fund managers and investors. Furthermore, it has created more investors and fund managers to participate in this high risk and high return investment. Currently, many issues on fee structures and performancebased incentives have been discussed. Do these issues affect the performance of the hedge fund in the market? This paper will investigate the issues in Australian market. It will empirically analyze the hedge fund performance in relation to the market performance and whether managerial incentives and discretions associated with better fund performance.

  10. CERN Pension Fund move

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    The CERN Pension Fund has moved to new offices at the 5th floor of Building 5. The Benefits Service of the Fund will henceforth receive you in the offices: 5-5-017 - 5-5-021 - 5-5-023. We remind you that the office hours are: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 10 am to 12 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. The Fund would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank all the persons involved in the Removal.

  11. 33 CFR 135.9 - Fund address.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OFFSHORE OIL POLLUTION COMPENSATION FUND General § 135.9 Fund address. The address to which correspondence relating to the Coast Guard's administration of the Fund... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fund address. 135.9 Section 135.9...

  12. Decommissioning Funding: Ethics, Implementation, Uncertainties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    This status report on decommissioning funding: ethics, implementation, uncertainties is based on a review of recent literature and materials presented at NEA meetings in 2003 and 2004, and particularly at a topical session organised in November 2004 on funding issues associated with the decommissioning of nuclear power facilities. The report also draws on the experience of the NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD). This report offers, in a concise form, an overview of relevant considerations on decommissioning funding mechanisms with regard to ethics, implementation and uncertainties. Underlying ethical principles found in international agreements are identified, and factors influencing the accumulation and management of funds for decommissioning nuclear facilities are discussed together with the main sources of uncertainties of funding systems

  13. The clinical relevance and newsworthiness of NIHR HTA-funded research: a cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, D; Young, A; Iserman, E; Maeso, R; Turner, S; Haynes, R B; Milne, R

    2014-05-07

    To assess the clinical relevance and newsworthiness of the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme funded reports. Retrospective cohort study. The cohort included 311 NIHR HTA Programme funded reports publishing in HTA in the period 1 January 2007-31 December 2012. The McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE) system independently identified the clinical relevance and newsworthiness of NIHR HTA publications and non-NIHR HTA publications. The MORE system involves over 4000 physicians rating publications on a scale of relevance (the extent to which articles are relevant to practice) and a scale of newsworthiness (the extent to which articles contain news or something clinicians are unlikely to know). The proportion of reports published in HTA meeting MORE inclusion criteria and mean average relevance and newsworthiness ratings were calculated and compared with publications from the same studies publishing outside HTA and non-NIHR HTA funded publications. 286/311 (92.0%) of NIHR HTA reports were assessed by MORE, of which 192 (67.1%) passed MORE criteria. The average clinical relevance rating for NIHR HTA reports was 5.48, statistically higher than the 5.32 rating for non-NIHR HTA publications (mean difference=0.16, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.29, p=0.01). Average newsworthiness ratings were similar between NIHR HTA reports and non-NIHR HTA publications (4.75 and 4.70, respectively; mean difference=0.05, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.07, p=0.402). NIHR HTA-funded original research reports were statistically higher for newsworthiness than reviews (5.05 compared with 4.64) (mean difference=0.41, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.64, p=0.001). Funding research of clinical relevance is important in maximising the value of research investment. The NIHR HTA Programme is successful in funding projects that generate outputs of clinical relevance.

  14. Public health journals' requirements for authors to disclose funding and conflicts of interest: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daou, Karim N; Hakoum, Maram B; Khamis, Assem M; Bou-Karroum, Lama; Ali, Ahmed; Habib, Joseph R; Semaan, Aline T; Guyatt, Gordon; Akl, Elie A

    2018-04-23

    Public health journals need to have clear policies for reporting the funding of studies and authors' personal financial and non-financial conflicts of interest (COI) disclosures. This study aims to assess the policies of public health journals on reporting of study funding and the disclosure of authors' COIs. This is a cross-sectional study of "Public, Environmental & Occupational Health" journals. Teams of two researchers abstracted data in duplicate and independently using REDCap software. Of 173 public health journals, 155 (90%) had a policy for reporting study funding information. Out of these, a majority did not require reporting of the phase of the study for which funding was received (88%), nor the types of funding sources (87%). Of the 173 journals, 163 (94%) had a policy requiring disclosure of authors' COI. However, the majority of these journals did not require financial conflicts of interest disclosures relating to institutions (75%) nor to the author's family members (90%) while 56% required the disclosure of at least one form of non-financial COI. The policies of the majority of public health journals do not require the reporting of important details such as the role of the funder, and non-financial COI. Journals and publishers should consider revising their editorial policies to ensure complete and transparent reporting of funding and COI.

  15. THE AUDIT OF THE EUROPEAN FUNDS - THE ROMANIA CASE PARTICULARITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tara Ioan Gheorghe

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The European funds are committed to improving the economic and financial state of the eastern European countries. Therefore they have to be performing spent. The financial audit has an extremely important duty from this point of view. In Romania case there are some particularities which are, at the same time, the possible ways to improve the financial audit activity as well. The vital thing among them is to improve the independence of the financial audit and to take in account the necessary report between internal and external audit. A proposal is made here.

  16. PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    Administration of the Fund

    2001-01-01

    The Administration of the Fund has just signed a contract with the 'La Suisse' insurance company, making life insurance available to persons leaving CERN under very similar conditions to those offered to the members of the CERN personnel. From now on, persons retiring from the Organization will be able to take out this new insurance at the moment of retirement, provided that they have been members of CERN's collective life insurance scheme for the last five years of service. Exceptionally, until the end of 2001, 'La Suisse' has agreed to allow persons who are already retired to take out this insurance, subject to their state of health (health questionnaire to be completed) and with a maximum insured amount set at 150,000 CHF. We therefore invite any retired persons interested in this insurance to consult the detailed terms and conditions, either on the Pension Fund's Web site (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/pensions) or by writing to the Administration of the Fund. For those wishing to apply, the documents to be...

  17. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its hundred and seventeenth meeting on 3 June 2003. On that occasion, it examined the recommendations made by the External Auditors in their report on their audit of the 2002 annual accounts and the replies by the Pension Fund's Administration. The Governing Board was gratified by the small number of remarks by the External Auditors. It also confirmed its agreement to the procedure followed by the Administration of the Pension Fund in the handling of transfer values. Under other items on the agenda, the Board once again examined ESO's request relating to the terms and conditions of membership by its staff members. In this regard, the Board wishes to receive from ESO a definitive request (following the necessary consultation procedures with the representatives of the personnel and discussions within ESO's governing bodies) so that the working group can continue its work on a clear basis and so that the Governing Board is in a position to take up a position in the m...

  18. Asset Allocation of Mutual Fund Investors

    OpenAIRE

    Dengpan Luo

    2003-01-01

    This paper studies mutual fund investors' asset allocation decisions using monthly flow data of U.S mutual fund industry from 1984 to 1998. We find that mutual fund investors change their asset allocations between stocks and bonds in reaction to business conditions tracked by changes in expected stock market returns. They tend to allocate less into stock funds during the trough of a business cycle when expected stock market returns are higher and to allocate more into stock funds during the p...

  19. 36 CFR 330.7 - Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... § 330.7 Funding. (a) Section 330.3(c) sets forth the maximum authorized funds for law enforcement contracting in FY 1978 and FY 1979. The Division funding levels for FY 1978 are based on information as... Parks, Forests, and Public Property CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY REGULATION OF LAW...

  20. The Funding of Virtual Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poulin, Russell; Michelau, Demaree K.

    2009-01-01

    This article reviews categorization models and the outcomes of a virtual university funding survey. Although categorization of types of funding mechanisms is a necessary analytical tool, it often hides the many and varied political decisions that created them. In commenting on the implications of the type of funding model, political forces behind…

  1. Funding emergency care: Australian style.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Anthony; Crilly, Julia; Williams, Ged; Wylie, Kate; Toloo, Ghasem Sam; Burke, John; FitzGerald, Gerry

    2014-08-01

    The ongoing challenge for ED leaders is to remain abreast of system-wide changes that impact on the day-to-day management of their departments. Changes to the funding model creates another layer of complexity and this introductory paper serves as the beginning of a discussion about the way in which EDs are funded and how this can and will impact on business decisions, models of care and resource allocation within Australian EDs. Furthermore it is evident that any funding model today will mature and change with time, and moves are afoot to refine and contextualise ED funding over the medium term. This perspective seeks to provide a basis of understanding for our current and future funding arrangements in Australian EDs. © 2014 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  2. 76 FR 39645 - Exemptions for Advisers to Venture Capital Funds, Private Fund Advisers With Less Than $150...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-06

    ... Exemptions for Advisers to Venture Capital Funds, Private Fund Advisers With Less Than $150 Million in Assets... Investment Advisers Registration Act of 2010--the new rules define ``venture capital fund'' and provide an... Venture Capital Strategy 8. Is a Private Fund 9. Application to Non-U.S. Advisers 10. Grandfathering...

  3. Performance Evaluation of Investment (Mutual Funds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Povilas Vyšniauskas

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of an investment fund is one of the main components in evaluating the performance of the fund. This study seeks for introducing and comparing risk and performance evaluation ratios. The paper is aimed at testing the worked out ratios and at distinguishing between the best ones for the purpose of evaluating the performance of Lithuanian mutual funds. Scientific studies show that a standard deviation, alpha, beta, Sharpe and Treynor ratios are mostly employed for identifying the performance of mutual funds that are also compared with their benchmark index to establish if these funds are outperformed and if is it worth paying management fees to investment banks for managing mutual funds. Historical data were selected for the period from 2012-01-02 to 2013-10-15 analysing the prices of monthly funds. The paper points out the areas of a practical application of the proposed model for investment fund valuation, which may not only provide valuable outcomes for practitioners but also may inspire further research on this article.

  4. The funding black hole

    CERN Multimedia

    2008-01-01

    Two physics students at the University of Bristol have organised a petition against the recently-announced funding cut of 80 million by the body that funds physics research in the UK, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

  5. Fanconi Anemia Research Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Support Publications Fundraising News What is the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund? Fanconi anemia is an inherited disease that can lead to ... population. Lynn and Dave Frohnmayer started the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, in 1989 to find effective treatments ...

  6. Misleading by Omission: Rethinking the Obligation to Inform Research Subjects about Funding Sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manson, Neil C

    2017-11-15

    Informed consent requirements for medical research have expanded over the past half-century. The Declaration of Helsinki now includes an explicit positive obligation to inform subjects about funding sources. This is problematic in a number of ways and seems to oblige researchers to disclose information irrelevant to most consent decisions. It is argued here that such a problematic obligation involves an "informational fallacy." The aim in the second part of the paper is to provide a better approach to making sense of how a failure to inform about funding sources wrongs subjects: by making appeals to obligations to refrain from misleading by omission. This alternative approach-grounded in a general obligation to refrain from misleading, an obligation that is independent of informed consent-provides a basis for a norm that protects subjects' interests, without the informational fallacy. The approach developed here avoids the problems identified with the currently specified general obligation to inform about funding sources. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    Amendment No 19 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Divisional secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 1.1.2003, concerns 1) the fixed sums and allowances adjusted at same date (Annex B) and 2) the articles which have been amended, in accordance with the Finance Committee's decision, regarding voting rules of the Governing Board and the role and composition of the Investment Committee.

  8. 7 CFR 247.25 - Allowable uses of administrative funds and other funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... subgrantees must comply with part 3019 of this title. State and local agencies may use procurement procedures... authority regarding the settlement of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements... administrative funds provided to State and local agencies? Administrative funds may be used for costs that are...

  9. The Performance-based Funding Scheme of Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juha KETTUNEN

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of the performance-based funding scheme of the Finnish universities that was adopted at the beginning of 2013. The political decision-makers expect that the funding scheme will create incentives for the universities to improve performance, but these funding schemes have largely failed in many other countries, primarily because public funding is only a small share of the total funding of universities. This study is interesting because Finnish universities have no tuition fees, unlike in many other countries, and the state allocates funding based on the objectives achieved. The empirical evidence of the graduation rates indicates that graduation rates increased when a new scheme was adopted, especially among male students, who have more room for improvement than female students. The new performance-based funding scheme allocates the funding according to the output-based indicators and limits the scope of strategic planning and the autonomy of the university. The performance-based funding scheme is transformed to the strategy map of the balanced scorecard. The new funding scheme steers universities in many respects but leaves the research and teaching skills to the discretion of the universities. The new scheme has also diminished the importance of the performance agreements between the university and the Ministry. The scheme increases the incentives for universities to improve the processes and structures in order to attain as much public funding as possible. It is optimal for the central administration of the university to allocate resources to faculties and other organisational units following the criteria of the performance-based funding scheme. The new funding scheme has made the universities compete with each other, because the total funding to the universities is allocated to each university according to the funding scheme. There is a tendency that the funding schemes are occasionally

  10. 7 CFR 771.12 - Funding applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... availability of funds. However, when multiple applications are received on the same date and available funds... determines to be most critical for the accomplishment of program objectives, will be funded first. ...

  11. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND CANDIDATE NR 5

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate :  Name : Sonnemann  First Name : Florian Since my arrival at CERN in 1997 I have worked in the accelerator and administrative sectors. I have recently been elected as member of the Staff Council and of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association in which I am actively following matters concerning the Pension Fund. My candidature for the Governing Board of the CERN Pension Fund is mainly motivated to add my part in ensuring a solid financial situation of the Pension Fund. The Pension Fund is our only social security system. I wish to play a role in ensuring that the pensions will remain a secure revenue for all staff membe...

  12. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND 5th candidate

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate :  Name : Sonnemann  First Name : Florian Since my arrival at CERN in 1997 I have worked in the accelerator and administrative sectors. I have recently been elected as member of the Staff Council and of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association in which I am actively following matters concerning the Pension Fund. My candidature for the Governing Board of the CERN Pension Fund is mainly motivated to add my part in ensuring a solid financial situation of the Pension Fund. The Pension Fund is our only social security system. I wish to play a role in ensuring that the pensions will remain a secure revenue for all staff membe...

  13. Creative partnerships for funding nursing research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann, Judith J; Hills, Elizabeth Blanchard; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A; Smith, Carol E; Farran, Carol J; Wilkie, Diana J

    2011-02-01

    The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program are two federal funding mechanisms that some nurses in academic positions have used to support research and development of innovative nursing products or services. Both the SBIR and STTR mechanisms are excellent sources of funding for nurse researchers who want to capitalize on relationships with small businesses or obtain seed money to fund high-risk projects with potential to attract new venture capital. This article provides an overview of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded SBIR and STTR programs and summarizes similarities and differences between the programs. The article also describes unique features of NIH SBIR and STTR funding mechanisms that differentiate them from other R-series funding mechanisms, reviews evaluation criteria for SBIR and STTR projects, and discusses critical partners and resources for proposal development. Finally, the article describes characteristics of successful partnerships and provides examples of SBIR/STTR-funded projects.

  14. Patient organizations' funding from pharmaceutical companies: is disclosure clear, complete and accessible to the public? An Italian survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cinzia Colombo

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many patients' and consumers' organizations accept drug industry funding to support their activities. As drug companies and patient groups move closer, disclosure become essential for transparency, and the internet could be a useful means of making sponsorship information accessible to the public. This survey aims to assess the transparency of a large group of Italian patient and consumer groups and a group of pharmaceutical companies, focusing on their websites. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Patient and consumer groups were selected from those stated to be sponsored by a group of pharmaceutical companies on their websites. The websites were examined using two forms with principal (name of drug companies providing funds, amount of funding and secondary indicators of transparency (section where sponsors are disclosed, update of sponsorship. Principal indicators were applied independently by two reviewers to the patient and consumer groups' websites. Discordances were solved by discussion. One hundred fifty-seven Italian patient and consumer groups and 17 drug companies were considered. Thirteen drug companies (76% named at least one group funded, on their Italian websites. Of these, four (31% indicated the activities sponsored and two (15% the amount of funding. Of the 157 patient and consumer groups, 46 (29% named at least one pharmaceutical company as providing funds. Three (6% reported the amount of funding, 25 (54% the activities funded, none the proportion of income derived from drug companies. Among the groups naming pharmaceutical company sponsors, 15 (33% declared them in a dedicated section, five (11% on the home page, the others in the financial report or other sections. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Disclosure of funds is scarce on Italian patient and consumer groups' websites. The levels of transparency need to be improved. Disclosure of patient and consumer groups provided with funds is frequent on Italian pharmaceutical

  15. Are Independent Probes Truly Independent?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camp, Gino; Pecher, Diane; Schmidt, Henk G.; Zeelenberg, Rene

    2009-01-01

    The independent cue technique has been developed to test traditional interference theories against inhibition theories of forgetting. In the present study, the authors tested the critical criterion for the independence of independent cues: Studied cues not presented during test (and unrelated to test cues) should not contribute to the retrieval…

  16. 75 FR 55541 - NOAA Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program-FY2011 Funding Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-13

    ...-01] RIN 0648-ZC20 NOAA Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program--FY2011 Funding Competition AGENCY: National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce...-profit organizations (requirements described in full announcement) that NOAA is soliciting proposals for...

  17. The risk-adjusted vision beyond casemix (DRG) funding in Australia. International lessons in high complexity and capitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antioch, Kathryn M; Walsh, Michael K

    2004-06-01

    Hospitals throughout the world using funding based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG) have incurred substantial budgetary deficits, despite high efficiency. We identify the limitations of DRG funding that lack risk (severity) adjustment for State-wide referral services. Methods to risk adjust DRGs are instructive. The average price in casemix funding in the Australian State of Victoria is policy based, not benchmarked. Average cost weights are too low for high-complexity DRGs relating to State-wide referral services such as heart and lung transplantation and trauma. Risk-adjusted specified grants (RASG) are required for five high-complexity respiratory, cardiology and stroke DRGs incurring annual deficits of $3.6 million due to high casemix complexity and government under-funding despite high efficiency. Five stepwise linear regressions for each DRG excluded non-significant variables and assessed heteroskedasticity and multicollinearlity. Cost per patient was the dependent variable. Significant independent variables were age, length-of-stay outliers, number of disease types, diagnoses, procedures and emergency status. Diagnosis and procedure severity markers were identified. The methodology and the work of the State-wide Risk Adjustment Working Group can facilitate risk adjustment of DRGs State-wide and for Treasury negotiations for expenditure growth. The Alfred Hospital previously negotiated RASG of $14 million over 5 years for three trauma and chronic DRGs. Some chronic diseases require risk-adjusted capitation funding models for Australian Health Maintenance Organizations as an alternative to casemix funding. The use of Diagnostic Cost Groups can facilitate State and Federal government reform via new population-based risk adjusted funding models that measure health need.

  18. Managing multiple funding streams and agendas to achieve local and global health and research objectives: lessons from the field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Charles B; Sikazwe, Izukanji; Raelly, Roselyne L; Freeman, Bethany L; Wambulawae, Inonge; Silwizya, Geoffrey; Topp, Stephanie M; Chilengi, Roma; Henostroza, German; Kapambwe, Sharon; Simbeye, Darius; Sibajene, Sheila; Chi, Harmony; Godfrey, Katy; Chi, Benjamin; Moore, Carolyn Bolton

    2014-01-01

    Multiple funding sources provide research and program implementation organizations a broader base of funding and facilitate synergy, but also entail challenges that include varying stakeholder expectations, unaligned grant cycles, and highly variable reporting requirements. Strong governance and strategic planning are essential to ensure alignment of goals and agendas. Systems to track budgets and outputs, as well as procurement and human resources are required. A major goal of funders is to transition leadership and operations to local ownership. This article details successful approaches used by the newly independent nongovernmental organization, the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia.

  19. Advertising and disclosure of funding on patient organisation websites: a cross-sectional survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tisocki Klara

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patient organisations may be exposed to conflicts of interest and undue influence through pharmaceutical industry (Pharma donations. We examined advertising and disclosure of financial support by pharmaceutical companies on the websites of major patient organisations. Method Sixty-nine national and international patient organisations covering 10 disease states were identified using a defined Google search strategy. These were assessed for indicators of transparency, advertising, and disclosure of Pharma funding using an abstraction tool and inspection of annual reports. Data were analysed by simple tally, with medians calculated for financial data. Results Patient organisations websites were clear about their identity, target audience and intention but only a third were clear on how they derived their funds. Only 4/69 websites stated advertising and conflict of interest policies. Advertising was generally absent. 54% of sites included an annual report, but financial reporting and disclosure of donors varied substantially. Corporate donations were itemised in only 7/37 reports and none gave enough information to show the proportion of funding from Pharma. 45% of organisations declared Pharma funding on their website but the annual reports named more Pharma donors than did the websites (median 6 vs. 1. One third of websites showed one or more company logos and/or had links to Pharma websites. Pharma companies' introductions were present on 10% of websites, some of them mentioning specific products. Two patient organisations had obvious close ties to Pharma. Conclusion Patient organisation websites do not provide enough information for visitors to assess whether a conflict of interest with Pharma exists. While advertising of products is generally absent, display of logos and corporate advertisements is relatively common. Display of clear editorial and advertising policies and disclosure of the nature and degree of corporate

  20. Advertising and disclosure of funding on patient organisation websites: a cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Douglas E; Tisocki, Klara; Herxheimer, Andrew

    2006-08-03

    Patient organisations may be exposed to conflicts of interest and undue influence through pharmaceutical industry (Pharma) donations. We examined advertising and disclosure of financial support by pharmaceutical companies on the websites of major patient organisations. Sixty-nine national and international patient organisations covering 10 disease states were identified using a defined Google search strategy. These were assessed for indicators of transparency, advertising, and disclosure of Pharma funding using an abstraction tool and inspection of annual reports. Data were analysed by simple tally, with medians calculated for financial data. Patient organisations websites were clear about their identity, target audience and intention but only a third were clear on how they derived their funds. Only 4/69 websites stated advertising and conflict of interest policies. Advertising was generally absent. 54% of sites included an annual report, but financial reporting and disclosure of donors varied substantially. Corporate donations were itemised in only 7/37 reports and none gave enough information to show the proportion of funding from Pharma. 45% of organisations declared Pharma funding on their website but the annual reports named more Pharma donors than did the websites (median 6 vs. 1). One third of websites showed one or more company logos and/or had links to Pharma websites. Pharma companies' introductions were present on 10% of websites, some of them mentioning specific products. Two patient organisations had obvious close ties to Pharma. Patient organisation websites do not provide enough information for visitors to assess whether a conflict of interest with Pharma exists. While advertising of products is generally absent, display of logos and corporate advertisements is relatively common. Display of clear editorial and advertising policies and disclosure of the nature and degree of corporate donations is needed on patient organisations' websites. An ethical

  1. 77 FR 16030 - FY2012 Supplemental Funding for Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grantees

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-19

    ... loan fund to enhance remediation and provide funds on a continuing basis; and (IV) Such other similar... be started and completed expeditiously (i.e. ``shovel-ready'' projects) and will lead to...

  2. Funding models for outreach ophthalmology services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Angus W; Mulholland, Will; Taylor, Hugh R

    2011-01-01

    This paper aims to describe funding models used and compare the effects of funding models for remuneration on clinical activity and cost-effectiveness in outreach eye services in Australia. Cross-sectional case study based in remote outreach ophthalmology services in Australia. Key stake-holders from eye services in nine outreach regions participated in the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted to perform a qualitative assessment of outreach eye services' funding mechanisms. Records of clinical activity were used to statistically compare funding models. Workforce availability (supply of ophthalmologists), costs of services, clinical activity (surgery and clinic consultation rates) and waiting times. The supply of ophthalmologists (full-time equivalence) to all remote regions was below the national average (up to 19 times lower). Cataract surgery rates were also below national averages (up to 10 times lower). Fee-for-service funding significantly increased clinical activity. There were also trends to shorter waiting times and lower costs per attendance. For outreach ophthalmology services, the funding model used for clinician reimbursement may influence the efficiency and costs of the services. Fee-for-service funding models, safety-net funding options or differential funding/incentives need further exploration to ensure isolated disadvantaged areas prone to poor patient attendance are not neglected. In order for outreach eye health services to be sustainable, remuneration rates need to be comparable to those for urban practice. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2011 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  3. 78 FR 17939 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-25

    ...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2012 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2012-38 (Notice), which was issued September 7... Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the...

  4. 78 FR 56728 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-13

    ...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2013 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2013-10 (Notice), which was issued May 3, 2013... Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the...

  5. 77 FR 23492 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-19

    ...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2011 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... notified of the availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2011-56 (Notice), which was... award recipients under the Capital Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

  6. Are international fund flows pro- or counter-cyclical?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, Suxiao; de Haan, Jakob; Scholtens, Bert; Yang, Haizhen

    2015-01-01

    We investigate whether international fund flows are pro-or counter-cyclical by employing a concordance index. International fund flows are investments in bond and equity markets by institutional investors, such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds, closed-end funds and hedge funds. We find that

  7. Fund allocation within Australian dental care: an innovative approach to output based funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tennant, M; Carrello, C; Kruger, E

    2005-12-01

    Over the last 15 years in Australia the process of funding government health care has changed significantly. The development of dental funding models that transparently meet both the service delivery needs for data at the treatment level and policy makers' need for health condition data is critical to the continued integration of dentistry into the wider health system. This paper presents a model of fund allocation that provides a communication construct that addresses the needs of both policy makers and service providers. In this model, dental treatments (dental item numbers) have been grouped into eight broad dental health conditions. Within each dental health condition, a weighted average price is determined using the Department of Veterans Affairs' (DVA) fee schedule as the benchmark, adjusted for the mix of care. The model also adjusts for the efficiency differences between sectors providing government funded dental care. In summary, the price to be applied to a dental health condition category is determined by the weighted average DVA price adjusted by the sector efficiency. This model allows governments and dental service providers to develop funding agreements that both quantify and justify the treatment to be provided. Such a process facilitates the continued integration of dental care into the wider health system.

  8. Fund managers’ contracts and short-termism

    OpenAIRE

    Casamatta, Catherine; Pouget, Sébastien

    2009-01-01

    This paper considers the problem faced by long-term investors who have to delegate the management of their money to professional fund managers. Investors can earn profits if fund managers collect long-term information. We investigate to what extent the delegation of fund management prevents long-term information acquisition, inducing short-termism. We also study the design of long-term fund managers' compensation contracts. Absent moral hazard, short-termism arises only because of the cost...

  9. Market conditions and hedge fund survival

    OpenAIRE

    Mark A. Carlson; Jason Steinman

    2008-01-01

    As the hedge fund industry has grown, there has been increased concern that, during sharp market moves, hedge fund failures could exacerbate the deterioration in financial conditions and deepen a crisis. However, there has not been much formal analysis regarding the impact of financial market conditions on hedge fund survival. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the relationship between financial market conditions and the likelihood of hedge fund failure after controlling for performan...

  10. The Phony Funding Crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guthrie, James W.; Peng, Arthur

    2010-01-01

    If one relies on newspaper headlines for education funding information, one might conclude that America's schools suffer from a perpetual fiscal crisis, every year perched precariously on the brink of financial ruin, never knowing whether there will be sufficient funding to continue operating. Budgetary shortfalls, school district bankruptcies,…

  11. Educational Technology Funding Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mark, Amy E.

    2008-01-01

    Library and cross-disciplinary literature all stress the increasing importance of instructional technology in higher education. However, there is a dearth of articles detailing funding for library instructional technology. The bulk of library literature on funding for these projects focuses on one-time grant opportunities and on the architecture…

  12. Nuclear material accounting and control: Co-ordinating assistance to newly independent States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thorstensen, S.

    1995-01-01

    This article outlines work under way among the IAEA, its Member States, and the Newly Independent States (NIS) relating to the establishment and development in the NIS of State Systems of Accounting and Control (SSACs) of nuclear material. It describes IAEA activities in the NIS, including fact-finding missions at technical visits, the successful attempts to find donor States providing voluntary funding and expertise, and the co-ordination of technical support between the IAEA and the donor States. 3 tabs

  13. Genomics Research: World Survey of Public Funding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cook-Deegan Robert M

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Over the past two decades, genomics has evolved as a scientific research discipline. Genomics research was fueled initially by government and nonprofit funding sources, later augmented by private research and development (R&D funding. Citizens and taxpayers of many countries have funded much of the research, and have expectations about access to the resulting information and knowledge. While access to knowledge gained from all publicly funded research is desired, access is especially important for fields that have broad social impact and stimulate public dialogue. Genomics is one such field, where public concerns are raised for reasons such as health care and insurance implications, as well as personal and ancestral identification. Thus, genomics has grown rapidly as a field, and attracts considerable interest. Results One way to study the growth of a field of research is to examine its funding. This study focuses on public funding of genomics research, identifying and collecting data from major government and nonprofit organizations around the world, and updating previous estimates of world genomics research funding, including information about geographical origins. We initially identified 89 publicly funded organizations; we requested information about each organization's funding of genomics research. Of these organizations, 48 responded and 34 reported genomics research expenditures (of those that responded but did not supply information, some did not fund such research, others could not quantify it. The figures reported here include all the largest funders and we estimate that we have accounted for most of the genomics research funding from government and nonprofit sources. Conclusion Aggregate spending on genomics research from 34 funding sources averaged around $2.9 billion in 2003 – 2006. The United States spent more than any other country on genomics research, corresponding to 35% of the overall worldwide public

  14. 7 CFR 3419.7 - Redistribution of funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ..., AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FORMULA FUNDS AT 1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AND AT... formula funds. Unmatched research and extension funds will be reapportioned in accordance with the...

  15. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 154th and 155th meetings on 13 and 26 June 2007 respectively. At the first of these two meetings, the Governing Board Chairman Professor F. Ferrini stated that a steering committee had been set up, under his own chairmanship, to examine the Fund’s IT issues. This Committee had decided to avail itself of the consultancy services of an independent audit company with recognised expertise in the IT field and that the latter should undertake a study of the Fund’s present IT situation, review its operational needs, offer a comparative analysis of the different solutions and submit an overall report and conclusions on the advantages and disadvantages of the various possible solutions. At the same meeting, the Governing Board was informed of the activities of the Working Group on Actuarial Matters. The Board heard that the results of the three-yearly actuarial review would be presented at its September meeting and that the Board�...

  16. The Domino Effects of Federal Research Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanahan, Lauren; Graddy-Reed, Alexandra; Feldman, Maryann P

    2016-01-01

    The extent to which federal investment in research crowds out or decreases incentives for investment from other funding sources remains an open question. Scholarship on research funding has focused on the relationship between federal and industry or, more comprehensively, non-federal funding without disentangling the other sources of research support that include nonprofit organizations and state and local governments. This paper extends our understanding of academic research support by considering the relationships between federal and non-federal funding sources provided by the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey. We examine whether federal research investment serves as a complement or substitute for state and local government, nonprofit, and industry research investment using the population of research-active academic science fields at U.S. doctoral granting institutions. We use a system of two equations that instruments with prior levels of both federal and non-federal funding sources and accounts for time-invariant academic institution-field effects through first differencing. We estimate that a 1% increase in federal research funding is associated with a 0.411% increase in nonprofit research funding, a 0.217% increase in state and local research funding, and a 0.468% increase in industry research funding, respectively. Results indicate that federal funding plays a fundamental role in inducing complementary investments from other funding sources, with impacts varying across academic division, research capacity, and institutional control.

  17. The Analysis of Mutual Fund Performance: Evidence from U.S. Equity Mutual Funds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.P. Budiono (Diana)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractWe study the mutual fund performance for about 45 years. There are several key points that we can withdraw from this dissertation. First, to study the persistence of mutual fund performance, it is important to consider time-varying exposures because when they are ignored, the persistence

  18. Environmental Defense Fund Oil and Gas Methane Studies: Principles for Collaborating with Industry Partners while Maintaining Scientific Objectivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamburg, S.

    2016-12-01

    Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched a series of 16 research studies in 2012 to quantify methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas (O&G) supply chain. In addition to EDF's funding from philanthropic individuals and foundations and in-kind contributions from universities, over forty O&G companies contributed money to the studies. For a subset of studies that required partner companies to provide site access to measure their equipment, five common principles were followed to assure that research was objective and scientifically rigorous. First, academic scientists were selected as principal investigators (PIs) to lead the studies. In line with EDF's policy of not accepting money from corporate partners, O&G companies provided funding directly to academic PIs. Technical work groups and steering committees consisting of EDF and O&G partner staff advised the PIs in the planning and implementation of research, but PIs had the final authority in scientific decisions including publication content. Second, scientific advisory panels of independent experts advised the PIs in the study design, data analysis, and interpretation. Third, studies employed multiple methodologies when possible, including top-down and bottom-up measurements. This helped overcome the limitations of individual approaches to decrease the uncertainty of emission estimates and minimize concerns with data being "cherry-picked". Fourth, studies were published in peer-reviewed journals to undergo an additional round of independent review. Fifth, transparency of data was paramount. Study data were released after publication, although operator and site names of individual data points were anonymized to ensure transparency and allow independent analysis. Following these principles allowed an environmental organization, O&G companies, and academic scientists to collaborate in scientific research while minimizing conflicts of interest. This approach can serve as a model for a scientifically rigorous

  19. Improvement of Classification of Enterprise Circulating Funds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohanova Hanna O.

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the article lies in revelation of possibilities of increase of efficiency of managing enterprise circulating funds by means of improvement of their classification features. Having analysed approaches of many economists to classification of enterprise circulating funds, systemised and supplementing them, the article offers grouping classification features of enterprise circulating funds. In the result of the study the article offers an expanded classification of circulating funds, which clearly shows the role of circulating funds in managing enterprise finance and economy in general. The article supplements and groups classification features of enterprise circulating funds by: the organisation level, functioning character, sources of formation and their cost, and level of management efficiency. The article shows that the provided grouping of classification features of circulating funds allows exerting all-sided and purposeful influence upon indicators of efficiency of circulating funds functioning and facilitates their rational management in general. The prospect of further studies in this direction is identification of the level of attraction of loan resources by production enterprises for financing circulating funds.

  20. Optimizing retirement funds : an institutional perspective

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    M.Comm. Pension funds have risen to great prominence in the last two decades because they provide a service that fits the needs of individuals. The community at large are rapidly accepting and demanding facilities for proper retirement planning. Employees contribute towards retirement funds and their contributions are tax deductible while taxable to the employee upon retirement, generally at a lower rate. The employer, who has instituted the retirement fund, owes the fund because the emplo...

  1. Liquidity Hoarding and Inefficient Abundant Funding

    OpenAIRE

    Enisse Kharroubi

    2015-01-01

    This paper studies banks’ choice between building liquidity buffers and raising funding ex post to deal with reinvestment shocks. We uncover the possibility of an inefficient liquidity squeeze equilibrium when ex post funding is abundant. In the model, banks typically build larger liquidity buffers when they expect funding to be expensive. However, when banks hold larger liquidity buffers, pledgeable income is larger and they hence can raise more funding, which in the aggregate raises the fun...

  2. Interactions between Energy Efficiency Programs funded under the Recovery Act and Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldman, Charles A.; Stuart, Elizabeth; Hoffman, Ian; Fuller, Merrian C.; Billingsley, Megan A.

    2011-02-25

    Since the spring of 2009, billions of federal dollars have been allocated to state and local governments as grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and programs. The scale of this American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding, focused on 'shovel-ready' projects to create and retain jobs, is unprecedented. Thousands of newly funded players - cities, counties, states, and tribes - and thousands of programs and projects are entering the existing landscape of energy efficiency programs for the first time or expanding their reach. The nation's experience base with energy efficiency is growing enormously, fed by federal dollars and driven by broader objectives than saving energy alone. State and local officials made countless choices in developing portfolios of ARRA-funded energy efficiency programs and deciding how their programs would relate to existing efficiency programs funded by utility customers. Those choices are worth examining as bellwethers of a future world where there may be multiple program administrators and funding sources in many states. What are the opportunities and challenges of this new environment? What short- and long-term impacts will this large, infusion of funds have on utility customer-funded programs; for example, on infrastructure for delivering energy efficiency services or on customer willingness to invest in energy efficiency? To what extent has the attribution of energy savings been a critical issue, especially where administrators of utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs have performance or shareholder incentives? Do the new ARRA-funded energy efficiency programs provide insights on roles or activities that are particularly well-suited to state and local program administrators vs. administrators or implementers of utility customer-funded programs? The answers could have important implications for the future of U.S. energy efficiency. This report focuses on a selected set of ARRA-funded

  3. [Applications and approved projectsof general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developedregion of national natural science funds in discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2012].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Ming-Qing; Han, Li-Wei; Wu, Xiu-Hong; Bi, Ming-Gang; Shang, Hong-Cai; Liu, Yun-Fang; He, Wei-Ming; Li, Dan-Dan; Dong, Yan; Wang, Chang-En

    2013-01-01

    The applications accepted and approved by general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developed region of national natural science funds in the discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2012 have been introduced. The research contents of the funded projects in the popular research areas have been summarized and the problems in the applications have been analyzed to give a reference to the scientists in the field of Chinese materia medica.

  4. Administrator of 9/11 victim compensation fund to administer Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund distributions

    OpenAIRE

    Hincker, Lawrence

    2007-01-01

    Virginia Tech President Charles Steger has asked Kenneth R. Feinberg, who served as "Special Master of the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001," to administer distributions of the university Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund (HSMF).

  5. Namibia - Vocational Training Grant Fund

    Data.gov (United States)

    Millennium Challenge Corporation — The impact evaluation of the Vocational Training Grant Fund (VTGF) subactivity in Namibia used a random assignment design to determine the effects of VTGF-funded...

  6. Drug Revolving Fund-Based

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: The Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) was instituted in 1996 in Oyo State to ensure sustainable drug availability at primary health care level with a seed stock of drugs supplied by the Petroleum Trust Fund. This was discontinued in 1999 and replaced in January 2000, with free health service, which involves ...

  7. Mutual Fund Competition and Stock Market Liquidity

    OpenAIRE

    Massa, Massimo

    2004-01-01

    We study how competition in the mutual fund industry affects stock market liquidity. We argue that mutual fund families operate as multi-product firms, jointly choosing fees, performance and number of funds and sharing common research facilities. The family-based organization generates economies of scale in information that induce a trade off between performance and number of funds. The presence of more and relatively less-informed funds impacts the market, increasing stock liquidity. This in...

  8. 33 CFR 135.7 - Delegation-Fund Administrator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Delegation-Fund Administrator. 135.7 Section 135.7 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... FUND General § 135.7 Delegation—Fund Administrator. (a) The Fund Administrator is delegated authority...

  9. The ethics of pharmaceutical research funding: a social organization approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Garry C

    2013-01-01

    This paper advances a social organization approach to examining unethical behavior. While unethical behaviors may stem in part from failures in individual morality or psychological blind spots, they are both generated and performed through social interactions among individuals and groups. To illustrate the value of a social organization approach, a case study of a medical school professor's first experience with pharmaceutical-company-sponsored research is provided in order to examine how funding arrangements can constrain research integrity. The case illustrates three significant ways that institutional corruption can occur in the research process. First, conflicts of norms between pharmaceutical companies, universities, and affiliated teaching hospitals can result in compromises and self-censorship. Second, normal behavior is shaped through routine interactions. Unethical behaviors can be (or can become) normal behaviors when they are produced and reproduced through a network of social interactions. Third, funding arrangements can create networks of dependency that structurally distort the independence of the academic researcher in favor of the funder's interests. More broadly, the case study demonstrates how the social organization approach deepens our understanding of the practice of ethics. © 2013 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

  10. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES OF SOCIAL SECURITY FUNDS IN UKRAINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataliia Ivanchuk

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Along with the expenditures for social protection, social security funds finance administrative direction, which should correspond to the amount of functions performed by a particular fund. The purpose of the paper is to determine ways to reduce administrative expenditures of state social security funds in the conditions of reforming Ukrainian economy. For this purpose, the authors investigate distribution of the expenditures between social security funds, analyse dynamics and structure of assignments for fund administration, and suggest possible ways to rationalize maintenance cost for these institutions. Methodology. Administrative expenditures are an integral part of the cost of social security funds and include particular items of expenses in the budget of these institutions. Applying a systematic approach to calculating the administrative costs of social security funds of Ukraine the authors have taken into account the expenditures related to funding management, support for information systems, and organization of work with insured people. Results of the survey showed that in 2007–2016 Pension Fund of Ukraine incurred the largest part of social expenditures (more than 90% compared with other social insurance funds (less than 10%. At the same time, the administrative expenses were divided approximately into two halves between Pension Fund and other social security funds. In 2015, the government launched a reform of social insurance funds that aimed to reduce funds to three institutions but a decrease in the total amount of administrative expenditures has not been achieved yet. In addition, Pension Fund of Ukraine was least burdened with administrative expenses, while other social security funds with a relatively small share of social expenditures were burdened with administrative expenditures much more. Practical implications. Research showed that nowadays the existence of several social security funds in Ukraine is economically

  11. Cash Holdings and Mutual Fund Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Mikhail Simutin

    2014-01-01

    Cash holdings of equity mutual funds impose a drag on fund performance but also allow managers to make quick investments in attractive stocks and satisfy outflows without costly fire sales. This article shows that actively managed equity funds with high abnormal cash—that is, with cash holdings in excess of the level predicted by fund attributes—outperform their low abnormal cash peers by over 2% per year. Managers carrying high abnormal cash compensate for the low return on cash by making su...

  12. Risk-return of Belgian SRI funds

    OpenAIRE

    Van Liedekerke, Luc; De Moor, Lieven; Vanwalleghem, Dieter

    2007-01-01

    We analyse the risk-return profile of Belgian SRI funds versus conventional investment funds. We apply a four-factor conditional Carhart model to establish whether there are significant differences in risk-return profile between an SRI portfolio and a conventional portfolio and test for learning effects in SRI funds. We show that there is no difference in risk-return profile between SRI and conventional funds. If return is not the problem, then what is it that limits the development of an SRI...

  13. Funding Opportunity: Genomic Data Centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funding Opportunity CCG, Funding Opportunity Center for Cancer Genomics, CCG, Center for Cancer Genomics, CCG RFA, Center for cancer genomics rfa, genomic data analysis network, genomic data analysis network centers,

  14. 7 CFR 3430.205 - Funding restrictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Funding restrictions. 3430.205 Section 3430.205... Funding restrictions. (a) Prohibition against construction. Funds made available under this subpart shall not be used for the construction of a new building or facility or the acquisition, expansion...

  15. Performance control of Chinese investment funds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cao, X.

    2002-01-01

    The performance control of investment funds has long been a discussed focal point by both academics and practitioners because of the ready availability of fund data and the importance of fund performance in attracting investors. Unfortunately, this area was still an almost blank space in the Chinese

  16. 24 CFR 401.472 - Rehabilitation funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (MARK-TO-MARKET) Restructuring Plan § 401.472 Rehabilitation funding. (a) Sources of funds—(1) Project... has determined that funding from this source is available. (b) Statutory restrictions. Any... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rehabilitation funding. 401.472...

  17. 40 CFR 35.272 - Funding coordination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Funding coordination. 35.272 Section 35.272 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE....272 Funding coordination. Recipients must use the lead-based paint program funding in a way that...

  18. Empirical study on mutual fund objective classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xue-jun; Yang, Xiao-lan

    2004-05-01

    Mutual funds are usually classified on the basis of their objectives. If the activities of mutual funds are consistent with their stated objectives, investors may look at the latter as signals of their risks and incomes. This work analyzes mutual fund objective classification in China by statistical methods of distance analysis and discriminant analysis; and examines whether the stated investment objectives of mutual funds adequately represent their attributes to investors. That is, if mutual funds adhere to their stated objectives, attributes must be heterogeneous between investment objective groups and homogeneous within them. Our conclusion is to some degree, the group of optimized exponential funds is heterogeneous to other groups. As a whole, there exist no significant differences between different objective groups; and 50% of mutual funds are not consistent with their objective groups.

  19. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 2 October 2002 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (P. Levaux) Recent trends in the technical balance of pension funds (C. Cuénoud) Annual Report 2001: Presentation and results (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats. Position of the CERN Pension Fund with respect to market developments (G. Maurin) Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. Conclusions (P. Levaux) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2001 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+4122)767 9194; e-mail Graziella.Praire@cern.ch) SOME ASPECTS OF THE FUND'S ACTIVITIES IN 2001...

  20. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND 3rd candidate

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate : Name : Hauviller First Name : Claude Dear colleague of CERN and ESO, For the first time, I am standing and requesting your support to become a member of the Governing Board of our Pension Fund. CERN staff member since 1974, I have already carried elective mandates: I have been Delegate to the Staff Council and Member of the Senior Staff Consultative Committee (the Nine). For the majority of us, our Pension Fund is our only social provident scheme and source of retirement income; I believe I can usefully contribute to its successful management and help ensure its balance. Our Fund reaches its majority: soon, there will be more beneficiaries tha...

  1. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND CANDIDATE NR 3

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate : Name : HAUVILLER First Name : Claude Dear colleague of CERN and ESO, For the first time, I am standing and requesting your support to become a member of the Governing Board of our Pension Fund. CERN staff member since 1974, I have already carried elective mandates: I have been Delegate to the Staff Council and Member of the Senior Staff Consultative Committee (the Nine). For the majority of us, our Pension Fund is our only social provident scheme and source of retirement income; I believe I can usefully contribute to its successful management and help ensure its balance. Our Fund reaches its majority: soon, there will be more beneficiaries tha...

  2. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND CANDIDATE NO 2

    CERN Multimedia

    2000-01-01

    This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund.   Candidate: Name: RANJARDFirst Name: Florence Having been a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund since 1983 as Guy Maurin’s alternate, I am standing for a further 3-year term of office. Over the past few years work has concentrated essentially on following items: Monitoring of the work of the fund managers and their performances. The three-yearly study of the Fund’s actuarial situation. The pension guarantees ­ second phase. The Fund is approaching its maturity: the level of benefits exceeds contributions. In this context it has to strike a suitable balance between management of the risk from a dynamic investment policy, while a prudent policy avoiding any significant loss of its capital. These will be my concerns within the Governing Board of the Pension Fund if you...

  3. European Regulatory Framework for Money Market Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Portuese, Aurelien; MacNeil, Iain

    2014-01-01

    Money market funds are widely used by all types of investors, including households, corporate treasurers, pension funds, or insurance companies, who regard money market funds as a ‘safe’ short-term liquid asset class for investing cash. In this case they are proxies to cash deposits. Money market funds are themselves key lenders to issuers of short dated high quality money market instruments. They provide an important source of funding for a variety of institutions such as sovereigns, banks, ...

  4. [The Japanese Health Care System: An Analysis of the Funding and Reimbursement System].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rump, Alexis; Schöffski, Oliver

    2017-08-10

    Objective The modern Japanese health care system was established during the Meiji period (1868-1912) using the example of Germany. In this paper, the funding and remuneration of health services and products in Japan are described. The focus lies on the mechanisms used to implement health policy goals and to control costs. Method Selective literature search. Results All permanent residents in Japan are enrolled in one of more than 3,000 compulsory health funds. Employees and public servants are covered through company or government-related health insurance schemes. Independent workers, the unemployed and the pensioners are usually assigned to health insurance plans managed by local city governments. The elderly over 75 years are insured through special health funds managed at the prefectural level. To correct the fiscal disparities among the health insurance programs, a risk adjustment is realized by compensatory financial transfers between the funds and substantial subsidies from the central and local governments. The statutory benefits package that is identical for all insurance plans is regulated in a single comprehensive schedule. All the covered health services and products are listed with the fees and compensations, and the conditions for the service providers to be remunerated are also stated. This fee and compensation schedule is regularly revised every 2 years under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The revisions are intended to contain health expenditures and to set incentives for the achievement of health policy goals. Conclusion The funding of the Japanese health care system and the risk adjustment mechanisms among health funds are well established and show a rather static character. The short- and mid-term development of the system is mainly controlled on the side of the expenditures through the unique and comprehensive fee and compensation schedule. The regular revisions of this schedule permit to react at relatively short

  5. Does source of funding and conflict of interest influence the outcome and quality of spinal research?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amiri, Amir Reza; Kanesalingam, Kavitha; Cro, Suzie; Casey, Adrian T H

    2014-02-01

    There has been longstanding controversy surrounding the influence of funding source on the conduct and outcome of medical research. In 2011, a systematic review of the use of recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 revealed underreporting of unfavorable outcomes in some industry-sponsored trials. We hypothesize that Industrial funding and the presence of potential conflict of interest will be associated with low levels of evidence (LOE) and greater proportions of favorable outcomes in spinal research. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between funding source and potential conflict of interest on the LOE and study outcome in the current spinal research. Systematic review of all the spinal publications in five leading spinal, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and general medical journals during 2010 (print and online). Supplements were included. Outcome and the LOE of research papers. Two reviewers independently assessed all publications. Commentaries, editorials, letters, open operating theatres, case reports, narrative reviews, and study protocols were excluded. The self-reported potential conflict of interest and type of funding was extracted from each paper. Funding type was classified as foundation, industry, public, intramural, multiple (including industry), multiple (without industry), and unfunded. The outcome of each study was classified as favorable, unfavorable, equivocal, or not applicable. Clinical publications were ranked using the LOE guidelines produced by the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Overall, 1356 papers were analyzed, out of which 864 were suitable for LOE grading. There was good interobserver reliability for assignment of LOE grade, κ=0.897 (psource of funding (psource and study outcome (p=.01). The proportion of industry-funded studies with favorable outcomes (88%) was higher than that of publicly and foundation-funded studies (73% and 74%, respectively). The associated odds ratio for reporting favorable outcomes

  6. Pension Fund - ELECTIONS - Irene SEIS

    CERN Document Server

    2002-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND   This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: Name: SEIS First Name : Irene Our Pension Fund (that of CERN and ESO personnel) is for most of us the only social protection when we retire. Its purpose is to give us a pension, which permits to maintain a certain standard of living for us, and for our dependants. I have worked in the Governing Board of the Pension Fund, as well as in numerous working groups on pension matters, since 11 years, either in my role as a Staff Association delegate, or as a member of the Governing Board. In both environments, I defend the principles of solidarity, which are part of our social security system, and I stand up for maintaining its primary principle, being a defined benefit scheme. Another of my preoccupations is the long-term future of the fund, including the gu...

  7. Comparison of the Navy Working Capital Fund and Mission Funding as Applied to Navy Shipyards

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Cain, Andrew M

    2006-01-01

    .... This funding shift has raised questions about the advantages and disadvantages each financial system provides shipyards, the operating differences that occur due to the funding change, and the future...

  8. 75 FR 9120 - Electronic Fund Transfers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 12 CFR Part 205 [Regulation E; Docket No. R-1343] Electronic Fund Transfers... implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and the official staff commentary to the regulation. The final..., the Board adopted a final rule under Regulation E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act...

  9. 40 CFR 35.691 - Funding coordination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Funding coordination. 35.691 Section 35.691 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE...(g)) § 35.691 Funding coordination. Recipients must use the Lead-Based Paint program funding in a way...

  10. Issues in networking and research funding for the European Association of Health Law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townend, David; Duguet, Anne-Marie

    2008-09-01

    All academics, perhaps with the exception of those who are hermits with independent private means, are concerned with questions of networking and research funding. The nature of academic life is to search out new ideas and revisit old ones, and to discuss these ideas with others. This requires networks of colleagues and funding to provide the basic resources of time and literature. This may be at the local level, but increasingly the expectation is that these activities should become more and more elaborate; our networks are now international, and our time and resources cost ever increasing amounts which, for many if not most academics, must be found outside the general budget of the home University. Our success as academics is measured, in increasing part, on our ability to show our networking and external funding credentials. There is a more resounding reason to pursue both networking and externally funded research: through such projects the experience of each individual can be increased such that the result is far greater than one could achieve alone. Networking and external funding are not ends in themselves, but they can and should be a great enhancement to academic life and contribution. None of this is news or a novel claim; it is simply today's environment. This paper considers some opportunities for how networking and externally funded research might help the EAHL to realise its aims in developing the discipline of health law. We, as authors, do not claim any special expertise in the area, and readers are quite justified in thinking "who are they to talk to us about what we clearly know much more about?" However, we were asked to start a discussion at the inaugural conference of the Association, and the thoughts that we present now were designed to do that. It is a discussion which will form one of the early activities of the Association. Here the paper is divided first issues concerning networking, and second those concerning research funding from sources

  11. Importance of funding in decommissioning cost estimates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mingst, B.C.

    1987-01-01

    Decommissioning cost estimates have been made by several study groups for the decommissioning of pressurized-water and boiling-water nuclear power stations. The results of these studies are comparable when corrected for inflation and the differences in contingency factors applied by the study groups. The estimated dismantling costs differ far less than a factor of 2 in all cases, despite the design differences found in the plants that were studied. An analysis of the different methods available for funding the dismantling of these facilities shows the much stronger effect that the choice of funding methods has on the net cost of decommissioning. The total cost of dismantling may vary more than a factor of 4 from one funding method to another, assuming current or recent historical inflation rates. The funding methods evaluated include sinking funds, deposits, negative-salvage value depreciation, and insurance. These funding methods are taken from the NRC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking description of acceptable funding methods. The funding analysis for this study was performed using the DECOST-86 computer code. The evaluation of funding options for a nuclear facility, and the appropriate choice of the funding method best for that facility, are found to be more important than detailed engineering studies in determining the net cost of decommissioning during the early portions of the plant's operating lifetime

  12. Consolidating Financial Statements of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Revolving Fund of the Defense Business Operations Fund-FY 1992

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1993-01-01

    ...) Revolving Fund of the Defense Business Operations Fund (the Fund). The revolving Fund was created to provide finance and accounting services to DoD customers, charging them the full cost of those services...

  13. The Drawbacks of Project Funding for Epistemic Innovation: Comparing Institutional Affordances and Constraints of Different Types of Research Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franssen, Thomas; Scholten, Wout; Hessels, Laurens K.; de Rijcke, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    Over the past decades, science funding shows a shift from recurrent block funding towards project funding mechanisms. However, our knowledge of how project funding arrangements influence the organizational and epistemic properties of research is limited. To study this relation, a bridge between science policy studies and science studies is…

  14. The Irish Enterprise Funding Environment, April 2012

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    Funding is vital for enterprises to survive and at present bank lending is a central element of the funding environment for business in Ireland. This report provides an overview of the current funding environment for business in Ireland, both bank and non-bank sources. It also outlines the policy issues arising and proposes a wide range of actions to improve access to funding, many of which have been reflected in the Action Plan for Jobs. Implementation of funding measures in the Action Pl...

  15. 2001-2008 BBG Funding Overview

    Data.gov (United States)

    Broadcasting Board of Governors — This dataset presents BBG funding by Agency component for the period between FY 2001 and FY 2008. The data covers funding for each BBG broadcasting entity and for...

  16. 24 CFR 115.306 - Training funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Training funds. 115.306 Section 115.306 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF... receive training funds. Training funds are fixed amounts based on the number of agency employees to be...

  17. 78 FR 65341 - Discretionary Grant Funds

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-31

    ... Deviation: Non-Competitive Expansion Supplement Funds to the Healthcare Systems Bureau (HSB). SUMMARY: HRSA... of the Non-Competitive Award: $126,144. CFDA Number: 93.253. Period of Supplemental Funding: 10/1... period that is due to end August 31, 2014. The funding was based on providing services to 50 percent of...

  18. A National Nuclear Fund was created

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svolik, S.

    2006-01-01

    National Nuclear Fund for Decommissioning of the Nuclear Equipment and for Treatment of the Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radio Active Wastes - this is the full name of the newly established fund, because the State Fund of Liquidation of the Nuclear and Energetic Equipment has been cancelled by course of law. (author)

  19. 34 CFR 668.162 - Requesting funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Secretary, the Secretary may provide funds to an institution under the advance, reimbursement, just-in-time, or cash monitoring payment methods. (2) Each time an institution requests funds from the Secretary... received those funds. (c) Just-in-time payment method. Under the just-in-time payment method— (1) For each...

  20. The 10 largest public and philanthropic funders of health research in the world: what they fund and how they distribute their funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viergever, Roderik F; Hendriks, Thom C C

    2016-02-18

    Little is known about who the main public and philanthropic funders of health research are globally, what they fund and how they decide what gets funded. This study aims to identify the 10 largest public and philanthropic health research funding organizations in the world, to report on what they fund, and on how they distribute their funds. The world's key health research funding organizations were identified through a search strategy aimed at identifying different types of funding organizations. Organizations were ranked by their reported total annual health research expenditures. For the 10 largest funding organizations, data were collected on (1) funding amounts allocated towards 20 health areas, and (2) schemes employed for distributing funding (intramural/extramural, project/'people'/organizational and targeted/untargeted funding). Data collection consisted of a review of reports and websites and interviews with representatives of funding organizations. Data collection was challenging; data were often not reported or reported using different classification systems. Overall, 55 key health research funding organizations were identified. The 10 largest funding organizations together funded research for $37.1 billion, constituting 40% of all public and philanthropic health research spending globally. The largest funder was the United States National Institutes of Health ($26.1 billion), followed by the European Commission ($3.7 billion), and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council ($1.3 billion). The largest philanthropic funder was the Wellcome Trust ($909.1 million), the largest funder of health research through official development assistance was USAID ($186.4 million), and the largest multilateral funder was the World Health Organization ($135.0 million). Funding distribution mechanisms and funding patterns varied substantially between the 10 largest funders. There is a need for increased transparency about who the main funders of health research are

  1. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CHINESE NEW FUNDS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    倪苏云; 翁轶丛; 吴冲锋

    2001-01-01

    he performance of Chinese investment funds was empirically analyzed using the following models, i.e. Jensen model, Treynor-Mazuy (T-M) model amd Merton-Henriksson model. The results show that T-M model is fitted to Chinese investment funds best among these three. But none of them can perfectly interpret the new funds' performance. So, the idea suggested by Jagannathan, Korajczyk (J-K) to extend the test was adopted in this paper, and the results show that J-K model augmented from the M-H can explain the source of excess return of fund Anxin.

  2. Pension Fund - ELECTIONS - Guillermo de la FUENTE

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND   This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: Name: de la FUENTE First Name : Guillermo As CERN treasurer with 12 years experience in finance with a background in Economics coupled with a MBA, my main goal will be to enhance the Pension Fund yield. During 3 consecutive years, our Pension Fund has suffered negative real returns:-1.65% in 2000, -4.26% in 2001 and most probably a double-digit loss this year. In addition to that, we spend annually around CHF 6'000'000 in bank charges and external consultants fees. If we do not change this negative trend, the funding ratio of our Pension Fund might become weak. A more proactive internal fund management in conjunction with a performance-related remuneration to external participants would be some of the points I will propose in order to maximize Fund's y...

  3. The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative: A Funding Model for Science, Engineering, and Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colwell, R. R.

    2016-12-01

    The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a massive ecological event, resulted in the tragic loss of 11 lives, and an environmental release of more than 130 million gallons of crude oil. Approximately 1.8 million gallons of dispersants were used in remediation efforts. An immediate response by BP was to establish a ten-year research program, with funding of 500 million. The funding was to determine the impact and long-term ecological and public health effects of oil spills and to develop improved preparation in the event of future oil or gas release into the environment. This Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), established by BP, provided independent leadership for both the program and administration of the 500 million funding, and the Research Board provides oversight, assisted by excellent staff. The Research Board of the GoMRI comprises twenty scientists, many of whom have prior scientific research administrative expertise. The Research Board, in accordance with its charge, develops research programs and carries out their evaluation and oversight, employing the peer review and operational principles of the National Science Foundation and the National Academies of Science. With these guiding principles, the Research Board established procedures for conflict of interest oversight and requesting and evaluating research programs. It has also focused on communicating the research findings accurately and responsibly. The GoMRI Research Board operates with transparency and ensures availability of all scientific results and data. GoMRI, currently midway through its 10-year mandate, has funded more than 3,000 scientists, representing 278 institutions in 42 states and 17 countries, who have produced more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications to date. The Research Board is exploring mechanisms by which the GoMRI science findings can be communicated to the broader community and the public and to continue availability of data when the program has ended. A major contribution

  4. Comparison of the Navy Working Capital Fund and Mission Funding as Applied to Navy Shipyards

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Cain, Andrew M

    2006-01-01

    .... Specifically, the Navy has shifted two of its four shipyards, with authorization to shift the other two in FY07, from the Navy Working Capital Fund to mission funding through direct congressional appropriations...

  5. European Funds Fraud: The Impact on the Process of Absorption of Structural and Cohesion Funds in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dumitru BELDIMAN

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The increase of the degree of absorption of European funds offered to Romania by the European Union represents one of its main objectives in the present and future situation. One of the main reasons that the funds are so important is the fact that, taking into consideration the microeconomic and macroeconomic situation that Romania is in, it represents an alternative financing mechanism of the economy that Romania can benefit in very advantageous conditions. Even under these conditions Romania- within 2007-2013 period of programming – couldn’t benefit from it by attracting as many structural and cohesion funds as possible, at least in comparison to other member states. In our opinion, that of the authors’ one of the reasons that led to such a low rate of absorption, alongside with the low administrative capacity of the state is the excessive bureaucracy, an inefficient legislative framework which is not harmonized with the European one, the lack of experience in using and administrating of European funds, the beneficiaries’ incapacity to sustain the financial support of the project (to assure the co-financing of the project, a low involvement of Romanian banking institutions in the process of supporting the beneficiaries of European funds. Another cause is the European funds fraud that happened in Romania. In the present article, the authors have decided to analyze the influence of European funds fraud on the degree of absorption of structural and cohesion funds in Romania.

  6. Impact of Competition on Mutual Fund Marketing Expenses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sitikantha Parida

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I study the impact of market competition on mutual fund marketing expenses. In a sample of US domestic equity mutual funds, I find that marketing expenses decrease with the competition. This effect is stronger for top-performing funds. These results are counterintuitive, as one would ordinarily expect funds to incur more marketing expenses in response to pressure from competing funds. However, these results support the narrative that mutual funds employ marketing to draw attention to their performance in a tournament-like market, where the top-performing funds (the winners are rewarded with disproportionately high new investments. Higher competition decreases the chances of each fund to outperform the others and adversely affect their ability to attract new investments, and the funds respond by decreasing marketing expenses. Thus, competition appears to have implications for investor search cost.

  7. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 2 October 2002 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (P. Levaux) Recent trends in the technical balance of pension funds (C. Cuénoud) Annual Report 2001: Presentation and results (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats. Position of the CERN Pension Fund with respect to market developments (G. Maurin) Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. Conclusions (P. Levaux) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2001 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+4122)767 9194; e-mail Graziella.Praire@cern.ch) SOME ASPECTS OF THE FUND'S ACTIVITIES IN 2001 The Governing Board (at 31 De...

  8. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Document Server

    2006-01-01

    Most of the discussions at the meetings of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund on 20 September, 13 October and 15 November 2005 led to decisions by the Council at its Session on 15 and 16 December 2005 that will shape the future of the Pension Fund in more ways than one. The summary of these three most recent meetings of the Governing Board therefore focuses on the Council's decisions concerning: a package of equilibration measures for the CERN Pension Fund, consisting of proposals by the Governing Board and by the CERN Management; amendments to the Rules of the Pension Fund concerning family composition; an amendment to the Rules of the Pension Fund introducing a new Article III 1.06, 'The extension of the contract of a staff member beyond the age limit of 65'; the payment of compensation to the Pension Fund for the reduction observed in staff numbers between 2001 and 2004; the indexation of pensions for 2006. Regarding the first point above, the following measures were approved: The use of more r...

  9. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    The Governing Board held its 146th and 147th meetings on 19 September and 1 November 2006 respectively. At the first of these two meetings, a technical amendment to the Rules of the Fund was discussed regarding the annual adjustment of pensions. The Governing Board made a proposal, which was approved by the CERN Council at its meeting on 19 October 2006, to make an amendment to Article II 1.15 of the Pension Fund's Rules (see below). As a result, in future years, as long as the funding ratio of the Pension Fund is below 100 %, only a fraction of the observed inflation will be granted, so that the funding ratio reaches 100 % by the end of 2033. The cumulated loss in purchasing power incurred by any beneficiary shall be limited to 8 % maximum (including, for those concerned, the 1.7 % loss as at 1 January 2005). The parameters of this mechanism shall be reviewed after each actuarial review, to take into account the updated financial position of the Fund. The factor to be applied to the consumer price index f...

  10. Casemix funding in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braithwaite, J; Hindle, D; Phelan, P D; Hanson, R

    1998-06-01

    Casemix funding for hospitals with the use of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), which organise patients' conditions into similar clinical categories with similar costs, was introduced in Australia five years ago. It has been applied in different ways and to a greater or lesser extent in different Australian States. Only Victoria and South Australia have implemented casemix funding across all healthcare services. Attempts have been made to formally evaluate its impact, but they have not met the required scientific standards in controlling for confounding factors. Casemix funding remains a much-discussed issue. In this Debate, Braithwaite and Hindle take a contrary position, largely to stimulate policy debate; Phelan defends the casemix concept and advocates retaining its best features; and Hanson adds a plea for consumer input.

  11. Funding for reactor decommissioning: the NRC perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wood, R.S.

    1981-01-01

    The cost of decommissioning a nuclear power plant is discussed. Four funding approaches that have received the most attention from the NRC are: prepayment into a trust fund of estimated decommissioning funds at the start of facility operation; annual contributions into a trust fund outside the control of the utility over the estimated life of a facility; internal reserve or sinking fund amortizations over the estimated life of a facility; and insurance or other surety mechanisms used separately or in conjunction with any of the first three mechanisms

  12. The Impact of Climate Change on the Balanced-Growth-Equivalent: An Application of FUND

    OpenAIRE

    David Anthoff; Richard S. J. Tol

    2008-01-01

    The Stern Review added balanced growth equivalents (BGE) to the economic climate change research agenda. We first propose rigorous definitions of the BGE for multiple regions and under uncertainty. We show that the change in the BGE is independent of the assumed scenario of per capita income. For comparable welfare economic assumptions as the Stern Review, we calculate lower changes in BGE between a business as usual scenario and one without climate impacts with the model FUND than the Stern ...

  13. What is Done to Ensure that Funds will be Available when Needed? Positive and Negative Experiences in Existing Systems - Finland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The Finnish system: waste producer is responsible; all waste management including decommissioning is covered; fund is a guarantee and a way to include future costs in the price of electricity; fund covers future costs of existing wastes, thus liabilities are re-evaluated annually; present day technology and costs are used, no discounting segregated fund, waste producer can borrow back 75%, State can borrow the remaining 25%. Measures included in the system to ensure the sufficiency and availability of funds: uncertainties have to be accounted for; additional 10% security over the total liability is demanded; the part of liability not yet in the fund as well as loans have to be covered with securities; the profit of the fund covers the inflation; annual reviews of plans and cost estimates. Other measures to ensure the sufficiency and availability of funds: comprehensive legislation, well-defined responsibilities; well-defined policy, programme and milestones; programme proceeding in schedule => largest waste management investments will be made during NPP operation; detailed technical plans and designs, decommissioning plans updated every 5 years, cost estimates based on NPP specific plans; independent reviews of cost estimates of different waste management components. Experiences: the annual changes in the liabilities have in most cases been within the assumed uncertainties; the realised costs of the existing waste management facilities have been reasonably close to cost estimates; the demands of secure investments and above inflation profits are sometimes contradictory

  14. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO U.S. INDEPENDENT OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unknown

    2000-11-01

    The Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) continued pursuing its mission of helping U.S. independent oil and gas producers make timely, informed technology decisions during Fiscal Year 2000 (FY00). Functioning as a cohesive national organization, PTTC has active grassroots programs through its ten Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs) who bring research and academia to the table via their association with geological surveys and engineering departments. The regional directors connect with independent oil and gas producers through technology workshops, resource centers, websites, newsletters, various technical publications and other outreach efforts. These are guided by regional Producer Advisory Groups (PAGs), who are area operators and service companies working with the Regional Lead Organizations. The role of the national headquarters (HQ) staff includes planning and managing the PTTC program, conducting nation-wide technology transfer activities, and implementing a comprehensive communications effort. The organization effectively combines federal, state, and industry funding to achieve important goals for all of these sectors. This integrated funding base, combined with industry volunteers guiding PTTC's activities and the dedication of national and regional staff, are achieving notable results. PTTC is increasingly recognized as a critical resource for information and access to technologies, especially for smaller companies. This technical progress report summarizes PTTC's accomplishments during FY00, which lays the groundwork for further growth in the future. At a time of many industry changes and market movements, the organization has built a reputation and expectation to address industry needs of getting information distributed quickly which can impact the bottom line immediately.

  15. Changing conclusions on secondhand smoke in a sudden infant death syndrome review funded by the tobacco industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Elisa K; England, Lucinda; Glantz, Stanton A

    2005-03-01

    Prenatal and postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke adversely affects maternal and child health. Secondhand smoke (SHS) has been linked causally with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in major health reports. In 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first noted an association between SHS and SIDS, and both prenatal exposure and postnatal SHS exposure were listed as independent risk factors for SIDS in a 1997 California EPA report (republished in 1999 by the National Cancer Institute) and a 2004 US Surgeon General report. The tobacco industry has used scientific consultants to attack the evidence that SHS causes disease, most often lung cancer. Little is known about the industry's strategies to contest the evidence on maternal and child health. In 2001, a review was published on SIDS that acknowledged funding from the Philip Morris (PM) tobacco company. Tobacco industry documents related to this review were examined to identify the company's influence on the content and conclusions of this review. Tobacco industry documents include 40 million pages of internal memos and reports made available to the public as a result of litigation settlements against the tobacco industry in the United States. Between November 2003 and January 2004, we searched tobacco industry document Internet sites from the University of California Legacy Tobacco Documents Library and the Tobacco Documents Online website. Key terms included "SIDS" and names of key persons. Two authors conducted independent searches with similar key terms, reviewed the documents, and agreed on relevancy through consensus. Thirty documents were identified as relevant. Two drafts (an early version and a final version) of an industry-funded review article on SIDS were identified, and 2 authors independently compared these drafts with the final publication. Formal comments by PM executives made in response to the first draft were also reviewed. We used Science Citation Index in July 2004 to determine

  16. Dynamic Management of Mutual Fund Advisory Contracts = Yatırım Fonu Anlaşmalarının Dinamik Yönetimi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaman Ö. ERZURUMLU

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available The price of professional portfolio management provided by the mutual fund adviser depends not only on the fund characteristics but also on the fund objective, the adviser's portfolio related and management based decisions, and the portfolio performance. I analyze the advisory fee, using a survivorship bias free data set of 176 equity funds managed by 125 different advisers. Advisers benchmark the objective average but this benefit the shareholders only when the objective trend is descending. Advisers tend to reduce the cost of their marginal product through the use of derivatives or manipulate by engaging in soft dollar agreements. I find that the advisers actively manage the advisory fee contracts responding to the outcome of their management decisions. The advisory fee increases after voluntary fee reimbursement or if the adviser is not fully reimbursed for the compensation of independent directors and officers.

  17. Should Glaucoma be Publicly Funded in Arguments for Funding ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-03-01

    Mar 1, 2018 ... 2018 Nigerian Journal of Ophthalmology | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow. 59. [Downloaded free ... vision.[6] Further, Malaysia has an efficient, widespread ... universal healthcare program, mainly tax-funded (80%).

  18. The rise of Asian sovereign wealth funds

    OpenAIRE

    Borst, Nicholas

    2015-01-01

    This Asia Focus provides an overview of sovereign wealth funds, evaluates the structure and activities of major funds in Asia, and compares the transparency of Asian funds relative to international best practices.

  19. Mutual Fund Performance: Evidence From South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ömer Faruk Tan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to evaluate the performance of South African equity funds between January 2009 and November 2014. This study period overlaps with the study period of quantitative easing during which developing economies in financial markets have been influenced severely. Thanks to the increase in the money supply directed towards the capital markets, a relief was experienced in related markets following the crisis period. During this 5-year 10-month period, in which the relevant quantitative easing continued, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE yielded approximately %16 compounded on average, per year. In this study, South African equity funds are examined in order to compare these funds' performance within this period.Within this scope- 10 South African equity funds are selected. In order to measure these funds' performances, the Sharpe ratio (1966, Treynor ratio (1965, Jensen's alpha (1968 methods are used. Jensen's alpha is also used in identifying selectivity skills of fund managers. Furthermore, the Treynor & Mazuy (1966 and Henriksson & Merton (1981 regression analysis methods are applied to ascertain the market timing ability of fund managers. Furthermore, Treynor & Mazuy (1966 regression analysis method is applied for market timing ability of fund managers.

  20. 23 CFR 650.413 - Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS BRIDGES, STRUCTURES, AND HYDRAULICS Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program § 650.413 Funding. (a) Funds authorized for carrying out the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program are available for...

  1. Performance Evaluation of Equity Mutual Funds in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irene Rini Demi Pangestuti

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Mutual funds considered as an investment alternative for investors. One type of mutual fund that attracts many investors was the equity mutual funds. Equity mutual fund is a type of mutual funds that most part of the investment consists of stocks in the capital market so the risk rate was higher than the other types of mutual funds. For its different characteristic, the measurement for equity funds performance did not be same with other types of mutual funds. As a stock portfolio, equity mutual funds can be measured by portfolio measurement methods such as Sharpe Index, Treynor Ratio, Jensen Index, Adjusted Sharpe Index, Adjusted Jensen Index, and Sortino Ratio. This study was conducted by using all of those performance measurements as most research in Indonesia was conducted by using limited performance measurements (focusing on Sharpe Index, Treynor Ratio, and Jensen Index. This study aims to evaluated the performance of 42 equity mutual funds available in Indonesia by employing Sharpe Index, Treynor Ratio, Jensen Index, Adjusted Sharpe Index (ASI, Adjusted Jensen Index (AJI, and Sortino Ratio because most previous researches in Indonesian setting disregards ASI and AJI. In general, it was concluded that the SAM Indonesian Equity was the best performing equity fund during the study period. It was further found that most equity mutual fund studied have been well diversified.

  2. 25 CFR 87.11 - Investment of judgment funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Investment of judgment funds. 87.11 Section 87.11 Indians... JUDGMENT FUNDS § 87.11 Investment of judgment funds. As soon as possible after the appropriation of... distribution of the funds, the Commissioner shall invest such funds pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 162a. Investments of...

  3. Farms and funds: investment funds in the global land rush

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buxton, Abbi; Campanale, Mark; Cotula, Lorenzo

    2012-01-15

    Investment funds show a growing interest in farmland and agriculture. They are buying up land and agribusinesses in developing countries with the expectation of high long-term returns linked to rising land prices, growing populations and increasing demand for food. While the media has reported extensively on the involvement of these funds in the global land rush, the mechanics remain little understood by the broader public. What is the interest and what is driving it? Who are the players and what processes do their investment decisions go through? What are the impacts in recipient countries? And what action can be taken to promote investments that genuinely support local people?.

  4. Harvard University: Green Loan Fund. Green Revolving Funds in Action: Case Study Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Robert

    2011-01-01

    The Green Loan Fund at Harvard University has been an active source of capital for energy efficiency and waste reduction projects for almost a decade. This case study examines the revolving fund's history from its inception as a pilot project in the 1990s to its regeneration in the early 2000s to its current operations today. The green revolving…

  5. PENSION FUND - ELECTIONS

    CERN Multimedia

    2000-01-01

    This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund.   Candidate: Name: MAURIN First Name: Guy I have been a member of the personnel since 1967 and as early as 1972 I was involved, in my capacity as President of the Staff Association, in the improvement of the Pension Fund benefits. As for most of us the Pension Fund is the only social provident scheme to which we belong, it is important to ensure that it is well managed and in balance. As a member of the Governing Board since 1974 and Vice-Chairman of this Board since 1977, I have continued to pursue these objectives. One of the main responsibilities of the Governing Board is our asset investment policy. The Investment Committee, of which I am Chairman, must have an overall view of the management of our 4 billion Swiss francs and seek the best yield with minimum risk. The investment structure must continuously be adapted i...

  6. Hedge Funds as Investors of Last Resort?

    OpenAIRE

    David J. Brophy; Paige P. Ouimet; Clemens Sialm

    2009-01-01

    Hedge funds have become important investors in public companies raising equity privately. Hedge funds tend to finance companies that have poor fundamentals and pronounced information asymmetries. To compensate for these shortcomings, hedge funds protect themselves by requiring substantial discounts, negotiating repricing rights, and entering into short positions of the underlying stocks. We find that companies that obtain financing from hedge funds significantly underperform companies that ob...

  7. Nuclear generation cost and nuclear research development fund

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S. S.; Song, G. D.

    2000-01-01

    The main objective of this study is to analyze the effects of nuclear R and D fund to nuclear generation cost and to assess the adaptability of fund size through the comparison with the nuclear research fund in Japan. It was estimated that nuclear R and D fund increased the average annual unit cost of nuclear power generation by 1.14 won/kWh. When the size of nuclear R and D fund is compared with that in Japan, this study suggests that the current nuclear R and D fund should be largely increased taking into consideration the ratio of R and D fund to nuclear generation

  8. The transition to medication adoption in publicly funded substance use disorder treatment programs: organizational structure, culture, and resources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knudsen, Hannah K; Roman, Paul M

    2014-05-01

    Medications for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) are not widely available in publicly funded SUD treatment programs. Few studies have drawn on longitudinal data to examine the organizational characteristics associated with programs transitioning from not delivering any pharmacotherapy to adopting at least one SUD medication. Using two waves of panel longitudinal data collected over a 5-year period, we measured the transition to medication adoption in a cohort of 190 publicly funded treatment organizations that offered no SUD medications at baseline. Independent variables included organizational characteristics, medical resources, funding, treatment culture, and detailing activities by pharmaceutical companies. Of 190 programs not offering SUD pharmacotherapy at baseline, 22.6% transitioned to offering at least one SUD medication at follow-up approximately 5 years later. Multivariate logistic regression results indicated that the employment of at least one physician at baseline, having a greater proportion of Medicaid clients, and pharmaceutical detailing were positively associated with medication adoption. Adoption of pharmacotherapy was more likely in programs that had greater medical resources, Medicaid funding, and contact with pharmaceutical companies. Given the potential expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, patients served by publicly funded programs may gain greater access to such treatments, but research is needed to document health reform's impact on this sector of the treatment system.

  9. Annual Pension Fund Update

    CERN Multimedia

    Pension Fund

    2011-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual Pension Fund Update to be held in the CERN Council Chamber on Tuesday 20 September 2011 from 10-00 to 12-00 a.m. Copies of the 2010 Financial Statements are available from departmental secretariats. Coffee and croissants will be served prior to the meeting as of 9-30 a.m.

  10. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT OF UCITS INVESTMENT FUNDS IN CROATIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marko Curkovic

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available UCITS investment funds represent an important investment opportunity for retail, as well for institutional investors in the European Union. The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of the UCITS investment funds in Croatia and to detect relatively homogeneous groups among the UCITS funds based on its performance. The analysis includes 55 UCITS, in the period from the beginning of 2011 until the end of 2014, and it is conducted on daily data of share prices, available from Bloomberg terminal. Analysis is performed separately within the groups of different investment fund by investment strategy. The research methodology is based on the calculation of various indicators of absolute and relative risk-adjusted performance and riskiness of the funds. In general, based on analysis of performance measures, it can be concluded that funds with higher values of net assets were more successful compared to the funds with below-average asset values. Also, funds with below-average values of net assets were more volatile. At the same time, funds run by foreign own management companies were more successful by the absolute performance measures, compared to funds run by management companies with domestic ownership. On the other hand, those funds were more volatile, as well.

  11. Pension fund excellence creating value for stakeholders

    CERN Document Server

    Ambachtsheer, Keith P.

    1998-01-01

    Internationally recognized experts in the field introduce their "business excellence paradigm". In this book, two leading pension fund experts lay out a comprehensive plan for effective fund management. With the help of domestic and global case studies they critically assess current approaches to pension fund management and isolate what works and what doesn't using their unique critically acclaimed "run-it-like-a-business" model. Keith P. Ambachtsheer (Toronto, Canada) is principle at KPA Advisory Service, Inc., a pension fund management consulting firm. He runs The Ambachtsheer Letter and cofounded Cost Effective Measurement, Inc., which monitors the performance of 300 of the world's largest asset funds. D. Don Ezra (Toronto, Canada) is Director of European Consulting at Frank Russell Co. His previous books include The Struggle for Pension Fund Wealth.

  12. Comparative Analysis of A, B Type and Exchange Traded Funds Performances with Mutual Fund Performance Measures, Regression Analysis and Manova Technique.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Arslan

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the study is to evaluate risk- reward relationship and relative performances of the 4 different groups of mutual funds. To this end, daily return data of these 12 mutual funds (3 type variable fund; 3 B type variable fund; 3 A type stock fund and 3 A type Exchange traded fund together with daily market index (imkb100 return and daily return of riskless rate for the period from January 2006 to Feb 2010. The 180-day maturity T-Bill has been selected to represent riskless rate. To determine performances of mutual funds; Sharpe ratio, M2 measure, Treynor index, Jensen index, Sortino ratio, T2 ratio, Valuation ratio has been applied and these indicators produced conflicting results in ranking mutual funds. Then timingand selection capability of the fund manager has been determined by applying simple regression and Quadratic regression. Interestingly all funds found to have positive coefficient, indicating positive election capability of managers; but in terms of timing capability only one fund managers showed success. Finally, to determine extent to which mean returns are differs between mutual funds, market index (imkb100 and riskless rate (180 day TBill results of the analysis revealed that mean returns of individual security returns differs at P≤0,01 level. That shows instability in returns and poor ex-ante forecast modeling capability.

  13. Vertical and horizontal equity of funding for malaria control: a global multisource funding analysis for 2006-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrenho, Eliana; Miraldo, Marisa; Shaikh, Mujaheed; Atun, Rifat

    2017-01-01

    International and domestic funding for malaria is critically important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its equitable distribution is key in ensuring that the available, scarce, resources are deployed efficiently for improved progress and a sustained response that enables eradication. We used concentration curves and concentration indices to assess inequalities in malaria funding by different donors across countries, measuring both horizontal and vertical equity. Horizontal equity assesses whether funding is distributed in proportion to health needs, whereas vertical equity examines whether unequal economic needs are addressed by appropriately unequal funding. We computed the Health Inequity Index and the Kakwani Index to assess the former and the latter, respectively. We used data from the World Bank, Global Fund, Unicef, President's Malaria Initiative and the Malaria Atlas Project to assess the distribution of funding against need for 94 countries. National gross domestic product per capita was used as a proxy for economic need and 'population-at-risk' for health need. The level and direction of inequity varies across funding sources. Unicef and the President's Malaria Initiative were the most horizontally inequitable ( pro-poor ). Inequity as shown by the Health Inequity Index for Unicef decreased from -0.40 (P0.10) in 2006 to -0.38 (P<0.05) in 2008, and decreased to -0.36 (P<0.10) in 2010. Domestic funding was inequitable ( pro-rich ) with inequity increasing from 0.28 (P<0.01) in 2006 to 0.39 (P<0.01) in 2009, and then decreasing to 0.22 (P<0.10) in 2010. Funding from the World Bank and the Global Fund was distributed proportionally according to need. In terms of vertical inequity, all sources were progressive: Unicef and the President's Malaria Initiative were the most progressive with the Kakwani Indices ranging from -0.97 (P<0.01) to -1.29 (P<0.01), and -0.90 (P<0.01) to -1.10 (P<0.01), respectively. Our results suggest that external funding of

  14. 77 FR 75362 - Funding and Fiscal Affairs, Loan Policies and Operations, and Funding Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-20

    ... FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION 12 CFR Part 615 Funding and Fiscal Affairs, Loan Policies and Operations, and Funding Operations CFR Correction 0 In Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 600 to 899, revised as of January 1, 2012, on page 209, Subpart S, consisting of Sec. 615.5570, is...

  15. Pension Fund Performance in East Asia: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zamri Ahmad

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses and analyzes asset allocation and performance of the major pension funds in four East Asia countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. The respective funds for these countries are Employee Provident Fund (EPF, Central Provident Fund (CPF, Mandatory Pension Fund (MPF and National Pension Service (NPS. The impact of some economic crises on the fund performance will also be assessed. Besides looking at the individual countries, a comparison of the performance among all the funds will also be done. From the analyses, it is found that the CPF is the most conservative pension fund as it invested most of its funds in fixed income and the investments were made in the local markets, while MPF is the most aggressive pension fund as most of its funds were invested in equities. Performance of the funds was measured in terms of return on investment (ROI. All funds recorded the lowest ROI during the subprime crisis in 2008. Besides the subprime crisis, these funds were also affected by the Japanese earthquake as lower ROI were also observed in 2011.

  16. Financial Crisis and Corporate Social Responsible Mutual Fund Flows

    OpenAIRE

    Sitikantha Parida; Zhihong Wang

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate investment flows into mutual funds that hold more high corporate social responsible stocks (top CSR funds) vs. mutual funds that hold more low corporate social responsible stocks (bottom CSR funds). Using a large sample of equity mutual funds spanning 2003–2012, we find that top CSR funds on average receive about 5% less investment per annum compared to the other funds; whereas bottom CSR funds receive about 5.6% more investments. These relative negative and posi...

  17. Do mutual fund performance and the abilities of fund managers in Slovenia deviate from those in developed markets?

    OpenAIRE

    Markovič-Hribernik, Tanja; Vek, Uroš

    2015-01-01

    Up until the beginning of the financial crisis, Slovenia was marked by exceptionally high growth rates in the mutual fund industry. The reason for this were in the performance of the Slovenian stock market index, which was one of the best performing in 2007. In this paper we analyzed mutual funds performance in Slovenia to discover the quality of fund managers in the market. The focus was on funds with selected sectoral investment policy. We analyzed different risk adjusted measures such as t...

  18. Television production, Funding Models and Exploitation of Content

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gillian Doyle

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The rise of digital platforms has transformative implications for strategies of financing media production and for exploitation of the economic value in creative content. In the television industry, changes in technologies for distribution and the emergence of SVOD services such as Netflix are gradually shifting audiences and financial power away from broadcasters while at the same time creating unprecedented opportunities for programme-makers.  Drawing on findings from recent RCUK-funded research, this article examines how these shifts are affecting production financing and the economics of supplying television content.  In particular, it focuses on how changes in the dynamics of rights markets and in strategic approaches towards the financing of television production might mean for markets, industries and for policies intended to support the economic sustainability of independent television content production businesses.

  19. Sovereign Wealth Funds: Issue of transparency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petrović Daliborka

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Subject of the paper includes Sovereign Wealth Funds and the formation of the first regulatory framework for their investment activities. Sovereign Wealth Funds invested a significant amount of money in Western financial institutions during the global financial crisis and thus played a crucial role in the preservation and stabilization of the global financial system. However, at the same time, a large gap between the financial power of Sovereign Wealth Funds and the level of their transparency was noted. The need to improve the transparency of Sovereign Wealth Funds has been recognized by international institutions, the OECD and the IMF, which initiated the formulation of the first international regulatory framework regarding the operations of these types of funds. The current international regulatory framework represents a sufficient basis for the gradual improvement of transparency, but because of its non-binding and voluntary nature, certain issues such as the protection of national security interests remain open. Therefore, the solutions can be sought through a process of continuous improvement of international regulation as well as strengthening cooperation between Sovereign Wealth Funds and governments of countries in which they invest.

  20. Improvement of Classification of Enterprise Circulating Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Rohanova Hanna O.

    2014-01-01

    The goal of the article lies in revelation of possibilities of increase of efficiency of managing enterprise circulating funds by means of improvement of their classification features. Having analysed approaches of many economists to classification of enterprise circulating funds, systemised and supplementing them, the article offers grouping classification features of enterprise circulating funds. In the result of the study the article offers an expanded classification of circulating funds, ...

  1. Report from the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2012-01-01

    In this column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) presents the Board's latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments to the Fund's members and beneficiaries.   Since my last report in July, the Fund has continued the implementation of its capital preservation approach with encouraging results. There have also been several communication events focusing, in particular, on the Fund’s governance and its investment processes. At the September sessions of the Finance Committee and Council, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Investment Committee, Dr Sigurd Lettow, gave comprehensive presentations on the governance and operations of the Fund’s Investment Committee. The Investment Committee is the subsidiary and expert body of the PFGB on investments. Its mandate is to define the process according to which the Fund’s assets - which amount to approximately 3.7 billion Swiss Francs - are invested, and to supervise the implem...

  2. Investor Attrition and Fund Flows in Mutual Funds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Susan E. K.; Xu, Haoyu

    2017-01-01

    We explore the properties of equity mutual funds that experience a loss of assets after poor performance. We document that both inflows and outflows are less sensitive to performance, because performance-sensitive investors leave or decide not to invest after bad performance. Consistent with the ...

  3. TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: African Heritage Institution | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    AfriHeritage is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, incorporated in Nigeria in 2000. It is devoted to economic policy research, and facilitates policy advocacy, ... Addressing Africa's unmet need for family planning by intensifying sexual and ...

  4. The Persistence of Mutual Fund Performance.

    OpenAIRE

    Grinblatt, Mark; Titman, Sheridan

    1992-01-01

    This paper analyzes how mutual fund performance relates to past performance. These tests are based on a multiple portfolio benchmark that was formed on the basis of securities characteristics. The authors find evidence that differences in performance between funds persist over time and that this persistence is consistent with the ability of fund managers to earn abnormal returns. Copyright 1992 by American Finance Association.

  5. The soil remediation fund for petrol stations in Belgium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naeyer, F. de; Van Dyck, E.; Janssens, J.P.; Duliere, A.; Fondaire, D.; Bodart, O.

    2005-01-01

    In the Flemish, Brussels-Capital and Walloon Region, petrol stations are subjected to strict operating standards, to avoid soil contamination as much as possible in the future. Besides these operating requirements, regional authorities also issued regulations regarding the remediation of contaminated soils. For many petrol stations operators, land owners and users, these rules and regulations are a heavy financial burden. As a result, the soil contamination threaten to become a public charge, due to a lack of adequate remediation by the stakeholders. After years of negotiating between the petroleum industry and the government the negotiations finally resulted in a cooperation agreement between the Federal Government, the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels-Capital Regions regarding the execution and financing of the remediation of contaminated soil at petrol stations. The cooperation agreement, signed in Brussels on 13 December 2002 and approved by all Regions and the Federal Government, makes it possible to provide a structured approach for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations in Belgium. In the cooperation agreement the establishment of an Inter-regional Soil Remediation Committee is provided to guarantee the fund's independence and to observe the fund's operation. The official start is given through the accreditation of BOFAS by the Inter-regional Soil Remediation Committee. To calculate the amount that would be necessary for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations and the contribution to the fund, an economical research has been carried out. This research indicated that the total cost for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations in Belgium is situated between 400 and 450 million EUR. BOFAS has calculated that 5.000 petrol stations can comply with the conditions mentioned in the cooperation agreement. Operators, Owners or Actual users can submit an application if they comply with the legally established

  6. The soil remediation fund for petrol stations in Belgium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naeyer, F. de; Van Dyck, E. [OVAM, Mechelen (Belgium); Janssens, J.P.; Duliere, A. [BIM, Brussel (Belgium); Fondaire, D. [DGRNE, Liege (Belgium); Bodart, O. [Governement Wallon, Namur (Belgium)

    2005-07-01

    In the Flemish, Brussels-Capital and Walloon Region, petrol stations are subjected to strict operating standards, to avoid soil contamination as much as possible in the future. Besides these operating requirements, regional authorities also issued regulations regarding the remediation of contaminated soils. For many petrol stations operators, land owners and users, these rules and regulations are a heavy financial burden. As a result, the soil contamination threaten to become a public charge, due to a lack of adequate remediation by the stakeholders. After years of negotiating between the petroleum industry and the government the negotiations finally resulted in a cooperation agreement between the Federal Government, the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels-Capital Regions regarding the execution and financing of the remediation of contaminated soil at petrol stations. The cooperation agreement, signed in Brussels on 13 December 2002 and approved by all Regions and the Federal Government, makes it possible to provide a structured approach for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations in Belgium. In the cooperation agreement the establishment of an Inter-regional Soil Remediation Committee is provided to guarantee the fund's independence and to observe the fund's operation. The official start is given through the accreditation of BOFAS by the Inter-regional Soil Remediation Committee. To calculate the amount that would be necessary for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations and the contribution to the fund, an economical research has been carried out. This research indicated that the total cost for the remediation of the soil contamination at petrol stations in Belgium is situated between 400 and 450 million EUR. BOFAS has calculated that 5.000 petrol stations can comply with the conditions mentioned in the cooperation agreement. Operators, Owners or Actual users can submit an application if they comply with the legally

  7. Pension Fund - ELECTIONS - Guillermo de la FUENTE

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND   This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund.   Candidate: Name: de la FUENTE First Name : Guillermo  As CERN treasurer with 12 years experience in finance with a background in Economics coupled with a MBA, my main goal will be to enhance the Pension Fund yield. During 3 consecutive years, our Pension Fund has suffered negative real returns:-1.65% in 2000, -4.26% in 2001 and most probably a double-digit loss this year. In addition to that, we spend annually around CHF 6'000'000 in bank charges and external consultants fees. If we do not change this negative trend, the funding ratio of our Pension Fund might become weak. A more proactive internal fund management in conjunction with a performance-related remuneration to external participants would be some of the points I will propose in order...

  8. Should uterus transplants be publicly funded?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Stephen; Williams, Nicola Jane

    2016-01-01

    Since 2000, 11 human uterine transplantation procedures (UTx) have been performed across Europe and Asia. Five of these have, to date, resulted in pregnancy and four live births have now been recorded. The most significant obstacles to the availability of UTx are presently scientific and technical, relating to the safety and efficacy of the procedure itself. However, if and when such obstacles are overcome, the most likely barriers to its availability will be social and financial in nature, relating in particular to the ability and willingness of patients, insurers or the state to pay. Thus, publicly funded healthcare systems such as the UK's National Health Service (NHS) will eventually have to decide whether UTx should be funded. With this in mind, we seek to provide an answer to the question of whether there exist any compelling reasons for the state not to fund UTx. The paper proceeds as follows. It assumes, at least for the sake of argument, that UTx will become sufficiently safe and cost-effective to be a candidate for funding and then asks, given that, what objections to funding there might be. Three main arguments are considered and ultimately rejected as providing insufficient reason to withhold funding for UTx. The first two are broad in their scope and offer an opportunity to reflect on wider issues about funding for infertility treatment in general. The third is narrower in scope and could, in certain forms, apply to UTx but not other assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). The first argument suggests that UTx should not be publicly funded because doing so would be inconsistent with governments’ obligations to prevent climate change and environmental pollution. The second claims that UTx does not treat a disorder and is not medically necessary. Finally, the third asserts that funding for UTx should be denied because of the availability of alternatives such as adoption and surrogacy. PMID:26670671

  9. Performance Evaluation of Some Index Funds-Indian Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pranav Mishra

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The popularity of the index funds as an investment option has increased manifolds ever since they were introduced. This is primarily because of the merits that the investor enjoys through passive style of funds management. This includes the low cost involved in managing such funds and the significant tax savings. Most of the researchers have compared the performance of the actively managed funds with that of index funds. However the index funds of US and for that reason other parts of the world are different from that of India. Unlike other countries in India the benchmark indices comprise of very less number of securities and thus are unable to represent the entire economy. So in Indian context comparison of performance of actively managed funds with index funds is not logical. Therefore this paper attempts to make an intra-class performance evaluation of some Indian index funds based on some statistics. The study includes the use of graphical interpretations coupled with statistical tools like R-square and tracking error values. Two models of tracking error have been employed to test empirically the performance of the selected index funds. The study is useful for those interested in mutual funds, which includes researchers, academicians, and financial advisors. The paper suits the requirement and the situations prevalent in Indian economy during the period under study.

  10. Analyzing media coverage of the global fund diseases compared with lower funded diseases (childhood pneumonia, diarrhea and measles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David L Hudacek

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pneumonia, diarrhea and measles are the leading causes of death in children worldwide, but have a disproportionately low share of international funding and media attention. In comparison, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria--diseases that also significantly affect children--receive considerably more funding and have relatively high media coverage. This study investigates the potential relationship between media agenda setting and funding levels in the context of the actual burden of disease. METHODS: The news databases Lexis Nexis, Factiva, and Google News Archive were searched for the diseases AIDS, TB and Malaria and for lower funded pediatric diseases: childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles. A sample of news articles across geographic regions was also analyzed using a qualitative narrative frame analysis of how the media stories were told. RESULTS: There were significantly more articles addressing the Global Fund diseases compared to the lower funded pediatric diseases between 1981 and 2008 (1,344,150 versus 291,865 articles. There were also notable differences in the framing of media narratives: 1 There was a high proportion of articles with the primary purpose of raising awareness for AIDS, TB and malaria (46.2% compared with only 17.9% of the pediatric disease articles. 2 Nearly two-thirds (61.5% of the AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria articles used a human rights, legal or social justice frame, compared with 46.2% for the lower funded pediatric disease articles, which primarily used an ethical or moral frame. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that lower funded pediatric diseases are presented differently in the media, both quantitatively and qualitatively, than higher funded, higher profile diseases.

  11. Mutual funds: temporary problem or permanent morass?

    OpenAIRE

    Paula A. Tkac

    2004-01-01

    The improprieties in the mutual fund industry that surfaced in the fall of 2003 prompted the passage and drafting of legislation and regulations that cover nearly every facet of mutual fund pricing and operations. While this regulatory flurry is clearly intended to protect shareholders’ interests, the question remains: How will these scandals and regulatory changes ultimately affect mutual fund investors? ; When considering the problems inherent in mutual fund management and the best ways to ...

  12. Do Hedge Funds Supply or Demand Liquidity?

    OpenAIRE

    Petri Jylhä; Kalle Rinne; Matti Suominen

    2014-01-01

    Regressing hedge funds’ returns on returns to a long–short contrarian trading strategy, a measure of the returns from providing liquidity, we find that hedge funds typically supply liquidity in the stock market. In the cross-section, strict redemption restrictions and large fund size increase funds’ propensity to supply liquidity. In time series, poor market liquidity and good funding conditions increase funds’ propensity to supply liquidity. Although the hedge funds typically supply liquidit...

  13. 76 FR 67021 - Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Proposed Collection...)). Currently, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (the ``CDFI Fund'') within the Department... Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 601 13th Street NW., Suite 200 South...

  14. Are Independent Fiscal Institutions Really Independent?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slawomir Franek

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In the last decade the number of independent fiscal institutions (known also as fiscal councils has tripled. They play an important oversight role over fiscal policy-making in democratic societies, especially as they seek to restore public finance stability in the wake of the recent financial crisis. Although common functions of such institutions include a role in analysis of fiscal policy, forecasting, monitoring compliance with fiscal rules or costing of spending proposals, their roles, resources and structures vary considerably across countries. The aim of the article is to determine the degree of independence of such institutions based on the analysis of the independence index of independent fiscal institutions. The analysis of this index values may be useful to determine the relations between the degree of independence of fiscal councils and fiscal performance of particular countries. The data used to calculate the index values will be derived from European Commission and IMF, which collect sets of information about characteristics of activity of fiscal councils.

  15. Servant as leader: Critical requirements for the appointment and training of retirement fund trustees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L.M. Magda Hewitt

    2017-09-01

    findings support that limitations impacting on good retirement fund governance are (1 lack of knowledge, (2 lack of experience, (3 independence and (4 lack of capacity of RFTs. Legislative and regulatory framework changed in recent years, resulting in an increased complexity in managing the affairs of retirement funds. A great need for qualified and skilled RFTs was expressed. Practical and managerial implications: Servant leadership qualities proved useful to profile and aid the selection, appointment and training of RFTs in a meaningful way, thereby benefiting the broader South African retirement fund industry and social welfare of all South Africans. The importance of the role human resources practitioners can play to aid their employees to correctly select and appoint a RFT cannot be emphasised enough. Contribution: The many practical contributions of the study were evident from the real and tangible outcomes of using a servant leader’s profile to select, appoint and train prospective RFTs to serve on the BoTs of pension funds, to ensure that social justice is upheld for those members of society who cannot protect themselves.

  16. ELECTIONS PENSION FUND CANDIDATE NR 1

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate : Name : CHIAVERI First Name : Enrico I have been a CERN staff member since 1973 and have always been interested in our working conditions. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association I participated from 1980 to 1984 in the Working Group on Pensions mandated by the CERN Council. This commitment led to my becoming a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund in 1983, since when I have taken an active part in various commissions and working groups (Real Estate Asset Management Committee, Working Group on Actuarial Matters etc.); in so doing I have gained a thorough knowledge of different areas of the Pension Fund. Since ...

  17. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 2 October 2002 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (P. Levaux) Recent trends in the technical balance of pension funds (C. Cuénoud) Annual Report 2001: Presentation and results (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats. Position of the CERN Pension Fund with respect to market developments (G. Maurin) Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. Conclusions (P. Levaux) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2001 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+4122)767 9194; e-mail Graziella.Praire@cern.ch)

  18. Perspective: Disclosing hidden sources of funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Resnik, David B

    2009-09-01

    In this article, the author discusses ethical and policy issues related to the disclosure of hidden sources of funding in research. The author argues that authors have an ethical obligation to disclose hidden sources of funding and that journals should adopt policies to enforce this obligation. Journal policies should require disclosure of hidden sources of funding that authors know about and that have a direct relation to their research. To stimulate this discussion, the author describes a recent case: investigators who conducted a lung cancer screening study had received funding from a private foundation that was supported by a tobacco company, but they did not disclose this relationship to the journal. Investigators and journal editors must be prepared to deal with these issues in a manner that promotes honesty, transparency, fairness, and accountability in research. The development of well-defined, reasonable policies pertaining to hidden sources of funding can be a step in this direction.

  19. Spring report of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2012-01-01

    In this column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) will regularly present the latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments of the Governing Board to the members and beneficiaries of the Fund.   Since my last report in April, I am pleased to report the following progress.  On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the CERN Council approved the updated Financial Regulations of the Fund at its June session, with immediate effect. The approval of the Financial Regulations completes a key part of the regulatory framework of the Fund’s operations. Also in June, the Council approved the Financial Statements of the CERN Pension Fund for 2011.  The Financial Statements had been certified by the Italian Court of Audit (CERN’s External Auditor), which gave its report to Council. 2011 was the first year during which the audit-related provisions of the updated Fund Rules were fully implemented. On the investments side, the F...

  20. General Meeting of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meetingto be held in the CERN Main Auditorium on Wednesday 22 October 2008 at 14:00 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (F. Ferrini) Results and presentation of the Annual Report 2007 and impact on the Fund of the recent evolution of financial markets (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the 2007 Report are available from departmental secretariats. Activity report of the new Governance of the Pension Fund (F. Ferrini, D. Duret) Questions from members and beneficiaries People wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. Conclusions (F. Ferrini). As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the meeting. NB\tThe minutes of the 2007 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. (+ 41 22) 767 27 42; e-mail Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch)

  1. General Meeting of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Main Auditorium on Wednesday 22 October 2008 at 14:15 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (F. Ferrini) Results and presentation of the Annual Report 2007 and impact on the Fund of the recent evolution of financial markets (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the 2007 Report are available from departmental secretariats. Activity report of the new Governance of the Pension Fund (F. Ferrini, D. Duret) Questions from members and beneficiaries People wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund.Conclusions (F. Ferrini) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB The minutes of the 2007 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. (+ 41 22) 767 27 42; e-mail mailto:Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch)

  2. PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    Amendment No 18 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Divisional secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 1.1.2002, concerns the articles which have been amended, in accordance with the Council's decision, to allow the award of a deferred retirement pension after five years of service (instead of ten previously) and the fixed sums and allowances adjusted at the same date (Annex B). It also contains a revised version of the table of contents of the Rules, as well as pages where the contents have not changed but where the page layout has had to be adjusted for technical reasons.

  3. Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    Pension Fund

    2006-01-01

    Amendment No. 22 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Department/Unit secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force following the CERN Council's decisions of 16 December 2005, includes the following new articles: Art. II 5.08 : Non-entitlement to Pension for Surviving Spouse Art. II 5.09 : Procurement of an entitlement to Pension for Surviving Spouse Art. II 6.09 : Non-entitlement to Pension for Orphans Art. II 7.01 c) : Entitlement to Allowances Art. III 1.07 : Extension of the contract beyond the age limit of 65 as well as the following amended articles : Article II 1.07 - Contributions Annex B - Fixed sums and allowances

  4. 24 CFR 965.403 - Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ....403 Funding. The cost to change mastermeter systems to individual metering of resident consumption, including the costs of benefit/cost analysis and complete installation of checkmeters, shall be funded from... ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PHA-OWNED OR...

  5. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    The 2008 Annual Report and Accounts of the Pension Fund which was approved by Council at its session of 19 June 2009, is now available from the Departmental secretariats. It is also available on the Pension fund site: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/ Pension beneficiaries can obtain this document from Emilie Clerc (tel. + 41 22 767 87 98), building 5-5/017. Secretariat of the Pension Fund 72742

  6. Annual Report of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    The 2008 Annual Report and Accounts of the Pension Fund, which were approved by theCouncil at its session of 19 June 2009, are now available from Departmental secretariats. The document is also available on the Pension Fund website: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/ Pension beneficiaries can obtain the document from Emilie Clerc (tel. + 41 22 767 87 98), Building 5-5/017. Secretariat of the Pension Fund 72742

  7. Annual Report of the Pension Fund

    CERN Document Server

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    The 2008 Annual Report and Accounts of the Pension Fund which was approved by Council at its session of 19 June 2009, is now available from the Departmental secretariats. It is also available on the Pension fund site: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/ Pension beneficiaries can obtain this document from Emilie Clerc (tel. + 41 22 767 87 98), building 5-5/017. Secretariat of the Pension Fund 72742

  8. Hedge Funds and Risk-Decoupling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ringe, Georg

    2013-01-01

    The law must remain adaptive and responsive to the constantly changing challenges of our society and our business life. One of the most pressing challenges of the past years is the emergence of alternative investment funds, in particular hedge funds, which masterfully exploit the traditional cate...... to the traditional market expectations of shareholders. Based on the insight developed from these policy perspectives, this article develops regulatory reform proposals, particularly with regard to the EU context.......The law must remain adaptive and responsive to the constantly changing challenges of our society and our business life. One of the most pressing challenges of the past years is the emergence of alternative investment funds, in particular hedge funds, which masterfully exploit the traditional...... theoretical perspectives are used as an analytical framework to examine the vast challenges of risk-decoupling: (1) a classical agency costs approach; (2) an information costs perspective; and (3) a view from corporate finance. This Article argues that shareholders with hedged risk exposure do not correspond...

  9. Mutual fund volatility timing and management fees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Giambona, E.; Golec, J.

    2009-01-01

    This paper shows that compensation incentives partly drive fund managers’ market volatility timing strategies. Larger incentive management fees lead to less counter-cyclical or more pro-cyclical volatility timing. But fund styles or aggregate fund flows could also account for this relation;

  10. Comparison of investment opportunities in mutual funds

    OpenAIRE

    NOVÁKOVÁ, Petra

    2012-01-01

    This thesis deals with the comparison of selected mutual funds in the Czech Republic. The main aim of this thesis is to evaluate the situation on the securities market of mutual funds and help to the investor with right choice of mutual fund. Work is initially devoted to the characteristics and history of collective investment. The following section describes mutual funds their characteristics, classification, creation and termination. Conclusion of the theoretical part is devoted to investme...

  11. Can Chinese Mutual Fund Time Market Liquidity?

    OpenAIRE

    LI, Xiaoqing

    2012-01-01

    Extant researches have focused on mutual fund managers’ ability to time market returns or volatility. In this paper, the author offers a new perspective on the traditional timing issue by examining Chinese fund managers’ liquidity timing ability. Using the Chinese mutual fund database, the author finds little evidence that over the period from 2004 to 2012, fund managers cannot demonstrate the ability to time market liquidity in China, i.e., increase (reduce) market exposure in anticipation o...

  12. Financial Crisis and Corporate Social Responsible Mutual Fund Flows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sitikantha Parida

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate investment flows into mutual funds that hold more high corporate social responsible stocks (top CSR funds vs. mutual funds that hold more low corporate social responsible stocks (bottom CSR funds. Using a large sample of equity mutual funds spanning 2003–2012, we find that top CSR funds on average receive about 5% less investment per annum compared to the other funds; whereas bottom CSR funds receive about 5.6% more investments. These relative negative and positive flows into the top and bottom CSR funds respectively were larger during the pre-financial crisis period (2003–2007. This trend, however, reversed during the financial crisis (2008–2009. Top CSR funds attracted about 8.7% more investments during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period; whereas bottom CSR funds received about 9.8% less investment. This higher investment into the top CSR funds during the crisis seems to have disappeared during the post-crisis period (2009–2012. Additional analysis shows that the corporate social ratings of top CSR funds improved through the crisis, whereas it deteriorated for the bottom CSR funds. Our findings are consistent with the “flight to quality” phenomenon observed in financial markets during market crises, indicating that investors perceive top CSR fund investments as relatively safe or of higher quality and hence, invest more in them during financial crises.

  13. Elections to the Mutual Aid Fund

    CERN Document Server

    2016-01-01

    Every two years, according to Article 6 of the Regulations of the Mutual Aid Fund, the Committee of the Mutual Aid Fund must renew one third of its membership. This year three members are outgoing. Of these three, two will stand again and one will not.   Candidates should be ready to give approximately two hours a month during working time to the Fund whose aim is to assist colleagues in financial difficulties. We invite applications from CERN Staff who wish to stand for election as a member of the CERN Mutual Aid Fund to send in their application before 17 June 2016, by email to the Fund’s President, Connie Potter (connie.potter@cern.ch).

  14. EGYPTIAN MUTUAL FUNDS ANALYSIS: HISTORY, PERFORMANCE, OBJECTIVES, RISK AND RETURN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petru STEFEA

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The present research aims to overview the mutual fund in Egypt. The establishment of the first mutual funds was achieved in 1994. Nowadays, the total mutual funds reached 90 funds , approximately. The income funds represent the largest share of the Egyptian mutual funds (40%, growth funds (25% and the private equity funds is at least (1%. The total population of the Egyptian mutual funds reached 22. Finally, the study proved that the Egyptian mutual funds have an impact on fund return , total risk and systemic; when analysis relationship between risk and return. The study found influencing for mutual fund's objectives on Sharpe and Terynor ratios.

  15. Does our Pension Fund take too many risks?

    CERN Multimedia

    Association du personnel

    2012-01-01

    An article in the Tribune de Genève of 22 June entitled “CERN: the Pension Fund takes risks” expressed the “astonishment” of some Swiss experts regarding the CERN Pension Fund’s investment of 500 million dollars in hedge funds (usually the most speculative, alternative, and non-traditional type of funds), representing some 15% of the assets under management. In the article, Mr Théodore Economou, administrator of our Pension Fund, specified that the Fund makes use of alternative investments in a very selective way (ethical criteria, no positions in funds that use only short selling, and with limitations on leverage). Some experts consider that the Fund is taking too many risks. We need to recall that the performance target (3% above inflation, or 5% gross) does not allow the Fund to limit its investments to risk-free products (e.g., the Swiss Confederation’s 30-year bonds have a return of less than 1% per annum). Moreover, take...

  16. Does our Pension Fund take too many risks?

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2012-01-01

    An article in the Tribune de Genève of 22 June entitled “CERN: the Pension Fund takes risks” expressed the “astonishment” of some Swiss experts regarding the CERN Pension Fund’s investment of 500 million dollars in hedge funds (usually the most speculative, alternative, and non-traditional type of funds), representing some 15% of the assets under management. In the article, Mr Théodore Economou, administrator of our Pension Fund, specified that the Fund makes use of alternative investments in a very selective way (ethical criteria, no positions in funds that use only short selling, and with limitations on leverage). Some experts consider that the Fund is taking too many risks. We need to recall that the performance target (3% above inflation, or 5% gross) does not allow the Fund to limit its investments to risk-free products (e.g., the Swiss Confederation’s 30-year bonds have a return of less than 1% per annum). Moreover, tak...

  17. 76 FR 38432 - TIAA-CREF Funds, et al.; Notice of Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-30

    ... & Income Fund, High-Yield Fund, Inflation-Linked Bond Fund, International Equity Fund, International Equity... Market Fund, Real Estate Securities Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund; Teachers Advisors..., Growth & Income Fund, High-Yield Fund, Inflation-Linked Bond Fund, International Equity Fund...

  18. THE PERFORMANCE OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN SLOVAKIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Tudorache

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available A good indicator for the financial markets performance in different countries is the evolution of mutual funds in terms of their inflows and outflows. The goal of the present paper is to analyse the performance of the mutual funds in Slovakia. The research objectives are twofold: to study the flows of funds into and out of mutual funds from Slovakia during the period 2007-2014 and to analyse how investors in Slovakian mutual funds behave in terms of their investment choice. The analysis focuses on identifying patterns in investors' decision making process and on examining the similarity of their behavioural patterns with the ones identi¬fied at international level.

  19. 30 CFR 218.152 - Fishermen's Contingency Fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fishermen's Contingency Fund. 218.152 Section 218.152 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS REVENUE..., Offshore § 218.152 Fishermen's Contingency Fund. Upon the establishment of the Fishermen's Contingency Fund...

  20. DEVELOPMENT OF KOSOVO PENSION SAVING TRUST FUND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ymer Havolli

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Pension system in Kosovo has experienced various developments in the last three decades. These changes have been driven by both, political and economic developments. The political developments were most important, especially that the previous system failed due to the lack of access to the fund in the post-war Kosovo. The newly established system in post-war Kosovo continues its operations with principles of modern pension fund, savings-based. KPST was established by Law in December 2001 as a not-for-profit institution. As such, the sole objective of KPST is to serve only the best interests of its contributors. KPST is funded in a similar way as are all defined contribution pension funds i.e. by charging fees on assets under management (pension assets. KPST is funded in a similar way as are all defined contribution pension funds i.e. by charging fees on assets under management (pension assets. Throughout this discussion paper, the implications of the crisis, management, asset management issues and most importantly, investment strategy are discussed and some potential solutions to these problems are proposed in order to increase the flexibility of the fund to improve performance in times of crisis.

  1. Downside Risk Timing by Mutual Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Bodnaruk, Andriy; Chokaev, Bekhan; Simonov, Andrei

    2015-01-01

    We study whether mutual funds systematically manage downside risk of their portfolios in ways that improve their performance. We find that actively managed mutual funds on average possess positive downside risk timing ability. Funds investing in large-cap and value stocks have stronger downside risk timing skills. Managers adjust funds’ downside risk exposure in response to macroeconomic information. The economic value of downside risk timing is comparable to that of market timing.

  2. Creative Partnerships for Funding Nursing Research

    OpenAIRE

    McCann, Judith J.; Hills, Elizabeth Blanchard; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A.; Smith, Carol E.; Farran, Carol J.; Wilkie, Diana J.

    2010-01-01

    The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program are two federal funding mechanisms that some nurses in academic positions have used to support research and development of innovative nursing products or services. Both the SBIR and STTR mechanisms are excellent sources of funding for nurse researchers who want to capitalize on relationships with small businesses or obtain seed money to fund high risk projects with potentia...

  3. The evolution and regulation of hedge funds.

    OpenAIRE

    Crockett, A.

    2007-01-01

    Hedge funds have attracted increased attention in recent years. In part, this is because investment in hedge funds is becoming “mainstream”. A wider range of investors has sought exposure to these investment vehicles, and this has been associated with rapid growth in both the number of funds and the volume of assets under management. In part, too, greater attention has been the result of worries that hedge funds could in some circumstances exert a destabilizing infl uence. With the growth in ...

  4. Federal Disaster Funding Opportunities for Water and Wastewater Utilities through the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds

    Science.gov (United States)

    The following provides a checklist that will help you take advantage of Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. For more detailed information on Drinking Water SRF, see DWSRF in Fed FUNDS. For more information on Clean Water SRF, see CWSRF in Fed FUNDS.

  5. An Empirical Study on Mutual Funds in the U.S. Market: Performance Evaluation and Its Relation with Fund Size

    OpenAIRE

    Du, Lin

    2008-01-01

    Mutual funds industry has grown rapidly since 1970s. As one popular type of financial intermediary, mutual fund investment becomes an important player in the financial market globally. The evaluation of mutual fund performance has been achieving a great deal of academic interest since 1960s. There has been a great deal of research which examined whether mutual funds can outperform well-diversified portfolios such as a market index. However, the findings are usually suggestive rather than conc...

  6. Funding bombshell hits UK physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Michael; Durrani, Matin

    2008-01-01

    Physicists and astronomers in the UK are coming to terms with a massive funding crisis that engulfed one of the country's main funding agencies last month. As a result of an £80m black hole in the budget of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), it has decided to stop funding research into the International Linear Collider (ILC), withdraw from the Gemini telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, and cease all support for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and ground-based solar-terrestrial physics. Research grants in particle physics and astronomy could also be cut by up to 25%, which may lead to job losses at university departments.

  7. 50 CFR 296.3 - Fishermen's contingency fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fishermen's contingency fund. 296.3... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CONTINENTAL SHELF FISHERMEN'S CONTINGENCY FUND § 296.3 Fishermen's contingency fund. (a) General. There is established in the Treasury of the United States the Fishermen's...

  8. 75 FR 10059 - Money Market Fund Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-04

    ... contain adverse effects on the capital markets and other money market funds. In addition, throughout the... acquisition of second tier securities by money market funds might have a negative effect on those issuers of...; Treasury Strategies Comment Letter. Commenters asserted that eliminating money market funds' ability to...

  9. 25 CFR 39.1202 - Distribution of funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Contract School Operation and Maintenance Fund § 39.1202 Distribution of funds. (a) Each contract school shall receive in fiscal year 1980 a portion of the Contract School Operation and Maintenance Fund determined by the percentage share which that school's fiscal year 1979 operation and maintenance cost...

  10. State Pre-K Funding for 2015-16 Fiscal Year: National Trends in State Preschool Funding. 50-State Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Emily; Atchison, Bruce; Workman, Emily

    2016-01-01

    This report highlights significant investments made by both Republican and Democratic policymakers in state-funded pre-k programs for the fourth year in a row. In the 2015-16 budget year, 32 states and the District of Columbia raised funding levels of pre-k programs. This increased support for preschool funding came from both sides of the…

  11. E-Commerce New Venture Performance: How Funding Impacts Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, R. H.

    2001-01-01

    Explores the three primary methods of funding for e-commerce startups and the impact that funding criteria have had on the resulting organizational cultures. Highlights include self-funded firms; venture capital funding; corporate funding; and a table that compares the three types, including examples. (LRW)

  12. The Australian funding debate on quadrivalent HPV vaccine: a case study for the national pharmaceutical policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roughead, Elizabeth Ellen; Gilbert, Andrew L; Vitry, Agnes I

    2008-12-01

    To analyse the media and political reactions to the initial decision of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to reject funding of the quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in Australia. A case study, informed by media reports and government documents, was utilised to examine the reactions of key stakeholders; PBAC, consumers, consumer organisations, pharmaceutical industry, politicians, health professionals and the media to the initial decision to reject funding of HPV vaccine. The initial decision to reject funding of the HPV vaccine led to unprecedented public response with over 300 newspaper articles and calls by consumers, health professionals and politicians to intervene in the decision making process. Misunderstanding of the decision making process, particularly cost-effectiveness assessments, the need for an independent process, the legislated inability of a timely and transparent response from policy makers and the lack of a risk mitigation strategy all played a role in the public outcry. Despite 15 years of implementation of cost-effectiveness assessments there is still a need for improving stakeholder understanding of the decision making process and for timely transfer of complete information. Risk mitigation strategies should be considered as part of the communication plan for all decisions.

  13. Pension Fund Investment Policy

    OpenAIRE

    Zvi Bodie

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to survey what is known about the investment policy of pension funds. Pension fund investment policy depends critically on the type of plan: defined contribution versus defined benefit. For defined contribution plans investment policy is not much different than it is for an individual deciding how to invest the money in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The guiding principle is efficient diversification, that is, achieving the maximum expected return for any...

  14. Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund : 1998 annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    A review of the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund as it operated under the new investment framework established in 1997 was presented. The new statutory mission of the Fund is to provide stewardship of the savings from Alberta's non-renewable resources by providing the greatest financial returns on those savings for current and future generations of Albertans. In 1998, the Fund earned $947 million in income with nearly $25 million of income being retained to ensure that the value of the Fund grows to off-set the effects of inflation. Net assets of the Fund on March 31, 1998 was $ 12.3 billion. Operation of the Fund, the accounting method used, and details about the Transition Portfolio and the Endowment Portfolio are provided. An assessment of Alberta's economic climate accompanies the auditor's report and the detailed financial statements of the Fund. tabs

  15. Vertical and horizontal equity of funding for malaria control: a global multisource funding analysis for 2006–2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrenho, Eliana; Miraldo, Marisa; Shaikh, Mujaheed; Atun, Rifat

    2017-01-01

    Background International and domestic funding for malaria is critically important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its equitable distribution is key in ensuring that the available, scarce, resources are deployed efficiently for improved progress and a sustained response that enables eradication. Methods We used concentration curves and concentration indices to assess inequalities in malaria funding by different donors across countries, measuring both horizontal and vertical equity. Horizontal equity assesses whether funding is distributed in proportion to health needs, whereas vertical equity examines whether unequal economic needs are addressed by appropriately unequal funding. We computed the Health Inequity Index and the Kakwani Index to assess the former and the latter, respectively. We used data from the World Bank, Global Fund, Unicef, President’s Malaria Initiative and the Malaria Atlas Project to assess the distribution of funding against need for 94 countries. National gross domestic product per capita was used as a proxy for economic need and ‘population-at-risk’ for health need. Findings The level and direction of inequity varies across funding sources. Unicef and the President’s Malaria Initiative were the most horizontally inequitable (pro-poor). Inequity as shown by the Health Inequity Index for Unicef decreased from −0.40 (P0.10) in 2006 to −0.38 (P<0.05) in 2008, and decreased to −0.36 (P<0.10) in 2010. Domestic funding was inequitable (pro-rich) with inequity increasing from 0.28 (P<0.01) in 2006 to 0.39 (P<0.01) in 2009, and then decreasing to 0.22 (P<0.10) in 2010. Funding from the World Bank and the Global Fund was distributed proportionally according to need. In terms of vertical inequity, all sources were progressive: Unicef and the President’s Malaria Initiative were the most progressive with the Kakwani Indices ranging from −0.97 (P<0.01) to −1.29 (P<0.01), and −0.90 (P<0.01) to −1.10 (P<0

  16. Ensuring the Availability of Funds (Germany)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warnecke, Ernst; Paul, Michael

    2006-01-01

    1 - Legislation and regulation pertinent to funding: no site / facility specific legislation / regulation (Decommissioning Guideline); the obligation for D+D results from the Atomic Energy Act; the AtG requires a license for D + D of a nuclear facility; the Commercial Code requires reserves for liabilities; the Income Tax Law (EStG) is relevant for the taxation of reserves; the 'Ordinance on Advance Payments' is relevant for the construction of RW disposal facilities; the AtG is relevant for the payment of RW disposal costs. 2 - Financing system: Basic Principle: Polluter pays; Publicly funded facilities (mainly Federal Government): payment from annual budget; Privately owned facilities: collection of 'reserves' during operation / linear accumulation over 25 years, coverage: processing, storage and disposal of radioactive waste/spent fuel, D + D of nuclear facilities, reserves are in the portfolio of industry, financial risk lies with the operator; Availability of private funds: annual review / revision of the cost calculations by the operator, review of cost calculations by tax authorities. 3 - Costs: Cost calculation by the operator are based on detailed planning, need to be assessed conservatively. D + D cost calculation (as of 1999): ca. 300 x 10 6 Euro (1200 MW PWR, excl. disposal), ca. 350 x 10 6 Euro (800 MW BWR excl. disposal), ca. 700 x 10 6 Euro (incl. disposal of non-heat generating waste), immediate dismantling is slightly cheaper than deferred dismantling. Review and decision on adequacy of cost calculation by tax authorities. 4 - Experience: A lot of experience (public and private) has been gained, Experience is good, funds were available. 5 - Changing conditions - new challenges: Termination of nuclear energy generation, New approach to waste disposal, Privatisation of utilities, Liberalisation of energy market. Does the existing funding system need improvement?: Reconsideration of the existing situation, Exploration of potential improvements

  17. [Targeted public funding for health research in the Netherlands].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viergever, Roderik F; Hendriks, Thom C C

    2014-01-01

    The Dutch government funds health research in several ways. One component of public funding consists of funding programmes issued by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). The majority of ZonMw's programmes provide funding for research in specific health research areas. Such targeted funding plays an important role in addressing knowledge gaps and in generating products for which there is a need. Good governance of the allocation of targeted funding for health research requires three elements: a research agenda, an overview of the health research currently being conducted, and a transparent decision-making process regarding the distribution of funds. In this article, we describe how public funding for health research is organized in the Netherlands and how the allocation of targeted funds is governed. By describing the questions that the current model of governance raises, we take a first step towards a debate about the governance of targeted public funding for health research in the Netherlands.

  18. Programs that support non-proliferation and defense conversion funded by the US Government

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rutkowski, H.L.

    1994-08-01

    The proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons is a serious problem for international security. Consequently the U.S. government has established an array of programs to fund activities that will inhibit this activity. The problem of proliferation and defense conversion, in general, is quite complicated. The most immediate concern is the actual diversion of weapons materials. In the long term; however, weapons of mass destruction must be destroyed in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Ultimately the solution of the proliferation problem lies in the redirection of the intellectual skills of weapons scientists and engineers to peaceful commercial activities. At the present time the economic conditions in the New Independent States create severe pressure on people with critical weapons knowledge to sell their skills to political entities that are dangerous. There are four programs to be discussed in this paper. The first is the open-quotes Nunn-Lugarclose quotes program which is the largest and is administered by the Department of Defense. Between FY92 and FY94 Congress authorized $1.2B for this activity which is aimed at weapons destruction, storage, and safeguards. The second is the International Science and Technology Center in Moscow and the Science Center about to open in Ukraine. These are joint efforts involving the U.S., the European Community, and Japan to fund projects to prevent proliferation and foster commercial technological activity in Russia, Georgia, and Ukraine. The New Independent States - Industrial Partnering Program is a $35M (FY94) program jointly administered by the Department of Energy and the Department of State

  19. Hedge Funds As a Alternative Investment Opportunities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał Falkowski

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Hedge fund which became a popular alternative investment is a collective term for different types of investment fund. A common feature of these funds is that they have absolute earnings targets, that is they set targets for earnings irrespective of developments on, for example, the stock exchange. The paper deals with the current problem of the financial crisis and the effect it made worldwide for many institutional and private investors. It discusses the role played by hedge funds in developments on the financial markets, and to what extent they are affected by the effects of the crisis, as a recurring feature of every financial crisis. It also shows a wind range of strategies used by hedge funds to achieve their goal.

  20. Ultrametricity in Fund of Funds Diversification

    OpenAIRE

    Susinno, Gabriele; Miceli, Maria Augusta

    2003-01-01

    Minimum market transparency requirements impose Hedge Fund (HF) managers to use the statement declared strategy in practice. However each declared strategy may actually origin a multiplicity of implemented management decisions. Is then the "actual "strategy the same as the "announced" strategy? Can the actual strategy be monitored or compared to the actual strategy of HF belonging to the same "announced" class? Can the announced or actual strategy be used as a quantitative argument in the fun...

  1. Adequacy Model for School Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banicki, Guy; Murphy, Gregg

    2014-01-01

    This study considers the effectiveness of the Evidence-Based Adequacy model of school funding. In looking at the Evidence-Based Adequacy model for school funding, one researcher has been centrally associated with the development and study of this model. Allen Odden is currently a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy…

  2. Incentive Contracts and Hedge Fund Management

    OpenAIRE

    Jens Carsten Jackwerth; James E. Hodder

    2005-01-01

    This paper investigates dynamically optimal risk-taking by an expected-utility maximizing manager of a hedge fund. We examine the effects of variations on a compensation structure that includes a percentage management fee, a performance incentive for exceeding a specified highwater mark, and managerial ownership of fund shares. In our basic model, there is an exogenous liquidation barrier where the fund is shut down due to poor performance. We also consider extensions where the manager can vo...

  3. 34 CFR 682.419 - Guaranty agency Federal Fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... deposit into the Federal Fund— (1) All funds, securities, and other liquid assets of the reserve fund that... assets of the Federal Fund and the earnings on those assets are, at all times, the property of the United... earnings on the Federal Fund; (8) Revenue derived from the Federal portion of a nonliquid asset, in...

  4. General meeting of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Council Room on Wednesday 9 September 2009 from 14:00 to 16:30 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks - F. Ferrini 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2008. - C. Cuénoud Recent evolution of financial markets. 2009-2010 work plan - T. Economou. Copies of the 2008 Report are available from departmental secretariats. 3.\tReport on Funding policy and principles of the Pension Fund: Working Group 2 Report. - F. Ferrini 4.\tQuestions from members or beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to the secretariat of the Pension Fund. 5.\tConclusions - F. Ferrini As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB\tThe minutes of the 2008 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. + 41 22 767 27 42 ; e-mail mailto:Sevda.Budun-Kocaturk@cern.ch

  5. General Meeting Of The Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Council Chamber on Wednesday 9 September 2009 from 14:00 to 16:30 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks - F. Ferrini 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2008. - C. Cuénoud Recent evolution of financial markets. 2009-2010 work plan - T. Economou. Copies of the 2008 Report are available from Departmental secretariats. 3.\tReport on funding policy and principles of the Pension Fund: Working Group 2 Report. - F. Ferrini 4.\tQuestions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to the Secretariat of the Pension Fund. 5.\tConclusions - F. Ferrini As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the meeting. NB\tThe minutes of the 2008 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. + 41 22 767 27 42 ; e-mail mailto:Sevda.Budun-Kocaturk@cern.ch

  6. General meeting of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Council Room on Wednesday 9 September 2009 from 14:00 to 16:30 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks - F. Ferrini 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2008. - C. Cuénoud Recent evolution of financial markets. 2009-2010 work plan - T. Economou. Copies of the 2008 Report are available from departmental secretariats. 3.\tReport on Funding policy and principles of the Pension Fund: Working Group 2 Report. - F. Ferrini 4.\tQuestions from members or beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to the secretariat of the Pension Fund. 5.\tConclusions - F. Ferrini As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB\tThe minutes of the 2008 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. + 41 22 767 27 42 ; e-mail mailto:Sevda.Budun-Kocaturk@cern.ch)

  7. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2007-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-fifty-second and one-hundred-and-fifty-third meetings on 18 April and 15 May 2007 respectively. The latter was a full-day joint meeting with the Investment Committee. At the first of the two meetings on 18 April, the Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor F. Ferrini, reported on the outcome of the Finance Committee meeting and the Council Session of March 2007. The Council had taken note of a progress report by the Chairman of the Study Group on CERN Pension Fund Governance, Mr P. Levaux, had expressed satisfaction at the Study Group's progress and was now looking forward to the proposal, largely bearing on the Pension Fund's bodies and their composition, which is due to be submitted to the Council for approval at its June 2007 Session. At the same meeting, the Governing Board approved the Annual Report and Accounts of the Fund for 2006 and thanked the Fund's Administration for the substantial work entailed in providing the reader with a...

  8. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 142nd meeting on 14 March 2006. As an introduction to the meeting, the Administrator underlined that, at 12.4%, the performance achieved by the Fund on its assets had been excellent and had taken the Fund's assets at the end of the year to 4,209 MCHF, which was well above the 4 billion Swiss franc mark. The Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor Ferrini, reported on the Board's closed session on 7 March to examine the nominations received for the election of the Vice-Chairmen of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. The Governing Board had unanimously agreed to recommend the CERN Council to appoint Mr A. J. Naudi and Dr J.-P. Matheys. At its session on 16 March 2006, the Council had followed the recommendation of the Governing Board by re-appointing J.-P. Matheys and A. J. Naudi Vice-Chairmen of the Board until the end of their respective terms of office as members of the Governing Board. Regarding the comparison with other European pension funds launc...

  9. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one hundred and fifty seventh meeting on 5 September 2007. Among the items on its agenda was a report by the Chairwoman of the Working Group on Actuarial Matters, D. Duret, on the two meetings the Group had held during the summer, on 24 July and 31 August respectively, to discuss the latest three-yearly actuarial review. She noted that the actuarial review took account of the following elements for the first time: the amendments to the Rules of the Fund approved at the end of 2006, according to which, as long as the funding ratio of the Fund is less than 100% in 2033, only part of the pension adjustment assumption of the reference model is taken into consideration, on the understanding that the accumulated loss of purchasing power incurred by a beneficiary or any dependents in the event of his death must not exceed 8%; a new method for assessing the active membership of the Fund, which makes a distinction between personnel ho...

  10. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one hundred and fifty seventh meeting on 5 September 2007. Among the items on its agenda was a report by the Chairwoman of the Working Group on Actuarial Matters, D. Duret, on the two meetings the Group had held during the summer, on 24 July and 31 August respectively, to discuss the latest three-yearly actuarial review. She noted that the actuarial review took account of the following elements for the first time: -\tthe amendments to the Rules of the Fund approved at the end of 2006, according to which, as long as the funding ratio of the Fund is less than 100% in 2033, only part of the pension adjustment assumption of the reference model is taken into consideration, on the understanding that the accumulated loss of purchasing power incurred by a beneficiary or any dependents in the event of his death must not exceed 8%; -\ta new method for assessing the active membership of the Fund, which makes a distinction between personnel holding a fixed-term contract, pe...

  11. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 8 October 2003 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: 1. Opening RemarksJ. Bezemer 2. Annual Report 2002: Presentation and results Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats.C. Cuénoud 3. Overview of the present situation with regard to pension funds C. Cuénoud 4. Performance of the Fund since the year 2000 and aspects of the ongoing asset/liability modelling exercise G. Maurin 5. Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 6. Conclusions J. Bezemer As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2002 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund tel.(+4122)767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch) SOME ASPECTS OF THE FU...

  12. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-thirty-second and one-hundred-and-thirty-third meetings on 16 February and 10 March respectively. The first of these meetings was primarily devoted to the further examination of the proposed measures to reduce the Fund's technical deficit. The Governing Board underlined that it was equally determined to find solutions to the structural problems that had an impact on the Fund's technical deficit. A statement to that effect was to be made by the Chairman of the Governing Board, J. Bezemer, at the March session of the CERN Council. Indeed, it would appear that in the light of the new actuarial parameters, in particular the technical interest rate of 4.5%, it is first necessary to stabilise the current funding ratio of 88%, which will fall to 61% in 30 years' time if no action is taken. In an initial stage, corrective measures must therefore be taken in order to prevent a further fall in the funding ratio. Subsequently, the objective will be to re...

  13. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    The Governing Board met on 9 April and 4 June. The first of these two meetings was essentially devoted to the examination and approval of the draft 2001 Annual Report of the Pension Fund and the allocation of the year's results. In the latter connection, the Governing Board decided, on the basis of the recommendations by the two firms of actuaries involved in the last actuarial review, that the amounts previously referred to in the accounts as "reserves" should be considered as part of the Fund's capital. The description of part of the Fund's assets as reserves as opposed to capital hitherto had been a matter of form rather than anything more fundamental. The Governing Board therefore formally approved this change in the Fund's accounting practices for the sake of consistency between the Accounts of the Fund and the approach adopted by the actuaries in the actuarial review. Among the other items examined during the meeting, the Governing Board approved a new strategic allocation for investments, which essenti...

  14. 12 CFR 1206.5 - Working capital fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Working capital fund. 1206.5 Section 1206.5... Working capital fund. (a) Assessments. The Director shall establish and collect from the Regulated Entities such assessments he or she deems necessary to maintain a working capital fund. (b) Purposes...

  15. The peer performance ratios of hedge funds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ardia, David; Boudt, Kris

    2018-01-01

    We define the outperformance (resp. underperformance) of an investment fund as the percentage of funds in the peer universe for which the true performance of the focal fund is higher (resp. lower). We show that the p–values of the pairwise tests of equal performance can be used to obtain estimates

  16. 24 CFR 891.808 - Capital advance funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Capital advance funds. 891.808... Partnerships and Mixed-Finance Development for Supportive Housing for the Elderly or Persons with Disabilities § 891.808 Capital advance funds. (a) HUD is authorized to provide capital advance funds to expand the...

  17. 24 CFR 1003.400 - Criteria for funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... tribal or Federal funding sources cannot be made available to alleviate the threat. (c) HUD will... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Criteria for funding. 1003.400... Grants § 1003.400 Criteria for funding. The following criteria apply to requests for assistance under...

  18. 44 CFR 208.45 - Advance of funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Agreements § 208.45 Advance of funds. At the time of Activation of a Task Force, the Task Force will develop... advance of funds will not include any costs for equipment purchase. ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Advance of funds. 208.45...

  19. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 as amended (FFATA), requires disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving Federal funds through a single publicly accessible website.

  20. Incomplete information and the closed-end fund discount

    OpenAIRE

    Barone-Adesi, Giovanni; Kim, Youngsoo

    2008-01-01

    We model the closed-end fund discount/premium in a version of Merton’s (1978) asset pricing model with incomplete information. In this economy, investors trade only assets which they “ know about” . The model generates a closed-end fund discount or premium, depending on risk-aversion parameters. The fund share price reverts to the net asset value on open-ending of the fund. The discount/premium is a result of two economic forces: (1) the fund manager’s objective is to maximize expected utilit...

  1. Life cycle versus balanced funds: An emerging market perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elbie Louw

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Inadequate retirement savings is an international challenge. Additionally, individuals are not cognisant of how asset allocation choices ultimately impact retirement savings. Life cycle and balanced funds are popular asset allocation strategies to save towards retirement. However, recent research is questioning the efficacy of life cycle funds that switch to lower risk asset classes as retirement approaches. Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of life cycle funds with balanced funds to determine whether either dominates the other. The study compares balanced and life cycle funds with similar starting asset allocations as well as those where the starting asset allocations differ. Setting: The study has a South African focus and constructs funds using historical data for the main local asset classes; that is, equity, fixed income and cash, as well as a proxy for foreign equity covering the period 1986–2013. Method: The study makes use of Monte Carlo simulations and bootstrap with replacement, and compares the simulated outcomes using stochastic dominance as decision-making criteria. Results: The results indicate that life cycle funds fail to dominate balanced funds by first-order or almost stochastic dominance when funds have a similar starting asset allocation. It is noteworthy that there are instances where the opposite is true, that is, balanced funds dominate life cycle funds. These results highlight that while the life cycle funds provide more downside protection, they significantly suppress the upside potential compared to balanced funds. When the starting asset allocations of the balanced and life cycle funds differ, the stochastic dominance results are inconsistent as to the efficacy of the life cycle fund strategies considered. Conclusion: The study shows that whether one fund is likely to dominate the other is strongly dependent on the underlying asset allocation strategies of the funds

  2. 78 FR 26489 - Consumer Financial Civil Penalty Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-07

    ... administrative action under Federal consumer financial laws. Under the Act, funds in the Civil Penalty Fund may... Bureau may require a party that has violated the law to pay a civil penalty. See, e.g., 12 U.S.C. 5565... or any other provision of law bars the Bureau from using funds in the Civil Penalty Fund for such...

  3. Funding for international family planning attacked.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaeser, L

    1997-08-01

    US funding for foreign assistance has been jeopardized in recent years in the context of dwindling public support for foreign aid. To stymie the provision of international family planning program assistance and services overseas, Congressional opponents of family planning and abortion are offering amendments to foreign aid legislation at every possible opportunity. State Department reauthorization legislation is the current target of family planning opponents' efforts. Reauthorization is the process by which Congress indicates its ongoing support for a program, makes any necessary changes, and sets new funding ceilings. The global gag rule joined UNFPA funding cuts on the 1997 State Department reauthorization bill, H.R. 1757, which passed the House of Representatives in early June. If successfully appended to the State Department bill, the gag rule would prevent the US from funding any organization in a developing country which provides legal abortion services or communicates with its government on abortion-related policy, regardless of whether that organization used its own non-US funds. These restrictions and cuts to international family planning program assistance could adversely affect family planning programs, leading to less contraceptive use and higher rates of abortion, maternal morbidity, and maternal mortality. President Bill Clinton has promised to veto the bill if both houses of Congress accept the restrictions. These issues will probably arise on the annual appropriations legislation which funds US operations overseas.

  4. Assessment of the Lodging Industry Profitability Performance: Invest in Independent or Chain Ownership?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soultana Tania Kapiki

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to evaluate the economic results of the independent hotels in comparison with the chain hotels as well as to propose suggestions for the viability of the lodging industry.The survey took place in Greece concerning the period 2008-2011 and it was conducted via on-line questionnaires among 165 hotel units. The average means of efficiency and profitability indicators of the sampled hotels are benchmarked and the data of 2009 are utilized to further compare their ratios by using ratio analysis. Furthermore, ANOVA test is used to conduct mean difference analysis in order to identify the differences among the means along with their associated variables between independent and chain hotels. The main findings of the survey show that, generally, the independent hotels tend to be more profitable than chain hotels. The sector’s good practices that have been identified through this study are highlighted as suggestions for the viability of the lodging industry both in Greece and worldwide.Based on the findings of the survey, investors and hotel operators may have a clearer picture of whether it is preferable to invest their funds in the development of an independent hotel or they should turn to chain ownership

  5. Study challenges enduring myths of peace and development | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The studies found that trade-offs and decisions to stop a conflict can ... shut out other voices, which contributed to the eruption of post-conflict violence. ... to help create political parties and other electoral institutions in a non-partisan way.

  6. Comparing Working-Capital Funding and Mission Funding for Naval Shipyards

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Frisk, Daniel; Trunkey, R. D

    2007-01-01

    ...) to direct appropriations. Previously, under the NWCF's revolving-fund approach, the shipyards set prices for maintenance and repair services that were intended to cover their full operating costs, and the Navy's Atlantic...

  7. Amazon Fund: financing deforestation avoidance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacques Marcovitch

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The Amazon Fund, created in 2008 by the Brazilian Federal Government, is managed by Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES. It is a pioneering initiative to fundraise and manage financial resources to cut back deforestation and support sustainable development for 30 million inhabitants in the Amazon Biome. The Amazon Fund has already received more than R$ 1.7 billion in grants (about USD 787 million. This essay analyzes the Amazon Fund's governance and management with focus on its operation and from its stakeholders' perspectives. A combination of research methods includes: documental research, in-depth interviews, and speech analysis. The study offers a comparative analysis of strengths and weaknesses related to its governance. Furthermore, it proposes ways to improve its management towards greater effectiveness. The essay also includes an assessment of the government of Norway, a major donor to the fund. The governments of Norway and Germany, in partnership with Brazil, reveal how important it is to experiment with new means of international cooperation to successfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions through rainforest preservation.

  8. NEN Division Funding Gap Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esch, Ernst I.; Goettee, Jeffrey D.; Desimone, David J.; Lakis, Rollin E.; Miko, David K.

    2012-01-01

    The work in NEN Division revolves around proliferation detection. The sponsor funding model seems to have shifted over the last decades. For the past three lustra, sponsors are mainly interested in funding ideas and detection systems that are already at a technical readiness level 6 (TRL 6 -- one step below an industrial prototype) or higher. Once this level is reached, the sponsoring agency is willing to fund the commercialization, implementation, and training for the systems (TRL 8, 9). These sponsors are looking for a fast turnaround (1-2 years) technology development efforts to implement technology. To support the critical national and international needs for nonprolifertion solutions, we have to maintain a fluent stream of subject matter expertise from the fundamental principals of radiation detection through prototype development all the way to the implementation and training of others. NEN Division has large funding gaps in the Valley of Death region. In the current competitive climate for nuclear nonproliferation projects, it is imminent to increase our lead in this field.

  9. [Applications and spproved projects of general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developed region of national natural science funds in discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2011].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Liwei; Wang, Yueyun; He, Wenbin; Zhang, Junjie; Bi, Minggang; Shang, Hongcai; Shang, Deyang; Wang, Chang'en

    2012-03-01

    The applications accepted and approved by general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developed region of national natural science funds in the discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2011 have been introduced. The character and problems in these applications have been analyzed to give a reference to the scientists in the field of Chinese material medica.

  10. 36 CFR 222.10 - Range betterment fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Range betterment fund. 222.10... MANAGEMENT Grazing and Livestock Use on the National Forest System § 222.10 Range betterment fund. In... also be accomplished through use of the range betterment fund as follows: (a) On National Forest land...

  11. Preferences, power and policy outcomes in public policy in Iceland: The Icelandic Housing Fund fiasco 2003-2005

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sigurbjörg Sigurgeirsdóttir

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This research focuses on the interplay of politics, bureaucracies and markets in Iceland. It aims to explain theoretically how politics and bureaucracies operate when a coalition government makes and implements decisions in a policy environment in which decisions and their effects intersect public bureaucracies’ and markets’ boundaries. The decision to raise the limits of Housing Fund mortgages in 2003 is a case examined by agenda-setting theories in public policy. The research is based on the data from parliamentary Special Investigation reports on the collapse of the Icelandic banks and the Housing Fund as well as the author’s interviews home and abroad. The research shows that, when made, the decision ignited competition between the Housing Fund and the recently privatized banks and that between the banks themselves. The Independence Party’s attempts to delay implementation of the decision involved system change backed by an instrument designed to stem a run on the Fund. The impact of this instrument (a tax on pre-payments was incompatible with the Progressive Party’s political interests. In a hasty attempt to implement its election promises, the Progressive Party ignored the fact that the Fund was operating within a transformed financial system. The conclusions indicate that those who think long-term in politics make policies by changing system dynamics, those who think short-term change programmes. System dynamics, however, change the balance of power and influence between actors, leaving legacies which curb the government’s attempt at change, unless consolidated and sustained political authority and will are established to see changes through.

  12. On the behavior of mutual fund investors and managers

    OpenAIRE

    Goriaev, A.P.

    2002-01-01

    This thesis investigates empirically and theoretically the behavior of mutual fund investors and managers. These two aspects are closely related to each other. Investors try to select funds that follow an optimal investment policy from their point of view, while fund managers are typically interested in maximizing net fund inflows. In the first part of the thesis, we analyze the determinants of mutual fund flows, concentrating on the impact of past performance on fund flows. In particular, we...

  13. Clean Water State Revolving Fund Infographic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Infographic of the CWSRF program showing total project funding from 1987 through 2015, number of loans, how the program works, who is eligible for assistance, types of projects funded, and return on federal investment.

  14. Resolving the International Monetary Fund's Legitimacy Crisis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seabrooke, Leonard

    2006-01-01

    Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 the International Monetary Fund (the Fund) has been embroiled in an international crisis of legitimacy. Assertions of a crisis are premised on the notions that the Fund's voting system is unfair, and that the Fund enforces homogenous policies onto...... borrowing member states and that loan programs tend to fail. Seen this way, poor institutional and policy design has led to a loss of legitimacy. But institutionalised inequalities or policy failure is not in itself sufficient to constitute an international crisis of legitimacy. This article provides...... a conceptually-driven discussion of the sources of the Fund's international crisis of legitimacy by investigating how its formal "foreground" institutional relations with its member states have become strained, and how informal "background" political and economic relationships are expanding in a way...

  15. Recommendations from the External Auditors to the CERN Pension Fund Management on the Financial Statements of the CERN Pension Fund for the Financial Year 2013 and comments from the CERN Pension Fund Management

    CERN Document Server

    2014-01-01

    Recommendations from the External Auditors to the CERN Pension Fund Management on the Financial Statements of the CERN Pension Fund for the Financial Year 2013 and comments from the CERN Pension Fund Management

  16. Characteristics of randomized trials published in Latin America and the Caribbean according to funding source.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludovic Reveiz

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Few studies have assessed the nature and quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The aims of this systematic review are to evaluate the characteristics (including the risk of bias assessment of RCT conducted in LAC according to funding source. A review of RCTs published in 2010 in which the author's affiliation was from LAC was performed in PubMed and LILACS. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcomes were risk of bias assessment and funding source. A total of 1,695 references were found in PubMed and LILACS databases, of which 526 were RCTs (N = 73.513 participants. English was the dominant publication language (93% and most of the RCTs were published in non-LAC journals (84.2%. Only five of the 19 identified countries accounted for nearly 95% of all RCTs conducted in the region (Brazil 70.9%, Mexico 10.1%, Argentina 5.9%, Colombia 3.8%, and Chile 3.4%. Few RCTs covered priority areas related with Millennium Development Goals like maternal health (6.7% or high priority infectious diseases (3.8%. Regarding children, 3.6% and 0.4% RCT evaluated nutrition and diarrhea interventions respectively but none pneumonia. As a comparison, aesthetic and sport related interventions account for 4.6% of all trials. A random sample of RCTs (n = 358 was assessed for funding source: exclusively public (33.8%; private (e.g. pharmaceutical company (15.3%; other (e.g. mixed, NGO (15.1%; no funding (35.8%. Overall assessments for risk of bias showed no statistically significant differences between RCTs and type of funding source. Statistically significant differences favoring private and others type of funding was found when assessing trial registration and conflict of interest reporting. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study could be used to provide more direction for future research to facilitate innovation, improve health

  17. Characteristics of randomized trials published in Latin America and the Caribbean according to funding source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reveiz, Ludovic; Sangalang, Stephanie; Glujovsky, Demian; Pinzon, Carlos E; Asenjo Lobos, Claudia; Cortes, Marcela; Cañón, Martin; Bardach, Ariel; Bonfill, Xavier

    2013-01-01

    Few studies have assessed the nature and quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The aims of this systematic review are to evaluate the characteristics (including the risk of bias assessment) of RCT conducted in LAC according to funding source. A review of RCTs published in 2010 in which the author's affiliation was from LAC was performed in PubMed and LILACS. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcomes were risk of bias assessment and funding source. A total of 1,695 references were found in PubMed and LILACS databases, of which 526 were RCTs (N = 73.513 participants). English was the dominant publication language (93%) and most of the RCTs were published in non-LAC journals (84.2%). Only five of the 19 identified countries accounted for nearly 95% of all RCTs conducted in the region (Brazil 70.9%, Mexico 10.1%, Argentina 5.9%, Colombia 3.8%, and Chile 3.4%). Few RCTs covered priority areas related with Millennium Development Goals like maternal health (6.7%) or high priority infectious diseases (3.8%). Regarding children, 3.6% and 0.4% RCT evaluated nutrition and diarrhea interventions respectively but none pneumonia. As a comparison, aesthetic and sport related interventions account for 4.6% of all trials. A random sample of RCTs (n = 358) was assessed for funding source: exclusively public (33.8%); private (e.g. pharmaceutical company) (15.3%); other (e.g. mixed, NGO) (15.1%); no funding (35.8%). Overall assessments for risk of bias showed no statistically significant differences between RCTs and type of funding source. Statistically significant differences favoring private and others type of funding was found when assessing trial registration and conflict of interest reporting. Findings of this study could be used to provide more direction for future research to facilitate innovation, improve health outcomes or address priority health problems.

  18. A Multiple Streams analysis of the decisions to fund gender-neutral HPV vaccination in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shapiro, Gilla K; Guichon, Juliet; Prue, Gillian; Perez, Samara; Rosberger, Zeev

    2017-07-01

    In Canada, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is licensed and recommended for females and males. Although all Canadian jurisdictions fund school-based HPV vaccine programs for girls, only six jurisdictions fund school-based HPV vaccination for boys. The research aimed to analyze the factors that underpin government decisions to fund HPV vaccine for boys using a theoretical policy model, Kingdon's Multiple Streams framework. This approach assesses policy development by examining three concurrent, but independent, streams that guide analysis: Problem Stream, Policy Stream, and Politics Stream. Analysis from the Problem Stream highlights that males are affected by HPV-related diseases and are involved in transmitting HPV infection to their sexual partners. Policy Stream analysis makes clear that while the inclusion of males in HPV vaccine programs is suitable, equitable, and acceptable; there is debate regarding cost-effectiveness. Politics Stream analysis identifies the perspectives of six different stakeholder groups and highlights the contribution of government officials at the provincial and territorial level. Kingdon's Multiple Streams framework helps clarify the opportunities and barriers for HPV vaccine policy change. This analysis identified that the interpretation of cost-effectiveness models and advocacy of stakeholders such as citizen-advocates and HPV-affected politicians have been particularly important in galvanizing policy change. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Social Security Funds Clamor for Reform

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    郑秉文

    2008-01-01

    This paper analyzed the institutional deficiencies inherent in China’s social security system based on a dissection of various social security fund violations. It holds that the unscientific design in social security system is the root cause for social security fund violations, which is reflected in low level of social security unification, irrational investment system and legislative loopholes etc. Currently, China’s social security funds are facing risks in management and in system; The key of risk control lies in the reforming of the overall framework of social security system through the following aspects: 1) readjust the unified account system structure to raise the level of unification; 2) reform funds investment system to boost ROI; 3) speeding up legislative to regulate the administrative costs and the behaviors of its entities.

  20. 78 FR 37101 - Funding and Fiscal Affairs, Loan Policies and Operations, and Funding Operations; Liquidity and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-20

    ... Operations, and Funding Operations; Liquidity and Funding; Effective Date AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration... amends its liquidity regulation to strengthen liquidity risk management at Farm Credit System (System) banks, improve the quality of assets in their liquidity reserves, and bolster the ability of System...

  1. Pension Fund Governing Board

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    Note The CERN pension scheme is based on the principle of defined benefits, so beneficiaries continue to receive the benefits to which they are entitled in accordance with the Rules of the Pension Fund. This means that pension entitlements under the Rules are not directly affected by the financial crisis and the current economic situation. However, the adjustment of pensions to the cost of living is not automatic and, under the method applied since 2006, must take into account the Fund’s financial position. Meeting of the Pension Fund Governing Board The Pension Fund Governing Board held its eighth meeting at ESO in Garching, Germany (near Munich) on 24 October 2008. Before starting its work, the Governing Board had the privilege of hearing an opening address by Professor Tim de Zeeuw, the Director General of ESO. Professor de Zeeuw described the mission of ESO and the ambitious projects of his organisation, which performs astronomy observations using telescopes located in...

  2. Pension Fund Governing Board

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    Note The CERN pension scheme is based on the principle of defined benefits, so beneficiaries continue to receive the benefits to which they are entitled in accordance with the Rules of the Pension Fund. This means that pension entitlements under the Rules are not directly affected by the financial crisis and the current economic situation. However, the adjustment of pensions to the cost of living is not automatic and, under the method applied since 2006, must take into account the Fund’s financial position. Meeting of the Pension Fund Governing Board The Pension Fund Governing Board held its eighth meeting at ESO in Garching (near Munich), Germany on 24 October 2008. Before starting its work, the Governing Board had the privilege of hearing an opening address by Professor Tim de Zeeuw, the Director General of ESO. Professor de Zeeuw described the mission of ESO and the ambitious projects of his organisation, which performs astronomy observations using telescopes located in Chile. The Director-General receiv...

  3. Pension Fund governing board

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    On 16 March and 7 May, the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) held its fourth and fifth meetings The first of these meetings was primarily dedicated to the examination of the strategic asset allocation. The PFGB reaffirmed the main goal of the new strategic asset allocation: to improve the Pension Fund’s position with regard to risk by lowering overall portfolio volatility through suitable investments in less volatile asset classes such as real estate and absolute return strategies, where the return does not depend on market trends and negative growth is extremely unlikely. The finalised document will be presented to the Finance Committee and the Council at their June meetings for approval, in accordance with the provisions of the Levaux report. The PFGB also took note of the Internal Audit’s report on Pension Fund operations and decided to refer it to Working Group I as a working document for establishing a control and internal monitoring system for Pension Fund oper...

  4. 46 CFR 308.509 - Collateral deposit fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Collateral deposit fund. 308.509 Section 308.509... Risk Cargo Insurance Ii-Open Policy War Risk Cargo Insurance § 308.509 Collateral deposit fund. (a) Requirements. An assured electing to use a cash collateral deposit fund pursuant to § 308.507 shall comply with...

  5. How To Run an Effective Fund-Raiser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemieux, Russell A.

    1994-01-01

    The growing scarcity of money for schools and school-related groups has forced many administrators and parent-teacher organizations to seek alternative sources of funds. One of the most effective methods is a fund-raising campaign selling products. More than 2,000 fund-raising companies that supply products and provide a variety of services and…

  6. Overview and comparison of international practices on funding mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tchapga, Flavien

    2006-01-01

    Although the Funding Mechanisms of Decommissioning and Dismantling (D and D) of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) has recently gained a growing interest, this is not only a new but also an old issue. The issue is old because National Atomic Laws and/or other Nuclear Legislation recognized the mandatory character of D and D. Consequently accumulation of funds to cover the future D and D expenses is a legal requirement since the beginning of Nuclear Energy Industry, at least in countries with a market economy. The issue is new as well because many of the large commercial NPP may reach the end of their lifetime during the next twenty years. As a result, the growing interest on D and D Funding Mechanisms is justified since the funds accumulated should cover the related expenses if any. Despite this growing interest, there is however a lack, at least at the NEA level, of an updated survey of existing Funding Mechanisms. Because Electric utilities are experiencing deregulation movement, there is also a lack of a 'comparison framework' which takes into account this new context, and within which the effectiveness of current Funding Mechanisms could be assessed. In the field of NPP decommissioning, funding mechanisms refer to the overall process of financing future D and D operations. Therefore, one can expect a funding mechanism to organize some relevant functions regarding D and D financing. These functions are, 1) the recognition of the liabilities and the estimation of the related financial burden, 2) the collection of the corresponding financial resources 3) the management and disbursement of those resources when needed. In fact, the mandatory character of D and D suggest that an effective Funding Mechanism should provide availability of funds. This is to say the funds collected should be managed in a consistent way regarding their protection against financial insecurity. Since there is no investment without risk, availability of funds is properly a matter of degree

  7. The Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 151st meeting on 7 March at which the Legal Service reported on the ILOAT's judgment concerning an appeal lodged by a beneficiary against the CERN Council's decision to index his pension by 0% for 2005. The Governing Board noted with satisfaction that the appeal had been rejected. The ILOAT recognised that the CERN Council, which had followed the Governing Board's recommendation, had been entitled to take this decision as an 'urgent protective measure' in respect of the Fund's financial position. At the same meeting, the members of the Governing Board expressed their opinions on the report by the consultancy firm Mercer which had been entrusted with the task of comparing the CERN Pension Fund with a sample of similar European funds. It endorsed the CERN Management's opinion that Mercer had not been in a position to make a pertinent comparison between the CERN Pension Fund and other pension funds, and concurred with the conclusions presented by the Management....

  8. 1997/98 Orphan Well Fund annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-04-01

    Alberta's Orphan Well Fund (previously referred as the Abandonment Fund) is funded by the oil and gas industry with provincial government support and approval. It was created to enforce and improve regulations regarding orphan wells. 1997/98 marked the year in which Orphan Well Fund activities included pipeline abandonments, facility decommissioning, and well site reclamation. The first part of this report includes the annual report of the Orphan Fund, while the second part includes the report on the Energy and Utilities Board's (EUB's) Liability Management activities which are an important part of enforcing and improving provincial regulations in the prevention of orphan wells. The fund allows liability management to be done with industry's dollars rather than taxpayer's dollars. Highlights for the year include the successful completion on eleven downhole and surface wells. Expanded activities also included the abandonment of eleven pipelines, and facilities decommissioning work at five locations. The report also includes a financial review, and a summary of the future goals of the program. The EUB enforcement activities and operations, as well as the EUB orphan prevention activities are also reviewed. tabs

  9. 7 CFR 240.10 - Unobligated funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... than 30 days following demand by FNS. Release of funds shall be reflected by a related adjustment in the State agency's Letter of Credit where appropriate or payment by State check where the funds have...

  10. Cancer Moonshot Funding Obligations FY 2017

    Science.gov (United States)

    NCI reports Cancer Moonshot obligations by funding mechanism. See obligations for Moonshot grants, intramural research, and contracts, including the number of grant awards, funding amounts, and percentages by mechanism of the total Cancer Moonshot budget.

  11. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's investments in harm reduction through the rounds-based funding model (2002-2014)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bridge, Jamie; Hunter, Benjamin M; Albers, Eliot

    2016-01-01

    investment of US$ 620. million. Two-thirds of this budgeted amount was for interventions in the "comprehensive package" defined by the United Nations. 91% of the identified amount was for Eastern Europe and Asia. Conclusion: This study represents an updated, comprehensive assessment of Global Fund...... and inequitable access to these services and face widespread stigma and discrimination. In 2013, the Global Fund launched a new funding model-signalling the end of the previous rounds-based model that had operated since its founding in 2002. This study updates previous analyses to assess Global Fund investments...... investments in harm reduction from its founding (2002) until the start of the new funding model (2014). It also highlights the overall shortfall of harm reduction funding, with the estimated global need being US$ 2.3. billion for harm reduction in 2015 alone. Using this baseline, the Global Fund must...

  12. Cash Management in the Defense Working Capital Funds

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1997-01-01

    ... (formerly the Defense Business Operations Fund) was identified during our audit of the Fund Balance With Treasury Account of the FY 1996 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Defense Business Operations Fund...

  13. The Adaptation Fund: a model for the future?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chandani, Achala; Harmeling, Sven; Kaloga, Alpha Oumar

    2009-08-15

    With millions of the poor already facing the impacts of a changing climate, adaptation is a globally urgent – and costly – issue. The Adaptation Fund, created under the Kyoto Protocol, has unique features that could herald a new era of international cooperation on adaptation. Its governance structure, for instance, offers a fresh approach to fund management under the UN climate convention. The Fund's Board has also developed a constructive working atmosphere, and further progress is expected before the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen. But developing countries' demand for adaptation funding is huge: conservative estimates put it at US$50 billion a year. The Fund's current structure and funding base are clearly only a first step towards filling that gap. And despite its significant progress over the last 18 months, many countries, particularly in the developed world, remain sceptical about this approach. Looking in detail at the Fund's evolution offers insight into its future potential as a model for adaptation finance.

  14. Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Infographic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Infographic of the DWSRF program showing total project funding from 1997 through 2016, number of loans, how the program works, who is eligible for assistance, loan terms; types of projects funded, and return on federal investment.

  15. A Brief History of California School Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canfield, Jacquie

    2013-01-01

    In January 2013, the governor proposed a new funding model for California school districts called the Local Control Funding Formula. As the Legislature debates the proposed new funding model for schools, which is expected to start in the 2013-14 fiscal year, the author thought it would be a good time for a history lesson in California school…

  16. Current Developments in Community College Performance Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Amico, Mark M.; Friedel, Janice N.; Katsinas, Stephen G.; Thornton, Zoë M.

    2014-01-01

    Since the initiation of performance funding in Tennessee in the late 1970s, approximately 30 states have, at some point, attempted a funding model that includes performance on a set of indicators. The purpose of the present study was to capture the current status of performance funding in public statewide community college systems and to assess…

  17. Lorenz curves in a new science-funding model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Ding-wei

    2017-12-01

    We propose an agent-based model to theoretically and systematically explore the implications of a new approach to fund science, which has been suggested recently by J. Bollen et al.[?] We introduce various parameters and examine their effects. The concentration of funding is shown by the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient. In this model, all scientists are treated equally and follow the well-intended regulations. All scientists give a fixed ratio of their funding to others. The fixed ratio becomes an upper bound for the Gini coefficient. We observe two distinct regimes in the parameter space: valley and plateau. In the valley regime, the fluidity of funding is significant. The Lorenz curve is smooth. The Gini coefficient is well below the upper bound. The funding distribution is the desired result. In the plateau regime, the cumulative advantage is significant. The Lorenz curve has a sharp turn. The Gini coefficient saturates to the upper bound. The undue concentration of funding happens swiftly. The funding distribution is the undesired results, where a minority of scientists take the majority of funding. Phase transitions between these two regimes are discussed.

  18. Risk management in Swedish hedge funds

    OpenAIRE

    Fri, Samuel; Nilsson, Joakim

    2011-01-01

    Background: Risk management has always been a complex topic, especially when it comes to hedge funds. Since hedge funds are able to utilize many kinds of financial instruments it is difficult to find a risk management strategy that goes well with them. Not much research regarding the Swedish hedge fund industry and its risk management has been done; hence we find it an interesting topic to focus this thesis on. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to increase the knowledge of how Swedish he...

  19. 78 FR 26701 - Funding and Fiscal Affairs, Loan Policies and Operations, and Funding Operations; Liquidity and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-08

    ... Operations, and Funding Operations; Liquidity and Funding; Correction AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration... the Federal Register on April 18, 2013 to strengthen liquidity risk management at Farm Credit System (System) banks, improve the quality of assets in their liquidity reserves, and bolster the ability of...

  20. The importance of independent research and evaluation in assessing nuclear fuel cycle and waste management facility safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Downing, Walter D.; Patrick, Wesley C.; Sagar, Budhi

    2009-01-01

    In 1987, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) established at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) a federally funded research and development center. Known as the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA), its overall mission is to provide NRC with an independent assessment capability on technical and regulatory issues related to a potential geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, as well as interim storage and other nuclear fuel-cycle facilities. For more than 20 years, the CNWRA has supported NRC through an extensive pre-licensing period of establishing the framework of regulations and guidance documents, developing computer codes and other review tools, and conducting independent laboratory, field, and numerical analyses. In June 2008, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a license application and final environmental impact statement to NRC seeking authorization to construct the nation's first geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The CNWRA will assist NRC in conducting a detailed technical review to critically evaluate the DOE license application to assess whether the potential repository has been designed and can be constructed and operated to safely dispose spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. NRC access to independent, unbiased, technical advice from the CNWRA is an important aspect of the evaluation process. This paper discusses why an independent perspective is important when dealing with nuclear fuel cycle and waste management issues. It addresses practical considerations such as avoiding conflicts of interest while at the same time maintaining a world-class research program in technical areas related to the nuclear fuel cycle. It also describes an innovative approach for providing CNWRA scientists and engineers a creative outlet for professional development through an internally funded research program that is focused on future nuclear waste

  1. UNC SKYNET adds NRAO 20m Radio Telescope: Dynamic Research and Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langston, Glen; Hosmer, L.; Heatherly, S.; Towner, A. P.; Reichart, D.; Haipslip, J.

    2013-01-01

    The University of North Carolina (UNC) and NRAO have teamed up to deliver dynamic, realtime optical and Radio observations of the universe, using the web-based SKYNET queuing system developed at UNC. A 20m telescope is outfitted with cryogenically cooled receivers and a reprogrammable spectrometer. To get started see: http://www.gb.nrao.edu/20m/fantastic/ for connections to the observing system, educational activities and opportunities to purchase observing time. The SKYNET goal is to provide the finest research tools to high schools, colleges and independent researchers. This is accomplished through the capabilities to use existing observing modes and through reprogram the University of California, Berkeley's Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) systems for custom digital hardware development. This provides a door for engineering and computer science students to create real-time, high capability data acquisition and processing tools. We will demo the 20m observing system and its capabilities. The NSF funded this construction project with the goal of making the network self funding. We are looking for collaborators with targeted research projects wanting to take advantage of the powerful observing tools.

  2. Venture funding for science-based African health innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masum, Hassan; Chakma, Justin; Simiyu, Ken; Ronoh, Wesley; Daar, Abdallah S; Singer, Peter A

    2010-12-13

    While venture funding has been applied to biotechnology and health in high-income countries, it is still nascent in these fields in developing countries, and particularly in Africa. Yet the need for implementing innovative solutions to health challenges is greatest in Africa, with its enormous burden of communicable disease. Issues such as risk, investment opportunities, return on investment requirements, and quantifying health impact are critical in assessing venture capital's potential for supporting health innovation. This paper uses lessons learned from five venture capital firms from Kenya, South Africa, China, India, and the US to suggest design principles for African health venture funds. The case study method was used to explore relevant funds, and lessons for the African context. The health venture funds in this study included publicly-owned organizations, corporations, social enterprises, and subsidiaries of foreign venture firms. The size and type of investments varied widely. The primary investor in four funds was the International Finance Corporation. Three of the funds aimed primarily for financial returns, one aimed primarily for social and health returns, and one had mixed aims. Lessons learned include the importance of measuring and supporting both social and financial returns; the need to engage both upstream capital such as government risk-funding and downstream capital from the private sector; and the existence of many challenges including difficulty of raising capital, low human resource capacity, regulatory barriers, and risky business environments. Based on these lessons, design principles for appropriate venture funding are suggested. Based on the cases studied and relevant experiences elsewhere, there is a case for venture funding as one support mechanism for science-based African health innovation, with opportunities for risk-tolerant investors to make financial as well as social returns. Such funds should be structured to overcome the

  3. Sustainable funding for biocuration: The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) as a case study of a subscription-based funding model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiser, Leonore; Berardini, Tanya Z; Li, Donghui; Muller, Robert; Strait, Emily M; Li, Qian; Mezheritsky, Yarik; Vetushko, Andrey; Huala, Eva

    2016-01-01

    Databases and data repositories provide essential functions for the research community by integrating, curating, archiving and otherwise packaging data to facilitate discovery and reuse. Despite their importance, funding for maintenance of these resources is increasingly hard to obtain. Fueled by a desire to find long term, sustainable solutions to database funding, staff from the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), founded the nonprofit organization, Phoenix Bioinformatics, using TAIR as a test case for user-based funding. Subscription-based funding has been proposed as an alternative to grant funding but its application has been very limited within the nonprofit sector. Our testing of this model indicates that it is a viable option, at least for some databases, and that it is possible to strike a balance that maximizes access while still incentivizing subscriptions. One year after transitioning to subscription support, TAIR is self-sustaining and Phoenix is poised to expand and support additional resources that wish to incorporate user-based funding strategies. Database URL: www.arabidopsis.org. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  4. Fund allocation using capacitated vehicle routing problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamat, Nur Jumaadzan Zaleha; Jaaman, Saiful Hafizah; Ahmad, Rokiah Rozita; Darus, Maslina

    2014-09-01

    In investment fund allocation, it is unwise for an investor to distribute his fund into several assets simultaneously due to economic reasons. One solution is to allocate the fund into a particular asset at a time in a sequence that will either maximize returns or minimize risks depending on the investor's objective. The vehicle routing problem (VRP) provides an avenue to this issue. VRP answers the question on how to efficiently use the available fleet of vehicles to meet a given service demand, subjected to a set of operational requirements. This paper proposes an idea of using capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) to optimize investment fund allocation by employing data of selected stocks in the FTSE Bursa Malaysia. Results suggest that CRVP can be applied to solve the issue of investment fund allocation and increase the investor's profit.

  5. Global fund financing to the 34 malaria-eliminating countries under the new funding model 2014-2017: an analysis of national allocations and regional grants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelman, Brittany; Melgar, Melissa; Larson, Erika; Phillips, Allison; Shretta, Rima

    2016-02-25

    The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) has been the largest financial supporter of malaria since 2002. In 2011, the GFATM transitioned to a new funding model (NFM), which prioritizes grants to high burden, lower income countries. This shift raises concerns that some low endemic countries, dependent on GFATM financing to achieve their malaria elimination goals, would receive less funding under the NFM. This study aims to understand the projected increase or decrease in national and regional funding from the GFATM's NFM to the 34 malaria-eliminating countries. Average annual disbursements under the old funding model were compared to average annual national allocations for all eligible 34 malaria-eliminating countries for the period of 2014-2017. Regional grant funding to countries that are due to receive additional support was then included in the comparison and analysed. Estimated funding ranges for the countries under the NFM were calculated using the proposed national allocation plus the possible adjustments and additional funding. Finally, the minimum and maximum funding estimates were compared to average annual disbursements under the old funding model. A cumulative 31 % decrease in national financing from the GFATM is expected for the countries included in this analysis. Regional grants augment funding for almost half of the eliminating countries, and increase the cumulative percent change in GTFAM funding to 32 %, though proposed activities may not be funded directly through national malaria programmes. However, if countries receive the maximum possible funding, 46 % of the countries included in this analysis would receive less than they received under the previous funding model. Many malaria-eliminating countries have projected national declines in funding from the GFATM under the NFM. While regional grants enhance funding for eliminating countries, they may not be able to fill country-level funding gaps for local commodities and

  6. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    The Governing Board held its one-hundred-and-first meeting on 5 June, during which it took note of the external auditors' report on the accounts of the Fund for the financial year 2000, and the comments by the Administration of the Fund on the report. It should be noted in this regard that, in the light of a remark by the auditors regarding the procedures followed by the Fund in paying out transfer values, the Governing Board decided to propose to the CERN Council at its December session a change in the wording of Article II 1.13 of the Rules and Regulations so as to bring it into line with the Fund's regular practices. The effect on the Fund of the introduction of the new salary scales was considered and a small working group was commissioned to undertake the necessary technical adjustments. The Governing Board then heard a report by the Chairman of the Investment Committee on its meeting of 3 May 2001. G. Maurin stated that the Committee members had agreed to invite a second consultants' firm to carry out a...

  7. Cancer communication science funding trends, 2000-2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez, A Susana; Galica, Kasia; Blake, Kelly D; Chou, Wen-Ying Sylvia; Hesse, Bradford W

    2013-12-01

    Since 2000, the field of health communication has grown tremendously, owing largely to research funding by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This study provides an overview of cancer communication science funding trends in the past decade. We conducted an analysis of communication-related grant applications submitted to the NCI in fiscal years 2000-2012. Using 103 keywords related to health communication, data were extracted from the Portfolio Management Application, a grants management application used at NCI. Automated coding described key grant characteristics such as mechanism and review study section. Manual coding determined funding across the cancer control continuum, by cancer site, and by cancer risk factors. A total of 3307 unique grant applications met initial inclusion criteria; 1013 of these were funded over the 12-year period. The top funded grant mechanisms were the R01, R21, and R03. Applications were largely investigator-initiated proposals as opposed to responses to particular funding opportunity announcements. Among funded communication research, the top risk factor being studied was tobacco, and across the cancer control continuum, cancer prevention was the most common stage investigated. NCI support of cancer communication research has been an important source of growth for health communication science over the last 12 years. The analysis' findings describe NCI's priorities in cancer communication science and suggest areas for future investments.

  8. The nutritional status of 1081 elderly people residing in publicly funded shelter homes in Peninsular Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visvanathan, R; Zaiton, A; Sherina, M S; Muhamad, Y A

    2005-03-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the: (1) prevalence of undernutrition as determined by the 'DETERMINE Your Nutritional Health Checklist' (NHC) and (2) factors independently associated with undernutrition among the older residents of these publicly funded shelter homes in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 1081 elderly people (59%M) over the age of 60 y were surveyed using questionnaires determining baseline demographics, nutritional and cognitive status, physical function and psychological well-being. Shelter homes, Peninsular Malaysia. In all, 41.4% (n = 447) were nourished (score 5) according to the NHC. A large proportion of subjects were underweight with 14.3% of subjects recording a low body mass index (BMI) or = 3). Using a BMI people residing in publicly funded shelter homes in Malaysia may be at-risk of undernutrition, and were underweight. The NHC is better used as an awareness tool rather than as a screening tool.

  9. Independent technical review of the Mound Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-06-01

    This report documents an Independent Technical Review (ITR) of the facilities, organizations, plans, and activities required to transition particular elements of the Mound Plant from Defense Program (DP) funded operation as appropriate either to community developed reuse or safe deactivation leading to decontamination and decommissioning (D&D). The review was conducted at the request of the Dr. Willis Bixby, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy EM-60, Office of Facility Transition and Management and is a consensus of the nine member ITR Team. Information for the review was drawn from documents provided to the ITR Team by the Miamisburg Area Office (MB) of the DOE, EG&G, the City of Miamisburg, and others; and from presentations, discussions, interviews, and facility inspections at the Mound Plant during the weeks of March 14 and March 28, 1994. During the week of April 25, 1994, the ITR Team met at Los Alamos, New Mexico to develop consensus recommendations. A presentation of the core recommendations was made at the Mound Plant on May 5, 1994. This is an independent assessment of information available to, and used by, the Mound Plant personnel. Repetition of the information is not meant to imply discovery by the ITR Team. Team members, however, acting as independent reviewers, frequently assess the information from a perspective that differs significantly from that of the Mound Plant personnel. The report is based on information obtained and conditions observed during the March 1994 review interval. The ITR process and normal site work often initiate rapid, beneficial changes in understanding and organization immediately following the review. These changes frequently alter conditions observed during the review, but the report does not address changes subsequent to the review interval.

  10. Philanthropy as a source of funding for nursing initiatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinpell, Ruth M; Start, Rachel; McIntosh, Erik; Worobec, Sophia; Llewellyn, Jane

    2014-01-01

    Nurse leaders are challenged with ensuring that research and evidence-based practices are being integrated into clinical care. Initiatives such as the Magnet Recognition Program have helped reinforce the importance of advancing nursing practices to integrate best practices, conduct quality improvement initiatives, improve performance metrics, and involve bedside nurses in conducting research and evidence-based practice projects. While seeking research funding is an option for some initiatives, other strategies such as seeking funding from grateful patients or from philanthropic resources are becoming important options for nurse leaders to pursue, as the availability of funding from traditional sources such as professional organizations or federal funding becomes more limited. In addition, more institutions are seeking and applying for funding, increasing the pool of candidates who are vying for existing funding. Seeking alternative sources of funding, such as through philanthropy, becomes a viable option. This article reviews important considerations in seeking funding from philanthropic sources for nursing initiatives. Examples from a multiyear project that focused on promoting a healthy work environment and improving nursing morale are used to highlight strategies that were used to solicit, obtain, and secure extension funding from private foundation funding to support the initiative.

  11. National Institutes of Health-Funded Cardiac Arrest Research: A 10-Year Trend Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coute, Ryan A; Panchal, Ashish R; Mader, Timothy J; Neumar, Robert W

    2017-07-12

    Cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming over 450 000 lives annually. Improving survival depends on the ability to conduct CA research and on the translation and implementation of research findings into practice. Our objective was to provide a descriptive analysis of annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for CA research over the past decade. A search within NIH RePORTER for the years 2007 to 2016 was performed using the terms: "cardiac arrest" or "cardiopulmonary resuscitation" or "heart arrest" or "circulatory arrest" or "pulseless electrical activity" or "ventricular fibrillation" or "resuscitation." Grants were reviewed and categorized as CA research (yes/no) using predefined criteria. The annual NIH funding for CA research, number of individual grants, and principal investigators were tabulated. The total NIH investment in CA research for 2015 was calculated and compared to those for other leading causes of death within the United States. Interrater reliability among 3 independent reviewers for fiscal year 2015 was assessed using Fleiss κ. The search yielded 2763 NIH-funded grants, of which 745 (27.0%) were classified as CA research (κ=0.86 [95%CI 0.80-0.93]). Total inflation-adjusted NIH funding for CA research was $35.4 million in 2007, peaked at $76.7 million in 2010, and has decreased to $28.5 million in 2016. Per annual death, NIH invests ≈$2200 for stroke, ≈$2100 for heart disease, and ≈$91 for CA. This analysis demonstrates that the annual NIH investment in CA research is low relative to other leading causes of death in the United States and has declined over the past decade. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  12. How membership of the CERN Pension Fund is taken into account by certain French Pension Funds

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2010-01-01

    Information for current and former CERN staff members from the Rhône-Alpes branch of the Caisse Régionale d’Assurance Maladie (CRAM) The Rhône-Alpes branch of the Caisse Régionale d’Assurance Maladie (CRAM) has recently informed CERN that, since 1 January 2010, periods of membership of the CERN Pension Fund can, under certain conditions, be used in the calculation of the pension paid by certain French pension funds. For more information on this subject, please consult Circular DSS/DACI/2010/85 of 4 March 2010 pertaining to the manner in which periods of membership of compulsory pension funds of European or international organisations, to which France is a party, are taken into account in determining the period used by French pension funds to establish the pension entitlement. The Circular can be accessed at the following sites: http://www.securite-sociale.fr/textes/retraite/international/affiliation_instut_international_eu.htm and http://www.c...

  13. Wound research funding from alternative sources of federal funds in 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baquerizo Nole, Katherine L; Yim, Elizabeth; Van Driessche, Freya; Davidson, Jeffrey M; Martins-Green, Manuela; Sen, Chandan K; Tomic-Canic, Marjana; Kirsner, Robert S

    2014-01-01

    Chronic wounds represent a major healthcare burden, costing $25 billion annually, and are associated with high mortality. We previously reported that cutaneous wound healing represented only 0.1% ($29.8 million) of the National Institutes of Health budget. This current study focuses on quantifying the contribution by federal agencies other than the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2012. Federal databases including USA Spending, Veterans Affairs, Tracking Accountability in Government Grants Systems, Health Services Research Projects in Progress, and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, were searched for individual projects addressing wound healing. Twenty-seven projects were identified, totaling funding of $16,588,623 (median: $349,856). Four sponsor institutions accounted for 74% of awarded funds: Department of the Army, National Science Foundation, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Research projects and cooperative agreements comprised 44% and 37% of awarded grants. New applications and continuing projects represented 52% and 37%. Wound healing represented 0.15% of total medical research funded by the non-National Institutes of Health federal sector. Compared with potential impact on US public health, federal investment in wound research is exiguous. This analysis will draw attention to a disproportionately low investment in wound research and its perils to American public health. © 2014 by the Wound Healing Society.

  14. 7 CFR 3419.2 - Matching funds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FORMULA FUNDS AT 1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AND AT 1862 LAND-GRANT...

  15. Readability of consumer health information on the internet: a comparison of U.S. government-funded and commercially funded websites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risoldi Cochrane, Zara; Gregory, Philip; Wilson, Amy

    2012-01-01

    The Internet has become an extremely prevalent means of communicating health information to consumers. Guidelines for selecting reliable health information websites give preference to U.S. government sites over commercially funded sites. However, these websites are not useful to consumers unless they are able to read and understand them. The authors' objective was to compare the readability of Internet health information intended for consumers found on U.S. government-funded websites versus that found on commercially funded websites. Consumer health websites were identified through a systematic Internet search. Webpages for 10 common health topics were extracted from each website. Readability of webpages was determined by 3 validated measures: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level, and SMOG Formula. Mean readability of government-funded and commercially funded websites was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Commercially funded websites were significantly more difficult to read as measured by Flesch Reading Ease (49.7 vs. 55.6 for government-funded sites, p = .002) and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level (10.1 vs. 9.3, p = .012). There was no significant difference according to SMOG Formula (12.8 vs. 13.2, p = .150). The overall readability of Internet health information intended for consumers was poor. Efforts should be made to ensure that health information communicated via the Internet is easy for consumers to read and understand.

  16. Independent Biotechnology: The Innovation-Regulation Dilemma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Althouse, P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Prosnitz, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Velsko, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-11-03

    The Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory convened a workshop on August 19, 2016 to consider “Independent Biotechnology: The Innovation-­Regulation Dilemma”. The topic was motivated by the observation that non-­government funded biotechnology research and development activities have grown and diversified tremendously over the past decade. This sector encompasses a broad range of actors and activities: individuals with private laboratories, community “hackerspaces,” biotechnology incubators, and individual startups. Motivations and aspirations are diverse and include such things as personal curiosity, community education, the invention of new products or services, and even the realization of certain economic, political, or social goals. One driving force is the “democratization” of ever more powerful biological technologies, allowing individual citizens and groups access to capabilities that have traditionally only been available to researchers in universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and large commercial concerns. Another is the rise of alternative financing mechanisms such as “crowdsourcing,” which ostensibly provide greater freedom to innovate, and greater public visibility, but entail looser management oversight and transparency.

  17. Business Management for Independent Schools. Third Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Association of Independent Schools, Boston, MA.

    This business management manual discusses school accounting and reporting principles; in particular, financial management, computerization, and records retention techniques. First is described the basic accounting principles, plant funds, endowment funds, operational funds, chart of accounts, and financial states of the school's annual financial…

  18. Preparing for a "Next Generation" Evaluation of Independent Living Programs for Youth in Foster Care: Project Overview. OPRE Report No. 2014-71

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDaniel, Marla; Courtney, Mark E.; Pergamit, Michael R.; Lowenstein, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    Youth transitioning out of foster care and into adulthood need multiple supports to navigate the challenges they face. Over the past three decades, federal child welfare policy has significantly increased the availability of those supports. In 1999, the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program was created, increasing the amount of funds potentially…

  19. Using Investment Funds to Support Advancements in Healthcare

    OpenAIRE

    Nawar, Anthony

    2017-01-01

    The topic of this thesis is about using investment funds to support advancements in healthcare. The structure is designed to identify the relevant elements in a funding strategy that can be used to support healthcare companies likely to produce usable solutions. The research objective is to establish a proper investment fund strategy that supports healthcare. Additionally, it is positioned to highlight the dynamic components that outline the viable fund. The preliminary scope of the ...

  20. Measurement of Accountability Management of Village Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Yunita, Anggraeni; Christianingrum

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to measure the accountability of village funds management in Kabupaten Bangka. In relation to the Village Funds program which is a government program, the measurement of accountability of Village Funds management uses accountability principles consisting of Transparency, Liability, Controlling, Responsibility and Responsiveness which are the principles of accountability developed by the United Nations Development Program in measuring bureaucratic accountability. T...

  1. Trading Cost Management of Mutual Funds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Xing (Rang)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractThis paper documents the trading behaviour of actively managed equity mutual funds from the perspective of their trading cost management. Consistent with the predictions in the literature of portfolio choice with trading costs, I present three main findings. Firstly, mutual funds trade

  2. 28 CFR 42.734 - Alternative funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alternative funding. 42.734 Section 42.734 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NONDISCRIMINATION; EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY...; Implementation of the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 Compliance Procedures § 42.734 Alternative funding. When...

  3. The political origin of pension funding

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Perotti, E.; Schwienbacher, A.

    2007-01-01

    This paper argues that historical political preferences on the role of capital markets shaped national choices on pension reliance on private funding. Under democratic voting, a majority will support investor protection and a privately funded pension system when the middle class has significant

  4. 75 FR 12407 - Capital Magnet Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-15

    ... of financial institutions to provide capital, credit and financial services in underserved markets... Part IV Department of the Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 12 CFR Part... TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 12 CFR Part 1807 RIN 1559-AA00 Capital Magnet...

  5. 76 FR 39474 - Monthly Median Cost of Funds Reporting, and Publication of Cost of Funds Indices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-06

    ... Semiannual Cost of Funds Index (SCOF), and other related cost of funds ratios currently published monthly in... discussed in this notice, please contact Jim Caton, Managing Director--Economic and Industry Analysis, at... Thrift Financial Report (TFR): \\2\\ \\2\\ Copies of the reporting forms and instructions for the TFR (OMB No...

  6. 76 FR 578 - Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Fiscal Year 2010; Rural Innovation Fund Program...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-05

    .... SUMMARY: On December 22, 2010, HUD posted on http://www.Grants.gov its Notice of Funding Availability... publication announces that HUD has posted on http://www.Grants.gov a technical correction that, most... Fund grant.'' The revised NOFA can be found and downloaded from http://www.Grants.gov , using the CFDA...

  7. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Document Server

    2007-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Main Auditorium on Thursday 8 November 2007 at 2 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks (F. Ferrini) 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2006 (C. Cuénoud) (Copies of the 2006 Report are available from Departmental secretariats). 3.\tNew Governance of the Pension Fund (D. Duret) 4.\tQuestions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them in writing in advance, where possible, to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 5.\tConclusions (F. Ferrini) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB The minutes of the 2006 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+4122)767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch)

  8. General meeting of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN Pension Fund

    2010-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Council Room on Monday 6 September 2010 from 14:00 to 16:30 p.m. The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks - F. Ferrini Presentation of the 2009 Financial Statements - T. Economou Copies of the 2009 Financial Statements are available from Departmental Secretariats. Management Update - T. Economou Report by the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board - F. Ferrini Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to the Secretariat of the Pension Fund. Conclusions - F. Ferrini As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB\tThe minutes of the 2009 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. + 41 22 767 27 42 ; e-mail Barbara.Brugger@cern.ch)

  9. Board diversity and self-regulation in Dutch pension funds

    OpenAIRE

    Shi, Lin; Swinkels, Laurens; Lecq, Fieke

    2016-01-01

    markdownabstractPurpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the change in pension fund board diversity after self-regulation was introduced, and investigate which pension fund characteristics influence compliance with self-regulation. In addition, the authors analyze whether compliance might be achieved by tokenism. Design/methodology/approach - The authors hand-collect pension fund and pension fund board data of the largest (by assets) 200 pension funds in the Netherlands. The authors ...

  10. Mandatory portfolio disclosure, stock liquidity, and mutual fund performance

    OpenAIRE

    Agarwal, Vikas; Mullally, Kevin Andrew; Tang, Yuehua; Yang, Baozhong

    2014-01-01

    We examine the impact of mandatory portfolio disclosure by mutual funds on stock liquidity and fund performance. We develop a model of informed trading with disclosure and test its predictions using the SEC regulation in May 2004 requiring more frequent disclosure. Stocks with higher fund ownership, especially those held by more informed funds or subject to greater information asymmetry, experience larger increases in liquidity after the regulation change. More informed funds, especially thos...

  11. Examining to what extent the source of competitive funding influences scientific impact. A case study of Danish EU FP7 funded projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryan, Thomas K.; Schneider, J.W.

    2016-07-01

    To many researchers the ability to secure external competitive funding is a basic premise for engaging in substantial research activities and subsequent career progression. In many countries competitive funding is increasingly incentivised, but like other social activities in science, funding success is skewed with marked cumulative advantages to those who already have (Merton, 1968). The ability to obtain competitive funding is clearly connected with prestige, nevertheless, while “money is money”, funding instruments supporting “curiositydriven”, “blue sky” research1 may still be more appealing and prestigious to many researchers. Such funding instruments are typically less restrictive in their calls on matters such as research topics, collaborative requirements and societal impact. The latter requirements are often present in more strategic funding programmes and especially the European Framework Programmes have stipulated a social contract between science and society in Europe, increasingly requiring research to be oriented towards addressing social, economic, cultural, and political challenges. Application for such “challenged-oriented” international research funding is perceived by some as over-complicated and too resource demanding and anecdotal evidence from Denmark suggests that high performing research groups opt to bypass such calls because they prefer and indeed are able to secure sufficient “curiosity-driven” funding with less obligations (UFM Report, 2015). (Author)

  12. Targeted Technology Transfer to US Independents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schatzinger, Viola [Petroleum Tech. Transfer Council, Tulsa, OK (United States); Chapman, Kathy [Petroleum Tech. Transfer Council, Tulsa, OK (United States); Lovendahl, Kristi [Petroleum Tech. Transfer Council, Tulsa, OK (United States)

    2014-09-30

    The Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) is a unique not-for-profit network that focuses on transferring Exploration and Production (E&P) technology to the domestic oil and natural gas producing industry. PTTC connects producers, technology providers and innovators, academia, research and development (R&D) consortiums and governments. Local affordable workshops delivered by Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs), which are typically a university or geological survey, are a primary tool. PTTC also maintains a website network, issues a national newsletter, provides a column in a major trade publication, and exhibits at major industry events. It also encourages industry to ask technology-related questions, striving to find relevant answers that will save questioners significant time. Working since late 1993, the PTTC network has a proven track record of providing industry with technology insights they can apply. Volunteers at the regional and national level provide key guidance regarding where to focus technical effort and help connect PTTC with industry. At historical funding levels, PTTC had been able to hold well more than 100 workshops per year, drawing 6,000+ attendees. As funding decreased in the early 2000s, the level of activity decreased and PTTC sought a merger with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), becoming an AAPG-managed organization at the start of FY08. This relationship with AAPG was terminated by mutual consent in May 2011 and PTTC once again operates independently. Chris Hall, California continued to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors until December 2013. At the time PTTC reorganized into a RLO led organization with Mary Carr and Jeremy Viscomi as co-Executive Directors. Jerry Anderson became the Chairman of the PTTC Board of Directors and Chris Hall continues to serve on the Board. Workshop activity stabilized at 55-65 workshops per year averaging 3,100 attendees. FY14 represented the fifth year in a multi

  13. 26 CFR 701.9006-1 - Presidential Election Campaign Fund.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 20 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Presidential Election Campaign Fund. 701.9006-1...) INTERNAL REVENUE PRACTICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND § 701.9006-1 Presidential Election Campaign Fund. (a) Transfer of amounts to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. The Secretary shall determine...

  14. Funding of Geosciences: Coordinating National and International Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bye, B.; Fontaine, K. S.

    2012-12-01

    Funding is an important element of national as well as international policy for Earth observations. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS. The lack of dedicated funding to support specific S&T activities in support of GEOSS is one of the most important obstacles to engaging the S&T communities in its implementation. This problem can be addressed by establishing explicit linkages between research and development programmes funded by GEO Members and Participating Organizations and GEOSS. In appropriate funding programs, these links may take the form of requiring explanations of how projects to be funded will interface with GEOSS and ensuring that demonstrating significant relevance for GEOSS is viewed as an asset of these proposals, requiring registration of Earth observing systems developed in these projects, or stipulating that data and products must adhere to the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles. Examples of Earth observations include: - Measurements from ground-based, in situ monitors; - Observations from Earth satellites; - Products and predictive capabilities from Earth system models, often using the capabilities of high-performance computers; - Scientific knowledge about the Earth system; and, - Data visualization techniques. These examples of Earth observations activities requires different types of resources, R&D top-down, bottom-up funding and programs of various sizes. Where innovation and infrastructure are involved different kind of resources are better suited, for developing countries completely other sources of funding are applicable etc. The European Commission funded Egida project is coordinating the development of a funding mechanism based on current national and international funding instruments such as the European ERANet, the new Joint Programming Initiatives, ESFRI as well as other European and non-European instruments. A general introduction to various

  15. Venture funding for science-based African health innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daar Abdallah S

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background While venture funding has been applied to biotechnology and health in high-income countries, it is still nascent in these fields in developing countries, and particularly in Africa. Yet the need for implementing innovative solutions to health challenges is greatest in Africa, with its enormous burden of communicable disease. Issues such as risk, investment opportunities, return on investment requirements, and quantifying health impact are critical in assessing venture capital’s potential for supporting health innovation. This paper uses lessons learned from five venture capital firms from Kenya, South Africa, China, India, and the US to suggest design principles for African health venture funds. Discussion The case study method was used to explore relevant funds, and lessons for the African context. The health venture funds in this study included publicly-owned organizations, corporations, social enterprises, and subsidiaries of foreign venture firms. The size and type of investments varied widely. The primary investor in four funds was the International Finance Corporation. Three of the funds aimed primarily for financial returns, one aimed primarily for social and health returns, and one had mixed aims. Lessons learned include the importance of measuring and supporting both social and financial returns; the need to engage both upstream capital such as government risk-funding and downstream capital from the private sector; and the existence of many challenges including difficulty of raising capital, low human resource capacity, regulatory barriers, and risky business environments. Based on these lessons, design principles for appropriate venture funding are suggested. Summary Based on the cases studied and relevant experiences elsewhere, there is a case for venture funding as one support mechanism for science-based African health innovation, with opportunities for risk-tolerant investors to make financial as well as social

  16. Spillover Effects of Marketing in Mutual Fund Families

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.J.C.M. Verbeek (Marno); J.J. Huij (Joop)

    2007-01-01

    textabstractThis paper investigates the presence of spillover effects of marketing in mutual fund families. We find that funds with high marketing expenses generate spillovers, and enhance cash inflows to family members with low marketing expenses. In particular, low-marketing funds that are

  17. 48 CFR 3432.771 - Provision for incremental funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Provision for incremental funding. 3432.771 Section 3432.771 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION..., Incremental Funding, in a solicitation if a cost-reimbursement contract using incremental funding is...

  18. THE IMPACT OF THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND ON SMES – EVIDENCE FROM ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciocoiu Cristina-Elena

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available As the first programming period for Romania is reaching its end, more information becomes available regarding the effects of the European Union funds on the Romanian economy. Going beyond the mathematical absorption rate, it is important to analyse these effects, especially with regard to the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, in order to improve the future implementation documents for 2014-2020. The purpose of this article is to measure the impact of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, granted within one of the 2007-2013 operational programmes, on the net turnover, number of staff and gross profit of the small and medium-sized enterprises from one Romanian county – Iasi. Overcoming the difficulties of gathering reliable data, the empirical research presented in this article tests three hypotheses. The first one is that the EU funding provided to an SME leads to an increase in its net turnover, number of staff and gross profit. The second hypothesis is that there is a direct relationship between the amount of the grant given to an SME and the evolution of the three previously mentioned parameters. The third and last tested hypothesis is that the SMEs that implemented more than one EU-funded project have a better evolution than the ones that implemented only one. The conclusions of our study include recommendations for the implementation guides that are currently being drafted by the responsible national authorities. They also include suggestions with regard to the availability of data concerning the EU-funded projects, especially in the context of the new requirements of the European Union regarding e-cohesion and information and communication. In this context, we also explore the potential benefits of implementing projects that complement each other instead of independent projects. As such, the research presented in this article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of the EU regional development policy

  19. Decentralised Portfolio Management: Analysis of Australian Accumulation Funds

    OpenAIRE

    Hazel Bateman; Susan Thorp

    2005-01-01

    In Australia, pension fund trustees choose investment managers on behalf of members. We investigate the structure and performance of delegated investment choice in the Australian retirement incomes sector. We find that funds where trustees employ many managers generate higher risk-adjusted returns over the 3 year sample than those with few, but funds with 13 or fewer managers show no improvement over funds with a single diversified manager. All do worse than a benchmark portfolio of asset cla...

  20. Unconventional funding of urban public transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ubbels, B.J.; Nijkamp, P.

    2002-01-01

    In the past decade public authorities have developed a wealth of creative funding mechanisms to support transit systems. This paper offers a taxonomy of various unconventional funding mechanisms (i.e. outside the domain of charges for transit passengers or general taxation schemes), based on a

  1. 78 FR 69143 - Guggenheim Equal Weight Enhanced Equity Income Fund and Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisers, LLC...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-18

    ... designed to ensure that all notices required to be sent to a Fund's shareholders pursuant to section 19(a... graphical format: (1) The amount of the distribution, on a per common share basis, together with the amounts... history of operations is less than five years, the time period commencing immediately following the Fund's...

  2. 25 CFR 39.102 - What is academic base funding?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is academic base funding? 39.102 Section 39.102... PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Base and Supplemental Funding § 39.102 What is academic base funding? Academic base funding is the ADM times the weighted student unit. ...

  3. Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2009

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-05-22

    are funded through the NIH Management Fund, financed by taps on other NIH appropriations.) President Bush’s FY2009 budget proposal gave most of the... Alchemy of the 21st Century,” remarks, Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science Fourth Annual Conference, Austin, Texas, January 4, 2007...significant decrease in financing for MEP. Funding for in-house research and development under the Scientific and Technology Research and Services (STRS

  4. Problems of Funding Russian Colleges and the Budget Reform

    OpenAIRE

    Svetlana Soljannikova

    2006-01-01

    The government policy in the sphere of funding colleges should pursue the following two goals: first, to improve the mechanism of funding colleges from the budget, and second, to diversify the sources of funding for the sector. The article analyzes different means and models for the funding of colleges. The drawbacks of the current mechanism for funding colleges from the budget are considered, and the reasons for these problems are discussed. The problems of establishing standards of per capi...

  5. 76 FR 30286 - Community Development Revolving Loan Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-25

    ... Revolving Loan Fund AGENCY: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY..., evaluates, and acts on credit union applications seeking loans and technical assistance grants from the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund (CDRLF or Fund). The proposed changes update the current rule to...

  6. A Continuous Improvement Capital Funding Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Matt

    2001-01-01

    Describes a capital funding model that helps assess facility renewal needs in a way that minimizes resources while maximizing results. The article explains the sub-components of a continuous improvement capital funding model, including budgeting processes for finish renewal, building performance renewal, and critical outcome. (GR)

  7. Legislative Update: Georgia School Funding Update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, C. Thomas; Sielke, Catherine C.

    2000-01-01

    Fully 40 percent ($5 billion) of Georgia's FY 2000 general funds budget is for K-12 education. There is increased funding for a homestead exemption, expansion of the HOPE (higher education) Scholarship Program, capital outlay projects, remedial assistance programs, and instruction of limited-English speaking students. (MLH)

  8. Toward advising SME's on stacked funding

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rauwerda, Kirsten; van Teeffelen, Lex; de Graaf, Frank Jan

    2017-01-01

    This paper addresses new funding issues faced by SMEs. Over a period of nine months, the authors conducted a preliminary study into the problems surrounding stacked funding faced by SMEs and their financial advisers. The study includes a short literature review, the outcomes of three round table

  9. PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    Administration of the Fund

    2001-01-01

    The Administration of the Fund has just signed a contract with the 'La Suisse' insurance company, making life insurance available to persons leaving CERN under very similar conditions to those offered to the members of the CERN personnel. From now on, persons retiring from the Organization will be able to take out this new insurance at the moment of retirement, provided that they have been members of CERN's collective life insurance scheme for the last five years of service. Exceptionally, until the end of 2001, 'La Suisse' has agreed to allow persons who are already retired to take out this insurance, provided that they are less than 70 years old and subject to their state of health (health questionnaire to be completed) and with a maximum insured amount set at 150,000 CHF. We therefore invite any retired persons interested in this insurance to consult the detailed terms and conditions, either on the Pension Fund's Web site (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/pensions) or contacting to the Administration of the Fun...

  10. Performance of Mutual Funds In INDIA: 2000 - 2006.

    OpenAIRE

    Kabra, Krishna

    2006-01-01

    Numerous scholarly researches have been carried out to evaluate the performance of mutual funds. These researches may differ in time period but most studies conclude that mutual funds on average have failed to outperform the market and therefore the efficient market hypothesis holds good. This research is carried out to evaluate the performance of 20 surviving diversified equity growth mutual funds for the period of 6 years from July 2000 to June 2006. The data of the fund is collected on Mon...

  11. Seasonal asset allocation: Evidence from mutual fund flows

    OpenAIRE

    Kamstra, Mark J.; Kramer, Lisa A.; Levi, Maurice D.; Wermers, Russ

    2013-01-01

    Over the past 30 years, mutual funds have become the dominant vehicle through which individual investors prepare for retirement via defined contribution plans. Further, money market mutual funds, which hold $2.7 trillion as of September 2013, are now a major part of the cash economy in the U.S. Accordingly, the flow of money to and from different mutual fund categories (e.g., equities vs. money funds) increasingly reflects the sentiment or risk aversion of the general population. In this stud...

  12. Souverinity Wealth Funds (Swfs): Kapitalisme Baru oleh Negara?

    OpenAIRE

    -, Ambarwati

    2011-01-01

    A sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) is a state-owned investment fund composed of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, property, precious metals or other financial instruments. Its invest globally and have been around for decades but since 2000, the number of sovereign wealth funds has increased dramatically. This article try to understand what is SWFs, Why does a nation need SWFs, and try to understand the position of SWFs in the global financial market. Key words: sovereign wealth funds a...

  13. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Document Server

    2001-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its ninety-ninth meeting on 6 March. On that occasion, it examined the assets-liabilities management report presented by Professor Guus E. Boender and Mr H. Steehouwer of the firm ORTEC of Rotterdam. The first part of the presentation of the report consisted of a general introduction to the principles of an assets-liabilities management study, its mechanisms and its goals. Professor Boender particularly underlined the importance of such studies which are based on a probabilistic approach to determine the trend in the long-term financial position of a pension fund in a dynamic context. For bodies responsible for ensuring that the prerequisites for a balanced pension fund exist, the assets-liabilities management study provides the opportunity, on the basis of a large number of financial scenarios, to assess the risks of insufficient asset cover to meet a pension fund's long-term commitments and to identify measures for remedying it. The second part of the presentatio...

  14. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 143rd meeting on 11 April 2006. The Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor F. Ferrini, reported on the meetings of the CERN Finance Committee and Council on 15 and 16 March. On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the CERN Council had approved the amendments to Administrative Circular No. 14 (Protection of the members of the personnel against the financial consequences of illness, accident and disability) and the resulting amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund. The new provisions will enter into force on 1st July 2006. Professor Ferrini also underlined that the Finance Committee had taken note of a document prepared by the CERN Management regarding the Organization's debt to the Pension Fund. Given that the Organization's debt to the Pension Fund has grown constantly over the last twenty years, and that it represents a burden on the Laboratory's future budgets, the Management wishes to reimburse the debt as rapidly as possible...

  15. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Main Auditorium on Thursday 8 November 2007 at 2 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks (F. Ferrini) 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2006 (C. Cuénoud) (Copies of the 2006 Report are available from Departmental secretariats). 3.\tNew Governance of the Pension Fund (D. Duret) 4.\tQuestions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them in writing in advance, where possible, to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 5.\tConclusions (F. Ferrini) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB The minutes of the 2006 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+ 41 22) 767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch)

  16. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held in the CERN Main Auditorium on Thursday 8 November 2007 at 2 p.m. The Agenda comprises: 1.\tOpening Remarks (F. Ferrini) 2.\tResults and presentation of the Annual Report 2006 (C. Cuénoud) (Copies of the 2006 Report are available from Departmental secretariats). 3.\tNew Governance of the Pension Fund (D. Duret) 4.\tQuestions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them in writing in advance, where possible, to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 5.\tConclusions (F. Ferrini) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the Meeting. NB The minutes of the 2006 General Meeting are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel. + 41 22 767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch)

  17. Governing Board of the Pension Fund

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 6 October 2004 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: Opening Remarks (J. Bezemer) Results and presentation of the Annual Report 2003, and global situation of provident institutions (C. Cuénoud) Copies of the 2003 Report are available from departmental secretariats. The 2004 Actuarial Study (J.-P. Matheys) Questions from members and beneficiaries Persons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. Conclusions (J. Bezemer) As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2003 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund (tel.(+4122)767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch) SOME ASPECTS OF THE FUND'S ACTIVITIES IN 2003 The Governing Board (at 31 December 2003) Members Appointed by J. Be...

  18. GOVERNING BOARD OF THE PENSION FUND

    CERN Multimedia

    2000-01-01

    The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its ninety-first meeting on 1st February 2000. A special morning session was devoted to questions concerning the asset allocation of pension funds. This subject was presented by J.-F. Boulier, research and management director at Sinopia in Paris, a subsidiary of the Crédit Commercial de France. Mr Boulier first presented the general context surrounding pension funds in Europe. He underlined the significant differences between the various European countries in the development of pension funds and their effects on the financial markets. He also addressed the long-term profitability of the different types of investment and, in the same connection, the essential role played by the time horizon inequity investments in not only achieving a positive real return but also exceeding the results of the other forms of investment. The last part of his presentation covered management strategies and the impact of an improvement in performance on the technical balance o...

  19. Use of target-date funds in 401(k) plans, 2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Copeland, Craig

    2009-03-01

    WHAT THEY ARE: Target-date funds (also called "life-cycle" funds) are a type of mutual fund that automatically rebalances its asset allocation following a predetermined pattern over time. They typically rebalance to more conservative and income-producing assets as the participant's target date of retirement approaches. WHY THEY'RE IMPORTANT AND GROWING: Of the 401(k) plan participants in the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database who were found to be in plans that offeredtarget-date funds, 37 percent had at least some fraction of their account in target-date funds in 2007. Target-date funds held about 7 percent of total assets in 401(k) plans and the use of these funds is expected to increase in the future. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 made it easier for plan sponsors to automatically enroll new workers in a 401(k) plan, and target-date funds were one of the types of approved funds specified for a "default" investment if the participant does not elect a choice. BRI/ICI 401(K) DATABASE: This study uses the unique richness of the data in the EBRI/ICI Participant-Directed Retirement Plan Data Collection Project, which has almost 22 million participants, to examine the choices and characteristics of participants whose plans offer target-date funds. EFFECT OF AGE, SALARY, JOB TENURE, AND ACCOUNT BALANCE: Younger workers are significantly more likely to invest in target-date funds than are older workers: Almost 44 percent of participants under age 30 had assets in a target-date fund, compared with 27 percent of those 60 or older. Target-date funds appeal to those with lower incomes, little time on the job, and with few assets. On average, target-date fund investors are about 2.5 years younger than those who do not invest in target-date funds, have about 3.5 years less tenure, make about $11,000 less in salary, have $25,000 less in their account, and are in smaller plans. EFFECT OF AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT: While the EBRI/ICI database does not contain specific information on whether

  20. Estimation of skill of Russian mutual fund managers

    OpenAIRE

    Parshakov, Petr

    2015-01-01

    Our work is focused on Russian mutual funds managers’ skills versus luck estimating. Using bootstrap procedure we build Jensen’s alpha density for each fund. We find that only 5% of Russian equity mutual funds do have skills (in contrast to luck) to outperform the benchmark.