Uranium enrichment conference on modified contract option, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, July 22, 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

The questions and answers presented in this document originated at an industry-wide meeting sponsored by the Energy Research and Development Administration held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on July 22, 1975, to discuss features and provisions of an ERDA plan to adjust contracts held by firms receiving uranium enriching services from ERDA. On June 19, 1975, ERDA announced terms of an expanded contract modification plan. The modified contract option broadened a previous plan proposed on January 15, 1975, by the former Atomic Energy Commission. The meeting in Oak Ridge on July 22, 1975, was designed to provide additional information on the expanded contract option and to offer ample opportunity for questions and answers prior to August 18, 1975, by which time enriching services customers who chose the one-time option had to so notify ERDA. The meeting included presentations by officials of ERDA Headquarters and ERDA's Oak Ridge Operations on the features of the contract adjustment offer, including provisions for contract termination in whole, separative work schedule adjustments, and uranium feed delivery schedule relaxation. (auth)

Option Agreement and the Promise to Contract as Established in the New Romanian Civil Code

OpenAIRE

Ilie,Urs

2013-01-01

In the Romanian private law, the option agreement is not a unilateral promise to sell, neither a variety of the unilateral promise to sell, but a contract with an option right. The option agreement is a contract with an option right, under which one of the parties shall undertake to stick to its offer to enter into a given contract, as he has already consented to that, whereas the other party, the beneficiary, shall be entitled to accept or refuse the offer; the use of the acceptance right is...

Options: the value of flexibilities in long term uranium contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Major-Sosias, M.A.

1996-01-01

It has been commonplace for uranium suppliers to offer utilities long-term contracts with significant quantity flexibilities. These are attractive to the utility for which the consumption of fuel is dependent on variable reactor performance and have given the suppliers an additional competitive tool. The return to a uranium market in which near-term supply is likely to be tight is a disincentive to suppliers to offer new contracts with flexibilities. Typical recent flexibility offers have been significantly less generous than in the past. A methodology is outlined which can be used to give a theoretical estimate of the value of the flexibility provision to the supplier and buyer. It is based on the similarity between flexibility provision and option contracts in the securities and commodity markets. By regarding flexibilities as ''embedded options'' it is possible to apply to them the Black-Scholes option pricing formula as long as the necessary inputs, such as the price of uranium, the loan rate and the volatility, are available. The formula does have its shortfalls, however; in particular, it cannot incorporate the political perturbations that are continually taking place in the uranium industry. (13 figures, 15 references). (UK)

48 CFR 1552.217-74 - Option for increased quantity-cost-plus-award-fee contract.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... quantity-cost-plus-award-fee contract. 1552.217-74 Section 1552.217-74 Federal Acquisition Regulations... Texts of Provisions and Clauses 1552.217-74 Option for increased quantity—cost-plus-award-fee contract. As prescribed in 1517.208(e), insert this contract clause in cost-plus-award-fee term contracts when...

48 CFR 52.222-43 - Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Act-Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... and Service Contract Act-Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts). 52.222-43 Section 52... Standards Act and Service Contract Act—Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts). As prescribed in 22.1006(c)(1), insert the following clause: Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Act...

Pricing of contract options for electric power; Precificacao de contrato de opcoes de energia eletrica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Leticia; Gunn, Laura Keiko; Correia, Paulo B. [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (FEM/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Fac. de Engenharia Mecanica. Dept. de Energia

2008-07-01

The reorganization of the electric sector has improved the opportunity of energy trade through contracts, which have to be considered on the risk evaluation for generating companies. Different types of contracts have been used in electric energy commercialization. This work develops a model for option contract pricing. The classic model of options pricing used in the financial market is based in Black- Scholes. Due to the inherent feature of the Brazilian electrical system, with a strong predominance of hydroelectricity, the seasonal swing of the electricity price is the main source of contractual risk. So, the Black-Scholes model very is not adjusted. To deal with the uncertainties, this work uses an approach based on analysis of scenarios and binomial trees. Case studies are analyzed with binomial tree to calculate the price of the option contract. (author)

Options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoehne, Niklas; Phylipsen, Dian; Ullrich, Simone; Blok, Kornelis

2005-02-15

This study assesses available options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The study includes the following sections: An introduction, an overview of proposals and establishing a network, analysis of interests of countries, selected country case studies, an overview of the issues to be considered, options for adaptation to climate change, a new approach ''Common but Differentiated Convergence'', an update of the Triptych approach, a comprehensive compromise proposal, the comparison of emission allowances under various approaches and a negotiation strategy for the EU and Germany. (orig.)

Options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoehne, Niklas; Phylipsen, Dian; Ullrich, Simone; Blok, Kornelis

2005-02-15

This study assesses available options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The study includes the following sections: An introduction, an overview of proposals and establishing a network, analysis of interests of countries, selected country case studies, an overview of the issues to be considered, options for adaptation to climate change, a new approach ''Common but Differentiated Convergence'', an update of the Triptych approach, a comprehensive compromise proposal, the comparison of emission allowances under various approaches and a negotiation strategy for the EU and Germany. (orig.)

Real options theory to the pricing of allowances contract to carbon emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horii, Leticia Takahashi; Parente, Virginia; Goldemberg, Jose

2010-01-01

The objective of this work is to develop a pricing model contract for allowances to emit carbon through Real Options. Emissions allowances are equivalent tons of carbon traded between Annex I countries from companies that have the ability to reduce their emissions beyond what is assigned to it. The surplus of emission reductions produced by these companies may be sold in the emissions market. Thus, this work can contribute to improving the management of contractual risk and enable companies estimated the price at which a contract can be signed. Properly evaluate the contracts that the market environment is a challenge for companies. The historic low of information and randomness in the price of carbon allowances in the spot market suggest extreme caution in its use. (author)

Important characteristics and constitutional law basis of the optional instrument for European contract law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvija Petrić

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper is dedicated to the analysis of the optional instrument for European contract law as one of the measures which the European Commission suggests within the framework of the initiative of European contract law. It is about the system of general rules of contract law and particular rules for those contracts which are the most important for the functioning of a unified European market. The paper analyses the reasons for suggesting such measures, the basic characteristics and purpose, possible ways of application, potential content and structure, its relation to other Acts and measures of community law, and, in particular, the possible constitutional law basis for the bringing in of such an act of Community law.

Technical Analysis of SSP-21 Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bromberger, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-06-09

As part of the California Energy Systems for the Twenty-First Century (CES-21) program, in December 2016 San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) contracted with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to perform an independent verification and validation (IV&V) of a white paper describing their Secure SCADA Protocol for the Twenty-First Century (SSP-21) in order to analyze the effectiveness and propriety of cryptographic protocol use within the SSP-21 specification. SSP-21 is designed to use cryptographic protocols to provide (optional) encryption, authentication, and nonrepudiation, among other capabilities. The cryptographic protocols to be used reflect current industry standards; future versions of SSP-21 will use other advanced technologies to provide a subset of security services.

48 CFR 17.107 - Options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Options. 17.107 Section 17... CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Multiyear Contracting 17.107 Options. Benefits may accrue by including options in a multiyear contract. In that event, contracting officers must follow the requirements...

An argument for South Africa's Accession to the Optional Protocol to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tina

Law. Email: nicholasorago@gmail.com. The article is based in part on a paper written for the. Ratification Campaign for South Africa's Ratification of the International Covenant on Economic,. Social and Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol. 1. Final Act of the International Conference on Human Rights (1968) para 13, ...

An argument for South Africa's accession to the optional protocol to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An argument for South Africa's accession to the optional protocol to the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights in the light of its importance ... However, despite the doctrine of indivisibility, civil and political rights (CPRs) have for a long time been treated as being enforceable judicially at the national, ...

Army Contracting: Training and Guidance Needed to Ensure Appropriate Use of the Option to Extend Services Clause

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-28

reproduce this material separately. The Government Accountability Office, the audit , evaluation, and investigative arm of...Executive Director Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal Army Contracting: Training and Guidance Needed to Ensure Appropriate Use of the Option to...which this report is based in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the

48 CFR 317.107 - Options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Options. 317.107 Section... CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Multi-year Contracting 317.107 Options. When used as part of a multi-year contract, options shall not be used to extend the performance of the original requirement for...

48 CFR 1517.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Exercise of options. 1517... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 1517.207 Exercise of options. (a) Unless otherwise approved by the Chief of the Contracting Office, contracts for services employing option...

48 CFR 3017.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 3017.202... ACQUISITION REGULATION (HSAR) CONTRACT METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options. 3017.202 Use of options. (a) Contracting officers shall not use unpriced options. ...

48 CFR 2917.207 - Exercising options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercising options. 2917... AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 2917.207 Exercising options. The contracting officer must use a standardized determination and finding before exercising an option in accordance with...

48 CFR 3417.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 3417... REGULATION CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 3417.207 Exercise of options. If any provision in a contract requires that an option may only be exercised within a specified...

48 CFR 17.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 17.202... AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 17.202 Use of options. (a) Subject to the..., the contracting officer may include options in contracts when it is in the Government's interest. When...

48 CFR 317.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 317... METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 317.207 Exercise of options. (h) Before exercising an option for a subsequent performance period/additional quantity under a multiple-year contract...

48 CFR 17.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 17... METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 17.207 Exercise of options. (a) When exercising an option, the contracting officer shall provide written notice to the contractor within the time...

48 CFR 817.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 817.202... AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 817.202 Use of options. All solicitations... four one-year renewal options as prescribed in FAR Subpart 17.2. The contracting officer must forward...

48 CFR 217.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 217..., DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 217.207 Exercise of options. (c) In addition to the requirements at FAR 17.207(c), exercise an option only after...

48 CFR 217.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 217.202... OF DEFENSE CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 217.202 Use of options. (1) See PGI 217.202 for guidance on the use of options. (2) See 234.005-1 for limitations on the...

Optional forward contracts for electric power markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gedra, T.W.

1994-01-01

This paper extends the idea of callable forward contracts, which are potentially useful as demand-side (interruptible-load) contracts, to their supply-side analogues. Together, these contracts allow market participants to take advantage of flexibility in generation or consumption to obtain a monetary benefit, while simultaneously removing the risk of market price fluctuations. This paper also considers the effects of strategic behavior on the part of market participants in their contract sales/purchase decisions

Strips of hourly power options. Approximate hedging using average-based forward contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindell, Andreas; Raab, Mikael

2009-01-01

We study approximate hedging strategies for a contingent claim consisting of a strip of independent hourly power options. The payoff of the contingent claim is a sum of the contributing hourly payoffs. As there is no forward market for specific hours, the fundamental problem is to find a reasonable hedge using exchange-traded forward contracts, e.g. average-based monthly contracts. The main result is a simple dynamic hedging strategy that reduces a significant part of the variance. The idea is to decompose the contingent claim into mathematically tractable components and to use empirical estimations to derive hedging deltas. Two benefits of the method are that the technique easily extends to more complex power derivatives and that only a few parameters need to be estimated. The hedging strategy based on the decomposition technique is compared with dynamic delta hedging strategies based on local minimum variance hedging, using a correlated traded asset. (author)

Carbon Capture and Storage and the London Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 100 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects will be required by 2020 and over 3000 by 2050 if CCS is to contribute fully to the least-cost technology portfolio for CO2 mitigation. For CCS to reach its emissions reduction potential, the 2009 IEA publication Technology Roadmap: Carbon Capture and Storage recommends that international legal obstacles associated with global CCS deployment be removed by 2012 -- including the prohibition on transboundary CO2 transfer under the London Protocol. The London Protocol was amended by contracting parties in 2009 to allow for cross-border transportation of CO2 for sub-seabed storage, but the amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of contracting parties to enter into force. It is unlikely that this will occur in the near term; this working paper therefore outlines options that may be available to contracting parties under international law to address the barrier to deployment presented by Article 6, pending formal entry into force of the 2009 amendment.

48 CFR 517.207 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 517... METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 517.207 Exercise of options. Before exercising an option, you must: (a) Synopsize it unless you meet of the following conditions: (1) The option...

"International Criminalisation and Child Welfare Protection": The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Science.gov (United States)

Buck, Trevor

2008-01-01

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography has two overall aims: (i) to strengthen international criminalisation and (ii) to provide welfare protection for child victims. This article reviews the context of the Protocol including the work of the Special…

48 CFR 17.204 - Contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

.... (f) Contracts may express options for increased quantities of supplies or services in terms of (1... identified as the option. (g) Contracts may express extensions of the term of the contract as an amended... on the purchase of additional supplies or services, or the overall duration of the term of the...

Smart contracts sobre Bitcoin

OpenAIRE

Andreu Alemany, Josep Miquel

2016-01-01

El present treball final de màster realitza una introducció als smart contracts. El treball introdueix el concepte de contracte intel·ligent, els seus usos i alguns exemples existents. Seguidament proporciona les nocions necessàries de les transaccions del protocol Bitcoin per poder implementar un contracte intel·ligent, usant la blockchain que ofereix el protocol. Per últim, s'explica la implementació d'un contracte intel·ligent usant bitcoin: un canal de micropagaments. El presente traba...

Polish Toxic Currency Options

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waldemar Gontarski

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Toxic currency options are defined on the basis of the opposition to the nature (essence of an option contract, which is justified in terms of norms founded on the general law clause of characteristics (nature of a relation (which represents an independent premise for imposing restrictions on the freedom of contracts. So-understood toxic currency options are unlawful. Indeed they contravene iuris cogentis regulations. These include for instance option contracts, which are concluded with a bank, if the bank has not informed about option risk before concluding the contract; or the barrier options, which focus only on the protection of bank’s interests. Therefore, such options may appear to be invalid. Therefore, performing contracts for toxic currency options may be qualified as a criminal mismanagement. For the sake of security, the manager should then take into consideration filing a claim for stating invalidity (which can be made in a court verdict. At the same time, if the supervisory board member in a commercial company, who can also be a subject to mismanagement offences, commits an omission involving lack of reaction (for example, if he/she fails to notify of the suspected offence committed by the management board members acting to the company’s detriment when the management board makes the company conclude option contracts which are charged with absolute invalidity the supervisory board member so acting may be considered to act to the company’s detriment. In the most recent Polish jurisprudence and judicature the standard of a “good host” is treated to be the last resort for determining whether the manager’s powers resulting from criminal regulations were performed. The manager of the exporter should not, as a rule, issue any options. Issuing options always means assuming an obligation. In the case of currency put options it is an absolute obligation to purchase a given amount in euro at exchange rate set in advance. On the

Changes in co-contraction during stair descent after manual therapy protocol in knee osteoarthritis: A pilot, single-blind, randomized study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Montecinos, Carlos; Flores-Cartes, Rodrigo; Montt-Rodriguez, Agustín; Pozo, Esteban; Besoaín-Saldaña, Alvaro; Horment-Lara, Giselle

2016-10-01

Manual therapy has shown clinical results in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, the biomechanical aspects during functional tasks have not been explored in depth. Through surface electromyography, the medial and lateral co-contractions of the knee were measured while descending stairs, prior and posterior to applying a manual therapy protocol in the knee, with emphasis on techniques of joint mobilization and soft-tissue management. Sixteen females with slight or moderate knee osteoarthritis were recruited (eight experimental, eight control). It was observed that the lateral co-contraction index of the experimental group, posterior to intervention, increased by 11.7% (p = 0.014). The application of a manual therapy protocol with emphasis on techniques of joint mobilization and soft-tissue management modified lateral co-contraction, which would have a protective effect on the joint. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 517.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 517.202... AND CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 517.202 Use of options. (a) Supplies or services. (1) You should use options when they meet one or more of the following objectives: (i) Reduce...

48 CFR 2917.202 - Use of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Use of options. 2917.202... CONTRACT TYPES SPECIAL CONTRACTING METHODS Options 2917.202 Use of options. The HCA may, in unusual circumstances, approve option quantities in excess of the 50 percent limit prescribed in FAR 17.203(g)(2). The...

Study of impacts of physical contracts and financial contracts on bidding strategies of GENCOs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiaoling Chen; He, Y.; Song, Y.H.

2004-01-01

This paper studies the impacts of physical contracts and financial contracts on the bidding strategies of GENCOs, including Physical Bilateral Contracts, Contracts for Difference (CfDs), Call Options and Put Options under discriminatory pricing mechanism. The integrated bidding decision model is applied, which has three main modules - probabilistic local marginal price simulator, market-oriented unit commitment model and multi-criteria decision system. The numerical results show that the GENCO will choose different bidding strategies if it holds different types of contract. The results also suggest that CfDs have the best performance for risk alleviation. (author)

Price management mechanisms and the gas contract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickson, D.J.

1996-01-01

Pricing objectives and risk management strategies that can be achieved through the proper use of the standard gas contract, were discussed. Main topics of discussion were: (1) gas sales contract and convertible pricing, (2) gas contract and imbedded hedging, gas contracts and exchange traded instruments, (4) gas contracts fixed for floating swaps, and OTC options and exotics, (5) options and exotic price structures, and (6) advantages and disadvantages of using the gas contract versus the swap agreement

14 CFR 380.33a - Operator's option plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Operator's option plan. 380.33a Section 380... option plan. (a) For the purposes of this part, an operator's option plan contract that states... flight leg. (b) Operator's option plan contracts shall state, in addition to the information required by...

Study of Agricultural Product Options Pricing

Science.gov (United States)

HONG, Qiu

2017-09-01

China is a large agricultural country, and the healthy development of agriculture is related to the stability of the whole society. The agricultural production and management of agricultural products are confronted with many risks, especially the market risks. Option contract is the object of option market transaction, so it is very important to study the option contract of agricultural products. Option trading separates the risk and profit, so that the trader can avoid the risk while retaining the opportunity to obtain income. The option has the characteristics of low transaction cost, simple and efficient, so it is suitable for small and medium investors.

An Optional Instrument for European Insurance Contract Law

OpenAIRE

Mandeep Lakhan; Helmut Heiss

2010-01-01

The Principles of European Insurance Contract Law, also referred tousing the acronym PEICL, were published in September 2009. They are the result of ten years of academic work undertaken by the"Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law" Project Group. In the time since its establishment in 1999, the project has been transformed from being a stand-alone project to a part of the CoPECL (Common Principles of European Insurance Contract Law) network, drafting a specific part of the Common Fr...

A Simple Approach to Interest-Rate Option Pricing.

OpenAIRE

Turnbull, Stuart M; Milne, Frank

1991-01-01

A simple introduction to contingent claim valuation of risky assets in a discrete time, stochastic interest-rate economy is provided. Taking the term structure of interest rates as exogenous, closed-form solutions are derived for European options written on (1) Treasury bills, (2) interest-rate forward contracts, (3) interest-rate futures contracts, (4) Treasury bonds, (5) interest-rate caps, (6) stock options, (7) equity forward contracts, (8) equity futures contracts, (9) Eurodollar liabili...

THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: A NEW INSTRUMENT TO ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Courtis

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the adoption of the new Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a means to obtain redress for violations against economic, social and cultural rights in the international sphere – including its potential use for the consideration of the violation of extraterritorial obligations. Keywords: Human rights. Social rights. Violations. Optinal protocol.

OIL AND GAS FUTURES AND OPTIONS MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ante Nosić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Energy mineral resources markets are represented by complex supply and demand ratios which are depending on different factors such as technical (transport and geopolitical. The main specific of energy markets is represented by an uneven geographic distribution of hydrocarbon reserves and exploration on one hand and energy consumption on the other. World oil markets, although geographically localized, because of specific market trade, represent unique global market with decreasing price difference. Price differences are result of development of a transport possibilities of oil supply. Development of transport routes of natural gas and increasing number of liquefied natural gas terminals in the world give pressure to natural gas market and its integration into global gas market. Integration of regional gas markets into a common European gas market is main energy policy of EU concerning natural gas. On the other hand, there are still significant price differences on some markets (e.g. United States of America - South East Asia. Development of global energy markets is enabled by development of a futures and options contracts of an energy trade which have replaced bilateral contract deals between producers and consumers. Futures contracts are standardized contracts traded on exchanges. Buyer agrees to buy certain quantity of stock for an agreed upon price and with some future delivery date. Option is a contract which gives a buyer the option of the right to buy (or sell, depending on the option an asset at predetermined price and at a later date. Stocks price risk can be managed with the purchase and selling futures and options contracts. This paper deals with futures and options energy markets and their market strategies.

48 CFR 536.213-371 - Bids that include options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bids that include options... Contracting for Construction 536.213-371 Bids that include options. (a) Subject to the limitations in paragraph (c) of this section, you may include options in contracts if it is in the Government's interest...

Distributed Energy Implementation Options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shah, Chandralata N [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-13

This presentation covers the options for implementing distributed energy projects. It distinguishes between options available for distributed energy that is government owned versus privately owned, with a focus on the privately owned options including Energy Savings Performance Contract Energy Sales Agreements (ESPC ESAs). The presentation covers the new ESPC ESA Toolkit and other Federal Energy Management Program resources.

Fundamentals of futures, options, basis and derivatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, D. [TD Securities Inc., Toronto, ON (Canada)

1997-08-01

Characteristic features of futures and options contracts, basis differentials and derivatives were defined and explained. A futures contract refers to an exchange-traded supply contract between a buyer and a seller where the buyer is obligated to take delivery and the seller is obligated to provide delivery of a fixed amount of a commodity at a predetermined price at a specified location. In contrast, an option contract gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying commodity at a certain price on or before an agreed date. Basis differential refers to the discount between two distinct delivery points to reflect the relative value of a commodity, such as natural gas, at those points. Advantages and disadvantages of futures and options contacts, the factors affecting options pricing, and basis differentials, and the methods of calculating basis differentials were described. The nature and intricacies of derivatives, their benefits, in particular their use as a tool for the effective management of the volatilities associated with the oil and gas industry were explained. Their shortcomings such as the high liquidity risk, were also described. Examples of derivative transactions were provided to illustrate the interrelationships of futures/options/derivatives, and their role in financial risk management.

Fundamentals of futures, options, basis and derivatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, D.

1997-01-01

Characteristic features of futures and options contracts, basis differentials and derivatives were defined and explained. A futures contract refers to an exchange-traded supply contract between a buyer and a seller where the buyer is obligated to take delivery and the seller is obligated to provide delivery of a fixed amount of a commodity at a predetermined price at a specified location. In contrast, an option contract gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying commodity at a certain price on or before an agreed date. Basis differential refers to the discount between two distinct delivery points to reflect the relative value of a commodity, such as natural gas, at those points. Advantages and disadvantages of futures and options contacts, the factors affecting options pricing, and basis differentials, and the methods of calculating basis differentials were described. The nature and intricacies of derivatives, their benefits, in particular their use as a tool for the effective management of the volatilities associated with the oil and gas industry were explained. Their shortcomings such as the high liquidity risk, were also described. Examples of derivative transactions were provided to illustrate the interrelationships of futures/options/derivatives, and their role in financial risk management

Optional Protocol concerning the compulsory settlement of disputes to the Vienna Convention on civil liability for nuclear damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The document reproduces the text of the Optional Protocol Concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes to the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage which was adopted on 21 May 1963 by the International Conference held in Vienna from 29 April to 19 May 1963. It came into force on 13 May 1999

48 CFR 970.1706-2 - Contract clause.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contract clause. 970.1706... SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS DOE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACTS Special Contracting Methods 970.1706-2 Contract clause. The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 48 CFR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of...

Characteristics of nuclear contracts. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, R.

1976-01-01

While the object of nuclear contracts is specific, these contracts are concluded according to proven techniques based on general regulations on contracts. Following a review of contract classification, they are differentiated according to the nature of the co-contracting parties, the purpose of the contract itself, the procedure for drawing up the contracts, and payment. The operations prior to the contract vary in that they may include a call for tenders, an option for delays or a letter of intent. (NEA) [fr

The Amnesiac Lookback Option: Selectively Monitored Lookback Options and Cryptocurrencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho-Chun Herbert Chang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This study proposes a strategy to make the lookback option cheaper and more practical, and suggests the use of its properties to reduce risk exposure in cryptocurrency markets through blockchain enforced smart contracts and correct for informational inefficiencies surrounding prices and volatility. This paper generalizes partial, discretely-monitored lookback options that dilute premiums by selecting a subset of specified periods to determine payoff, which we call amnesiac lookback options. Prior literature on discretely-monitored lookback options considers the number of periods and assumes equidistant lookback periods in pricing partial lookback options. This study by contrast considers random sampling of lookback periods and compares resulting payoff of the call, put and spread options under floating and fixed strikes. Amnesiac lookbacks are priced with Monte Carlo simulations of Gaussian random walks under equidistant and random periods. Results are compared to analytic and binomial pricing models for the same derivatives. Simulations show diminishing marginal increases to the fair price as the number of selected periods is increased. The returns correspond to a Hill curve whose parameters are set by interest rate and volatility. We demonstrate over-pricing under equidistant monitoring assumptions with error increasing as the lookback periods decrease. An example of a direct implication for event trading is when shock is forecasted but its timing uncertain, equidistant sampling produces a lower error on the true maximum than random choice. We conclude that the instrument provides an ideal space for investors to balance their risk, and as a prime candidate to hedge extreme volatility. We discuss the application of the amnesiac lookback option and path-dependent options to cryptocurrencies and blockchain commodities in the context of smart contracts.

48 CFR 536.270 - Exercise of options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exercise of options. 536... Construction 536.270 Exercise of options. (a) If exercising an option, notify the contractor, in writing, within the time period specified in the contract. (b) Exercise options only after determining that all...

Build-operate-transfer Outsourcing Contracts in Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.; Petersen, Bent

2013-01-01

Build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracting has been widely used in the engineering and construction industry and has recently spread into the service industry domains. Notably, service provider firms from emerging markets, India in particular, are now offering BOT outsourcing contracts in which...... the client firms are allotted call options, i.e. the right, but not the obligation, to transfer pre-specified assets from the service provider. As such, BOT outsourcing contracts seems to be an interesting contractual novelty that combines the advantages of outsourced and captive offshoring operations....... In this paper we investigate under which circumstances a BOT outsourcing contract (i.e. a contract where the client firm exercises its call option) is beneficial, or the opposite, to the emerging market vendor firm. Whether BOT outsourcing contracts are boon or bane to an emerging market vendor basically hinges...

Optimal Lease Contract for Remanufactured Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Iskandar, B. P.; Wangsaputra, R.; Pasaribu, U. S.; Husniah, H.

2018-03-01

In the last two decades, the business of lease products (or equipment) has grown significantly, and many companies acquire equipment through leasing. In this paper, we propose a new lease contract under which a product (or equipment) is leased for a period of time with maximum usage per period (e.g. 1 year). This lease contract has only a time limit but no usage limit. If the total usage per period exceeds the maximum usage allowed in the contract, then the customer (as a lessee) will be charged an additional cost. In general, the lessor (OEM) provides a full coverage of maintenance, which includes PM and CM under the lease contract. It is considered that the lessor offers the lease contract for a remanufactured product. We presume that the price of the lease contract for the remanufactured product is much lower than that of a new one, and hence it would be a more attractive option to the customer. The decision problem for the lessee is to select the best option offered that fits to its requirement, and the decision problem for the lessor is find the optimal maintenance efforts for a given price of the lease option offered. We first find the optimal decisions independently for each party, and then the joint optimal decisions for both parties.

Development and perspectives of principles of european insurance contract law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Keglević

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Summary: Principles of European Insurance Contract Law (PEICL provides for a set of principles, definitions and model rules exclusively addressing general law for insurance contract. This work has been preformed within greater project for the creation of Common frame of reference on European contract law initiated by the Commission in 2003. PEICL is essentially designed to perform two basic functions. It would improve the quality of the EU acquis in the area of contract law, remove differences and achieve higher degree of divergences between contract laws of the Member states, and even help the national legislators when enacting legislation or Courts with the possible interpretation of the acquis. On the other hand PEICL could be adopted as an optional instrument, thus offering the common platform for contracting in the area of insurance law on the EU level. Possible Optional instrument would exist parallel with, rather instead of, national insurance contract laws. European Parliament resolution of 2011 on policy options for progress towards a European Contract Law for consumers and businesses and corresponding Green Paper of 2010 show positive tendency towards optional instrument in the legal form of Regulation. This would suit the requirements of the insurance sector. However, there are numerous signals showing adversely. For that reason this paper analyses the development and the status of Principles of European Insurance Contract Law particularly the status and perspectives of Principles within the project for the creation of European contract law.

Decisions on Energy Demand Response Option Contracts in Smart Grids Based on Activity-Based Costing and Stochastic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfred J. Hildreth

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Smart grids enable a two-way energy demand response capability through which a utility company offers its industrial customers various call options for energy load curtailment. If a customer has the capability to accurately determine whether to accept an offer or not, then in the case of accepting an offer, the customer can earn both an option premium to participate, and a strike price for load curtailments if requested. However, today most manufacturing companies lack the capability to make the correct contract decisions for given offers. This paper proposes a novel decision model based on activity-based costing (ABC and stochastic programming, developed to accurately evaluate the impact of load curtailments and determine as to whether or not to accept an energy load curtailment offer. The proposed model specifically targets state-transition flexible and Quality-of-Service (QoS flexible energy use activities to reduce the peak energy demand rate. An illustrative example with the proposed decision model under a call-option based energy demand response scenario is presented. As shown from the example results, the proposed decision model can be used with emerging smart grid opportunities to provide a competitive advantage to the manufacturing industry.

Value of an option to purchase electric power. The case of uncertain consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhanot, Karan

2002-01-01

Large manufacturers and corporations often purchase options on power to protect themselves against unanticipated price increases. This paper analyzes the impact of uncertainty in power consumption by a corporation on the value of an option to purchase electric power. Because there is no economically viable method to store power, these options are exercised to satisfy immediate consumption needs only. The amount exercised may differ from the maximum amount contracted, which in turn alters the payoffs that accrue to the option contract. We apply a Monte Carlo methodology to show that 'consumption uncertainty' may substantively lower the price of an option contract under different conditions

Perpetual Cancellable American Call Option

OpenAIRE

Emmerling, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

This paper examines the valuation of a generalized American-style option known as a Game-style call option in an infinite time horizon setting. The specifications of this contract allow the writer to terminate the call option at any point in time for a fixed penalty amount paid directly to the holder. Valuation of a perpetual Game-style put option was addressed by Kyprianou (2004) in a Black-Scholes setting on a non-dividend paying asset. Here, we undertake a similar analysis for the perpetua...

41 CFR 101-39.4901 - Obtaining standard and optional forms.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... VEHICLES 39-INTERAGENCY FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 39.49-Forms § 101-39.4901 Obtaining standard and optional... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Obtaining standard and optional forms. 101-39.4901 Section 101-39.4901 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property...

Nova Scotia electricity market : frameworks for renewable energy contracting and cogeneration contracting : discussion document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The recent Electricity Marketplace Governance Committee of Nova Scotia report issued a number of recommendations regarding renewable and cogeneration sales to retail consumers, as well as recommendations for top-up, spill rates and back-up rates to complement the operation of independent generating facilities. This discussion paper examined issues which need to be addressed in order to implement the recommendations. The discussion paper also included recommendations relating to the purchase of cogeneration output by the Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSPI) under long term power purchase agreements. The aim of the paper was to provide a basis for the further discussion of issues in preparation for the development of future rules and regulations. The first part of the document identified ways for buyers and sellers to arrange contracts, as well as issues that need to be addressed at the institutional level to enable arrangements. Options for financial contracts and physical contracts were reviewed.The second part of the document examined pricing issues in the context of both financial and physical contract arrangements. Resolutions for both sets of options were proposed. Energy pricing principles were reviewed, as well as various pricing options and issues related to the analysis of price requirements. It was concluded that in order to support the safe, reliable and economic supply of electricity, the design of the electricity market should enable maximum flexibility in contractual arrangements and facilitate competition in ways that do not harm other parties

Game-Theoretic Models for Usage-based Maintenance Contract

Science.gov (United States)

Husniah, H.; Wangsaputra, R.; Cakravastia, A.; Iskandar, B. P.

2018-03-01

A usage-based maintenance contracts with coordination and non coordination between two parties is studied in this paper. The contract is applied to a dump truck operated in a mining industry. The situation under study is that an agent offers service contract to the owner of the truck after warranty ends. This contract has only a time limit but no usage limit. If the total usage per period exceeds the maximum usage allowed in the contract, then the owner will be charged an additional cost. In general, the agent (Original Equipment Manufacturer/OEM) provides a full coverage of maintenance, which includes PM and CM under the lease contract. The decision problem for the owner is to select the best option offered that fits to its requirement, and the decision problem for the agent is to find the optimal maintenance efforts for a given price of the service option offered. We first find the optimal decisions using coordination scheme and then with non coordination scheme for both parties.

41 CFR 102-194.5 - What is the Standard and Optional Forms Management Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Standard and Optional Forms Management Program? 102-194.5 Section 102-194.5 Public Contracts and Property Management... PROGRAMS 194-STANDARD AND OPTIONAL FORMS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM § 102-194.5 What is the Standard and Optional...

The Trade-off between Liquidity and Precision of Position in Option Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Alexander; Lazarov, Zdravetz

2007-01-01

More liquid financial contracts are claimed to draw trading volume from contracts for which they are close substitutes. We provide the first analysis of how trading volume across existing financial contracts is affected by changes in the factors that govern the degree to which they are substitutes...

Extended Year, Extended Contracts: Increasing Teacher Salary Options.

Science.gov (United States)

Gandara, Patricia

1992-01-01

Reports on an attempt to raise teacher salaries through an extended contract made possible through year-round school schedules. Teacher satisfaction with the 1987 experiment in three California schools (the Orchard Plan) has been high. Elements that have contributed to job satisfaction are discussed. (SLD)

78 FR 59998 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-30

...-Laws. The change will apply only to series of option contracts opened for trading after the effective...-monthly expiration contracts are currently traded with business day expiration dates. These include FLEX... business day of their expiration (i.e., for Friday expirations), or, in the case of an option contract...

76 FR 2934 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-18

... Proprietary transaction fee to $.25 per contract for OEX, XEO, SPX and volatility indexes. This rate would be... in volatility index options $.02 per contract and $.01 per contract for crossed orders. The Exchange...\\ transactions in volatility index options. The Exchange proposes to increase the surcharge fee for volatility...

Heat contracting - a contribution to climate protection, security of supply and competition; Waerme-Contracting - ein Beitrag zu Klimaschutz, Versorgungssicherheit und Wettbewerb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quint, R.P. [GASAG WaermeService GmbH, Berlin (Germany)

2007-08-15

Contracting is an important trump card when it comes to containing the climate change and improving the security of supply - and a promising business field besides. This is an option that should be used more widely considering the ambitious energy efficiency improvement targets of the European Union and Germany, which are set at 20% and 50% percent over the year 1990, respectively. It is moreover an option that pays off. German tenancy law is in urgent need of a reform to make heat contracting more popular. Furthermore, the modernisation of heating systems through contracting should be placed on a level with modernisation effected by the landlord.

New options for purchasing electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-10-01

This guide is intended for small to medium commercial customers in Alberta and explains new options for purchasing electricity. Small to medium customers include corner stores, community centres, schools, small office buildings, and light industrial businesses. In the 1990s, private power producers in Alberta built 3,000 megawatts of new generation, adding 30 per cent more supply to the power grid in the province. Prices in the deregulated electricity market have fluctuated with natural gas prices, changing weather and changing power demands. The competitive electricity market was opened on January 1, 2001 in Alberta, offering consumers purchasing choices such as green power, multi-year contracts, or electricity rates under the Regulated Rate Option (RRO). The RRO was a transition mechanism that will end by December 31, 2003 at which time, small to medium commercial customers will have the option to shop around for competitive electricity contracts that provide a fixed price of power over time, or they can opt to stay with their current supplier and receive a regulated flow-through of market prices. Under the flow-through option, risk of future deferral charges is reduced, but electricity prices will probably change between billing periods. 1 fig

Carbon dioxide removal and tradeable put options at scale

Science.gov (United States)

Lockley, Andrew; Coffman, D.’Maris

2018-05-01

Options are derivative contracts that give the purchaser the right to buy (call options) or sell (put options) a given underlying asset at a particular price at a future date. The purchaser of a put option may exercise the right to sell the asset to the issuer at any point in the future before the expiration of the contract. These rights may be contracted directly between two parties (i.e. over-the-counter), or may be sold publicly on formal exchanges, such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange. If the latter, they are called tradeable put options (TPOs) because they can be bought and sold by third-parties via a secondary market. The World Bank has a Pilot Auction Facility for methane and carbon mediation which uses TPOs in carbon-relevant markets, giving producers (of e.g. forest restoration) a floor price for their product [1]. This enables long-term producer planning. We discuss the potentially broader use of these options contracts in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) markets generally and at scale. We conclude that they can, if priced correctly, encourage rapid investment both in CDR technology and in operational capacity. TPOs could do this without creating the same type of systemic risk associated with other instruments (e.g. long-dated futures). Nevertheless, the widespread use of such instruments potentially creates novel risks. These include the political risk of premature closure [2] (conventionally rendered as ‘counting your chickens before they are hatched’) and the economic risk of overpaying for carbon removal services. These instruments require careful structuring, and do not inoculate the CDR market against regulatory disruption, or political pressure. Accordingly, we note the potential for the development of TPO markets in CDR, but we urge caution in respect of identified risks.

Multifactor valuation models of energy futures and options on futures

Science.gov (United States)

Bertus, Mark J.

The intent of this dissertation is to investigate continuous time pricing models for commodity derivative contracts that consider mean reversion. The motivation for pricing commodity futures and option on futures contracts leads to improved practical risk management techniques in markets where uncertainty is increasing. In the dissertation closed-form solutions to mean reverting one-factor, two-factor, three-factor Brownian motions are developed for futures contracts. These solutions are obtained through risk neutral pricing methods that yield tractable expressions for futures prices, which are linear in the state variables, hence making them attractive for estimation. These functions, however, are expressed in terms of latent variables (i.e. spot prices, convenience yield) which complicate the estimation of the futures pricing equation. To address this complication a discussion on Dynamic factor analysis is given. This procedure documents latent variables using a Kalman filter and illustrations show how this technique may be used for the analysis. In addition, to the futures contracts closed form solutions for two option models are obtained. Solutions to the one- and two-factor models are tailored solutions of the Black-Scholes pricing model. Furthermore, since these contracts are written on the futures contracts, they too are influenced by the same underlying parameters of the state variables used to price the futures contracts. To conclude, the analysis finishes with an investigation of commodity futures options that incorporate random discrete jumps.

An efficient pricing algorithm for swing options based on Fourier cosine expansions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, B.; Oosterlee, C.W.

2013-01-01

Swing options give contract holders the right to modify amounts of future delivery of certain commodities, such as electricity or gas. We assume that these options can be exercised at any time before the end of the contract, and more than once. However, a recovery time between any two consecutive

An efficient pricing algorithm for swing options based on Fourier cosine expansions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B. Zhang (Bo); C.W. Oosterlee (Kees)

2013-01-01

htmlabstractSwing options give contract holders the right to modify amounts of future delivery of certain commodities, such as electricity or gas. We assume that these options can be exercised at any time before the end of the contract, and more than once. However, a recovery time between any two

77 FR 25319 - Commodity Options

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-27

..., merchants, SDs, commodity funds, futures industry organizations, academics and think tanks, a U.S... particular (i.e., optionality in a contract settling by physical delivery that is used to meet varying demand...

Legal Update--The Term Contract Nonrenewal Act.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Stephen B.; Davenport, Linda L.

1982-01-01

The Term Contract Nonrenewal Act, passed by the Texas Legislature in August 1981, provides term contract teachers with the option of a due process hearing before nonrenewal. Specific aspects of this act, dealing with teacher evaluation, notice of nonrenewal, hearings, and decisions and appeals, are reveiwed. (CJ)

Contracting out gas processing : the pros and cons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stout, D.L.

1999-01-01

The impact of competition within the energy industry on the midstream infrastructure was discussed. It was demonstrated that it is no longer necessary to own all or a portion of a processing facility to be a successful exploration company. It is now possible for midstream operators to manage the transmission business, the gas storage sector and the gas processing segment of the industry. Contract options and issues that should be addressed by natural gas producers in determining risks involved in contracting out were summarized. Changes in the industry has greatly expanded the options and opportunities for companies, both upstream and midstream. The industry has been contracting out gas processing for many years. However, the entry into the business of the specialized midstream player should further enhance the producer's options. The ultimate goal for the producer should be to benefit from lower costs, long term offerings, and a reduced need to invest potential exploration capital into non-core processing facilities

Contabilización de Contratos de Futuros, Opciones, Forwards y Swaps (Accounting treatment for future, options, forwards and swap contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vernor Mesén Figueroa

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Un entorno cada vez más dinámico y evolutivo ha dado paso al surgimiento y, por ende, al uso cada vez más frecuente de instrumentos financieros cuya flexibilidad y capacidad de ajuste a las condiciones de mercado permitan a las personas y empresas lograr sus objetivos de operación, inversión y financiamiento. En el contexto antes descrito, los contratos de futuros, opciones, forwards y swaps representan mecanismos cuyas características operativas permiten a sus tenedores el logro de objetivos alternativos tales como la cobertura eficaz de diferentes tipos de riesgos o la obtención de ganancias o pérdidas derivadas de la especulación. El presente artículo pretende reseñar, en forma breve, los mecanismos de operación de los contratos de futuros, opciones, forwards y swaps, para luego enfatizar en los criterios de contabilización que toda entidad o intermediario financiero debe seguir para reconocer los efectos que dichos tipos de contratos tienen sobre su posición financiera, resultados de operación y flujos de efectivo.   ABSTRACT A rapidly changing and evolving environment has given rise and increased the use of financial tools whose flexibility and adjusting capabilities to variable market conditions allow individuals and companies to achieve their operating, investment and financial goals. Within this framework, contracts for futures, options, forwards and swaps provide mechanisms with operating characteristics that allow their tenants to achieve alternative objectives such as the effective coverage of different risks or the attaining of profits or losses as a result of speculation. This article attempts to resume the operating mechanisms of futures, options, forwards and swap contracts and then concentrates into the accounting criteria that must be followed by financial intermediaries or entities to recognize the effects such contracts have on their financial position, operational results and cash flow.

Real options theory to the pricing of allowances contract to carbon emission; Teoria de opcoes reais para a precificacao de contrato de permissoes de emissao de carbono

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horii, Leticia Takahashi; Parente, Virginia; Goldemberg, Jose [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IEE/USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Eletrotecnica e Energia

2010-07-01

The objective of this work is to develop a pricing model contract for allowances to emit carbon through Real Options. Emissions allowances are equivalent tons of carbon traded between Annex I countries from companies that have the ability to reduce their emissions beyond what is assigned to it. The surplus of emission reductions produced by these companies may be sold in the emissions market. Thus, this work can contribute to improving the management of contractual risk and enable companies estimated the price at which a contract can be signed. Properly evaluate the contracts that the market environment is a challenge for companies. The historic low of information and randomness in the price of carbon allowances in the spot market suggest extreme caution in its use. (author)

41 CFR 101-39.004 - Optional operations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...-INTERAGENCY FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 39.0-General Provisions § 101-39.004 Optional operations. Nothing in this part shall preclude the establishment or operation of interagency fleet management systems by GSA or by... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Optional operations. 101...

Using electricity options to hedge against financial risks of power producers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pineda Morente, Salvador; Conejo, Antonio J.

2013-01-01

or unexpected unit failures faced by power producers. A multi-stage stochastic model is described in this tutorial paper to determine the optimal forward and option contracting decisions for a risk-averse power producer. The key features of electricity options to reduce both price and availability risks......As a consequence of competition in electricity markets, a wide variety of financial derivatives have emerged to allow market agents to hedge against risks. Electricity options and forward contracts constitute adequate instruments to manage the financial risks pertaining to price volatility...

48 CFR 52.217-2 - Cancellation Under Multiyear Contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... precluded anticipated benefits of Contractor or subcontractor learning. (g) The claim shall not include— (1...) This contract may include an Option clause with the period for exercising the option limited to the...

Temporary labour contracts

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

The five contracts for Temporary Labour assignments on the CERN site (L020/PE, L 021/PE, L 022/PE, L 023/PE and L 024/PE) approved by the Finance Committee in March 1996 (CERN/FC/3857) reached the end of their initial three-year contractual period at the end of December 1999. At CERN?s request, in September 1999 the Finance Committee approved an extension of these contracts for the year 2000 for a total amount not exceeding 6 000 000 Swiss francs (CERN/FC/4196). In December 1999, one of the five contractors, FIRCROFT, withdrew from its contract for 2000. Following the satisfactory execution of the four remaining contracts during 2000, CERN requests approval to extend them from January 2001 for the second of the two optional years provided for in the original adjudication. The Finance Committee is invited to approve the extension of the existing contracts until 31 December 2001 for a total amount not exceeding 6 000 000 Swiss francs at 2000 prices.

Wind power agreement protocol; Protocole d'accord eolien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-10-01

The aim of this protocol of agreement is to propose to wind turbine fitters some models of contracts allowing the setting up of wind turbines on agricultural lots. These documents, which make an indissociable ensemble, apply to both phases of development of a wind power project: the feasibility study phase, for a duration comprised between 2 and 5 years (studies, administrative procedures, precise definition of the project), and the construction, exploitation and dismantling phase. These documents will serve as common guidelines for both the farmers and the wind turbine designers. Both parties agree to meet together in the future to propose some modifications of these texts if necessary. The four models of contracts are attached to the document: contract for the feasibility study phase, first contract between the landlord and the farmer for the cancellation of the rural lease, second contract between the landlord and the wind power exploitation company for the common right lease, and the third contract between the farmer and the wind power company for the indemnification convention. (J.S.)

The Value and Incentives of Option-based Compensation in Danish Listed Companies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechmann, Ken; Jørgensen, Peter Løchte

2003-01-01

AbstractOver the last decade the Danish corporate environment has experienced a significant increase inthe use of option-based compensation (OBC). This and many other facts are documented in the presentpaper which provides the first insights into the characteristics of the option and warrant cont...... as at firm, personnel group, and individual level. The paper also contains a section which discussesand presents evidence on the incentive effects provided by the option-based compensation contractsadopted by Danish listed companies....... contracts issuedby the complete sample of Danish companies listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.A newly constructed database containing all publicly available information on details of DanishOBC contracts allows us to present, for example, results regarding contract values at an aggregated aswell...

48 CFR 36.702 - Forms for use in contracting for architect-engineer services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... contracting for architect-engineer services. 36.702 Section 36.702 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Standard and Optional Forms for Contracting for Construction, Architect-Engineer Services, and...

Consistency Checking of Web Service Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cambronero, M. Emilia; Okika, Joseph C.; Ravn, Anders Peter

2008-01-01

Behavioural properties are analyzed for web service contracts formulated in Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) and Choreography Description Language (CDL). The key result reported is an automated technique to check consistency between protocol aspects of the contracts. The contracts...... are abstracted to (timed) automata and from there a simulation is set up, which is checked using automated tools for analyzing networks of finite state processes. Here we use the Concurrency Work Bench. The proposed techniques are illustrated with a case study that include otherwise difficult to analyze fault...

Crude oil options market found to be efficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the U.S. crude oil options market operates efficiently and does not overreact. The authors, with the JFK School of Government, studied the crude oil options market under a Department of Energy grant. The current market was created in November 1986 when the New York Mercantile Exchange introduced an options contract for delivery of West Texas intermediate crude futures. it has grown greatly since then

IPv4 and IPv6 protocol compatibility options analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Regina Misevičienė

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The popularity of the internet has led to a very rapid growth of IPv4 (Internet Protocol v4 users. This caused a shortage of IP addresses, so it was created a new version – IPv6 (Internet Protocol v6. Currently, there are two versions of IP for IPv4 and IPv6. Due to the large differences in addressing the protocols IPv4 and IPv6 are incompatible. It is therefore necessary to find ways to move from IPv4 to IPv6. To facilitate the transition from one version to another are developed various mechanisms and strategies. Comparative analysis is done for dual stack, 6to4 tunnel and NAT64 mechanisms in this work. It has helped to reveal the shortcomings of these mechanisms and their application in selection of realization decisions.

Human capital and risk aversion in relational incentive contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kvaloey, Ola

2003-01-01

This paper examines a self-enforced relational incentive contract between a risk neutral principal and a risk averse agent where the agent's human capital is essential in ex post realization of values. I analyse the effect of outside options on the optimal bonus level, showing how the presence of ex post outside options may impede desirable degrees of performance pay. The effect of risk aversion and incentive responsiveness is analysed by allowing for linear contracts. I show that the first order effect of these parameters are the same as in verifiable contracts, but second order effects show that the optimal bonus level's sensitivity to risk aversion and incentive responsiveness increases with the discount factor. The analysis has interesting implications on firm boundaries and specificity choices. (author)

78 FR 19552 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

... that deliver 10 physical shares on SPDR S&P 500 (``SPY''), Apple, Inc. (``AAPL''), SPDR Gold Trust... CBOE Rule 5.5.22. Standard equity and exchange-traded fund (``ETF'') option contracts have a unit of... contract characteristics as standard equity and ETF options, including exercise style. Accordingly, the...

77 FR 20680 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-05

... index options; and $0.40 per contract in volatility index options. The Exchange notes that CBOE Market.... The Exchange also notes that the $0.25 per contract transaction rates for Professionals and Voluntary... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34-66704; File No. SR-CBOE-2012-030] Self...

Bitcoin-NG: A Scalable Blockchain Protocol

OpenAIRE

Eyal, Ittay; Gencer, Adem Efe; Sirer, Emin Gun; van Renesse, Robbert

2015-01-01

Cryptocurrencies, based on and led by Bitcoin, have shown promise as infrastructure for pseudonymous online payments, cheap remittance, trustless digital asset exchange, and smart contracts. However, Bitcoin-derived blockchain protocols have inherent scalability limits that trade-off between throughput and latency and withhold the realization of this potential. This paper presents Bitcoin-NG, a new blockchain protocol designed to scale. Based on Bitcoin's blockchain protocol, Bitcoin-NG is By...

Defense Contracting in Iraq: Issues and Options for Congress

Science.gov (United States)

2008-08-15

9 Rapid Acquisition Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Audits, Investigations, and...01468/]. 5 LOGCAP contracts have been previously awarded for work in Rwanda, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Ecuador, Q atar , Italy, southeastern Europe...Acquisition Methods . Section 811 of the FY2005 National Defense Authorization Act32 grants the Secretary of Defense limited rapid acquisition

Asymmetric Information, Self-selection, and Pricing of Insurance Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Donnelly, Catherine; Englund, Martin Kristian; Nielsen, Jens Perch

2014-01-01

This article presents an optional bonus-malus contract based on a priori risk classification of the underlying insurance contract. By inducing self-selection, the purchase of the bonus-malus contract can be used as a screening device. This gives an even better pricing performance than both...... an experience rating scheme and a classical no-claims bonus system. An application to the Danish automobile insurance market is considered....

On option purchase agreements for new generation capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramesh, V.C.

1996-01-01

Given the increasing competition in the power generation sector, and the resulting uncertainty surrounding long-term investments in new generation projects, utilities are beginning to hedge their risks using financial instruments called options. The purpose of this paper is to explain, in a tutorial fashion, the issues involved in an option contract for new generation capacity (long-term firm energy). Particular emphasis is placed on the valuation of such options. The concepts are explained with illustrative examples

76 FR 27110 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-10

... significant number of series being out-of-the-money. For example, a market participant might have a long... option contract with a 100 share multiplier). Because the temporary procedures allow trading below $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier), the procedures are available for...

Stock Option Compensation and Managerial Turnover

OpenAIRE

Raluca Georgiana NASTASESCU

2009-01-01

This study examines the association between managerial turnover and equity-based compensation. I investigate whether stock options act to bond executives to their firms and whether retention of managers is a motivation of companies in designing CEO incentive contracts. The results show that stock options do negatively influence the probability of a CEO leaving the company. The monetary cost of losing the value of equity-based compensation package keeps the manager with his company. I also fin...

48 CFR 22.404-12 - Labor standards for contracts containing construction requirements and option provisions that...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... contracting officer may include in the contract a separately specified pricing method that permits an... wage determination into the contract, and must apply the specific pricing method to calculate the contract price adjustment. An example of a contract pricing method that the contracting officer might...

76 FR 76788 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-08

... being out-of-the- money. For example, a market participant might have a long position in a call series....01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier). Because the temporary procedures allow trading below $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier...

78 FR 16752 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; International...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-18

... firms have indicated a preference that the premium pricing for Mini Options match what is currently... that they strongly agree with CBOE's request to mimic the pricing convention of standard options with mini-option contract pricing and note that they believe it is appropriate to allow penny-pricing for...

Fuzzy usage pattern in customizing public transport fleet and its maintenance options

Science.gov (United States)

Husniah, H.; Herdiani, L.; Kusmaya; Supriatna, A. K.

2018-05-01

In this paper we study a two-dimensional maintenance contract for a fleet of public transport, such as buses, shuttle etc. The buses are sold with a two-dimensional warranty. The warranty and the maintenance contract are characterized by two parameters – age and usage – which define a two-dimensional region. However, we use one dimensional approach to model these age and usage of the buses. The under-laying maintenance service contracts is the one which offers policy limit cost to protect a service provider (an agent) from over claim and to pursue the owner to do maintenance under specified cost in house. This in turn gives benefit for both the owner of the buses and the agent of service contract. The decision problem for an agent is to determine the optimal price for each option offered, and for the owner is to select the best contract option. We use a Nash game theory formulation in order to obtain a win-win solution – i.e. the optimal price for the agent and the optimal option for the owner. We further assume that there will be three different usage pattern of the buses, i.e. low, medium, and high pattern of the usage rate. In many situations it is often that we face a blur boundary between the adjacent patterns. In this paper we look for the optimal price for the agent and the optimal option for the owner, which minimizes the expected total cost while considering the fuzziness of the usage rate pattern.

The effects of the contract-relax-antagonist-contract form of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on postural stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Edwin E; Rossi, Mark D; Lopez, Richard

2010-07-01

To investigate the effects of the contract-relax-antagonist-contract (CRAC) form of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching, with and without a warm-up, on postural stability. Thirty volunteers (15 men and 15 women, age: 25.17 +/- 5.4 years, height: 173.76 +/- 8.2 cm, and weight: 72.03 +/- 14.87 kg) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: warm-up and stretch (WS), stretching only (SO), and a control condition (CON). Contract-relax-antagonist-contract PNF of the hamstrings, plantar flexors, and hip flexors was performed during WS and SO. A 6-minute treadmill warm-up was applied before CRAC in the WS condition. Measures of anterior/posterior and medial/lateral (M/L) postural stability were taken before and after treatment conditions. A 2 x 3 analysis of variance was used to assess for differences between conditions. Significance was set at p Contract-relax-antagonist-contract form of stretching is a useful protocol for improving M/L stability.

Panel discussion : contract design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vallas, A.; Vegh, G.; McGee, M.; Zaremba, T.; Seshan, A.; Harricks, P.; Bertoldi, L.; Taylor, R.

2003-01-01

This session presented highlights of the comments of 8 panelists who discussed the issue of contract design. The new electricity market in Ontario has introduced the energy trader, who enters into a contract with the consumer, based on the spot price set by the Independent Electricity Market Operator. Every contract has a fixed price payer as well as floating-price payers. If the floating price for a given amount of energy is higher than the fixed price, then the consumer gets the difference. Confusion, however, arises with the purchase of retail physical power in the market, particularly in deciding a fixed rate that the consumer will be paying. Different billing options were also discussed with emphasis on mid to large retail customers that have portfolios in the tens of MW and up to 100 MW or more. figs

Panel discussion : contract design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vallas, A. [Sempra Energy Trading, Toronto, ON (Canada); Vegh, G. [MacLeod Dixon, Toronto, ON (Canada); McGee, M. [Energy Profiles Ltd., Etobicoke, ON (Canada); Zaremba, T. [Direct Energy Marketing, Calgary, AB (Canada); Seshan, A. [Larson and Toubro Information Technology, Toronto, ON (Canada); Harricks, P. [Gowlings, Toronto, ON (Canada); Bertoldi, L. [Borden Ladner Gervais, Toronto, ON (Canada); Taylor, R. [Hydro One Networks Inc., Markham, ON (Canada)

2003-05-01

This session presented highlights of the comments of 8 panelists who discussed the issue of contract design. The new electricity market in Ontario has introduced the energy trader, who enters into a contract with the consumer, based on the spot price set by the Independent Electricity Market Operator. Every contract has a fixed price payer as well as floating-price payers. If the floating price for a given amount of energy is higher than the fixed price, then the consumer gets the difference. Confusion, however, arises with the purchase of retail physical power in the market, particularly in deciding a fixed rate that the consumer will be paying. Different billing options were also discussed with emphasis on mid to large retail customers that have portfolios in the tens of MW and up to 100 MW or more. figs.

Contract Coordination in Dual Sourcing Supply Chain under Supply Disruption Risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong Shu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores a coordination model for a three-echelon supply chain including two different manufacturers, one distributer and one retailer via the combined option and back contracts. And one manufacturer provides the high wholesale price with low supply disruption risk and the other is completely the opposite. This differs from the previous supply chain coordination model. Firstly, supply disruption is added to the three-echelon supply chain. Secondly, considering the coordination of the supply chain, we deploy the combined option and back contracts which are seldom used in the previous study. Furthermore, it is interesting that supply disruption risk and buyback factor do not affect the distributor’s order quantity from the manufacturer who has low product price and unreliable operating ability, while the order quantity increases with the rise of option premium and option strike price. The distributor’s order quantity from the manufacturer, which has high product price and reliable operating ability, increases with the rise of supply disruption risk but decreases when the buyback factor, option premium, and option strike price decrease.

Culture and Contract Laws

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lando, Ole

2007-01-01

In the article it is argued that the wish to preserve the cultural values of national law should not prevent the EU from preparing a Code or an Optional Instrument. The no-code countries on the British Isles and in Scandinavia are the most ardent opponents to the idea of unifying European Contract...... Law by way of a code on Contracts. In both these regions however the absence of a code causes problems. In England a prominent writer has found that the major weakness of the judge-made law is its immense diffusion and the consequent difficulty of access to it and the Nordic countries face the same...

Evaluation of long-term natural gas marketing agreements: An application of commodity forward and option pricing theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salahor, G.S.; Laughton, D.G.

1993-01-01

Methods that have been empirically validated in the analysis of short-term traded securities are adapted to evaluate long-term natural gas direct-sale contracts. A sample contract is examined from the perspective of the producer, and analyzed as a series of forward and option contracts. The assessment of contract value is based on the gas price forecast, the volatility in that forecast, and the valuation of risk caused by that volatility. The method presented allows the gas producer to quantify these elements, and to evaluate the variety of terms encountered in direct-sale natural gas agreements, including features such as load factors and penalty charges. The analysis uses as inputs a probabilistic price forecast and a determination of a price of risk for gas prices. Once the forecast volatility is derived from the probabilistic forecast, the forward contracts imbedded in the long-term gas contract can be valued with a risk-discounting model, and optional aspects can be evaluated using the Black-Scholes option pricing method. 10 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

17 CFR 32.13 - Exemption from prohibition of commodity option transactions for trade options on certain...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... trade option merchant's internal controls with respect to market risk, credit risk, and other risks... disclosure statement: This brief statement does not disclose all of the risks and other significant aspects... futures exchange. You may be able to obtain a similar contract or execute a similar risk management...

Unfair terms in contracts between businesses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hesselink, M.W.; Schulze, R.; Stuyck, J.

2011-01-01

This paper examines the main possible rationales for judicial control of unfair contract terms (unequal bargaining, distributive justice, market failure, paternalism, the ethos of the market, comparative law, and the nature of an optional instrument) and concludes that none of them requires a

Domain-specific reasoning: social contracts, cheating, and perspective change.

Science.gov (United States)

Gigerenzer, G; Hug, K

1992-05-01

What counts as human rationality: reasoning processes that embody content-independent formal theories, such as propositional logic, or reasoning processes that are well designed for solving important adaptive problems? Most theories of human reasoning have been based on content-independent formal rationality, whereas adaptive reasoning, ecological or evolutionary, has been little explored. We elaborate and test an evolutionary approach. Cosmides' (1989) social contract theory, using the Wason selection task. In the first part, we disentangle the theoretical concept of a "social contract" from that of a "cheater-detection algorithm". We demonstrate that the fact that a rule is perceived as a social contract--or a conditional permission or obligation, as Cheng and Holyoak (1985) proposed--is not sufficient to elicit Cosmides' striking results, which we replicated. The crucial issue is not semantic (the meaning of the rule), but pragmatic: whether a person is cued into the perspective of a party who can be cheated. In the second part, we distinguish between social contracts with bilateral and unilateral cheating options. Perspective change in contracts with bilateral cheating options turns P & not-Q responses into not-P & Q responses. The results strongly support social contract theory, contradict availability theory, and cannot be accounted for by pragmatic reasoning schema theory, which lacks the pragmatic concepts of perspectives and cheating detection.

Market-oriented health care reforms: trends and future options.

Science.gov (United States)

van de Ven, W P

1996-09-01

In many (predominantly) publicly financed health care systems market-oriented health care reforms are being implemented or have been proposed. The purpose of these reforms is to make resource allocation in health care more efficient, more innovative and more responsive to consumers preferences while maintaining equity. At the same time, the advances in technology result in a divergence of consumers' preferences with respect to health care and urge society to (re)think about the meaning of the solidarity principle in health care. In this paper we indicate some international trends in health care reforms and explore some potential future options. From an international perspective we can observe a trend towards universal mandatory health insurance, contracts between third-party purchasers and the providers of care, competition among providers of care and a strengthening of primary care. These trends can be expected to continue. A more controversial issue is whether there should also be competition among the third-party purchasers and whether in the long run there will occur a convergence towards some "ideal" model. Although regulated competition in health care can be expected to yield more value for money, it might yield both more efficiency and higher total costs. It has been argued that equity can be maintained in a competitive health care system if we interpret equity as "equal access to cost-effective care within a reasonable period of time". Because the effectiveness of care has to be considered in relation to the medical indication and the condition of the patient, the responsibility for cost-effective care rests primarily with the providers of care. Guidelines and protocols should be developed by the profession and sustained by financial incentives embedded in contracts. It has been argued that the third-party purchasers could start to concentrate on the contracts with the primary care physicians. Contracts with other providers could then be a natural

Manual of contracts for the electricity sector. Contracts that work: Drafting and proper legal application. 2. rev. ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoene, Thomas

2014-01-01

This manual deals fundamentally with the drafting of contracts for the electricity sector. It covers all types of contracts on both the customer and the network side with their various special clauses and variants, specifically: basic supply, substitute supply, supply contracts for private, commercial and industrial special customers as well as redistributors, EFET contracts, network access contracts, supplier framework contracts, feed-in contracts, grid connection contracts and connection use contracts. The manual also addresses questions concerning electricity customer insolvency, an issue of growing importance. The following topics are furthermore dealt with in a practically oriented manner and with care being taken to explain the underlying legal issues in readily understandable language. What basic framework conditions are specified by the new energy economy laws and general civil law? What possibilities are available in drafting contracts and what are the ramifications in each case? What subject matters in a contract are of particular economic significance? How can concession contracts be designed in a market-conforming way when there is strong competition for qualified rights of way? What opportunities and risks are associated with innovative products? What options for action does a supplier have in the event of (threatening) customer insolvency? Model contracts from day-to-day management practice and tips, checklists and cautioning notes round off this manual.

Usage of Option Contracts for Foreign Exchange Risk Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Armeanu

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Today in Romania, in the context of the liberalization of the capital account and under a floating exchange rate (official is a managed floating currency regime established by National Bank of Romania the foreign exchange rate is very volatile. In consequence the financial institutions, corporations and, especially, the importers and exporters have to deal with a big exposition of currency risk related with their activities. Financial institutions and corporations today must adopt new roles in order to compete successfully in the explosively evolving foreign exchange markets. The methods, instruments and techniques used to manage foreign exchange risk are more complex than ever before. The objective of our paper is to provide the techniques and insights needed to pinpoint opportunities and control risks. We will present the most modern practical methods for managing the currency risk: option strategies (spread, strangle, straddle, etc. Also we will present the advantage, the disadvantage and our opinions related with the use of currency derivatives instruments (especially currency strategies options, making a comparative analysis.

On the Techniques and Tools for Privacy-Preserving Smart Contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasia A. Barinova

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Currently, business processes become more and more complicated. Data used in these processes circulates mainly through the digital communications. Due to these conditions some kind of electronic contracts for business deals becomes necessary. Smart contracts should describe a set of conditions, implemented through some events in the real world and digital systems. The most important requirement for this technology is privacy ensuring. In this work we have explored existing projects of privacy-preserving smart contracts, defined comparison criteria, compared projects and made a conclusion about options required for smart contract frameworks.

Do School Boards Still Have Options? The Erosion of Management Authority.

Science.gov (United States)

Lieberman, Myron

1997-01-01

School boards are woefully unprepared to deal with "make or buy" issues, due to massive union efforts to eliminate or restrict board freedom to contract for services. Teachers neither understand nor support a market economy. School boards' contracting out ability will not be secure until favorable legislative options are considered and…

Foundations of Session Types and Behavioural Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huttel, Hans; Lanese, Ivan; T. Vasconcelos, Vasco

2016-01-01

Behavioural type systems, usually associated to concurrent or distributed computations, encompass concepts such as interfaces, communication protocols, and contracts, in addition to the traditional input/output operations. The behavioural type of a software component specifies its expected patter...

75 FR 50950 - Federal Speculative Position Limits for Referenced Energy Contracts and Associated Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-18

..., section 4a(a) of the Act authorized the Commission to establish position limits for contracts traded on or... Position Limits for Referenced Energy Contracts and Associated Regulations AGENCY: Commodity Futures... and option contracts based on a limited set of exempt commodities,\\1\\ namely certain energy...

Analysis of Air Force Secondary Power Logistics Solution Contract

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

for the F-1 5 award that thc SPLS contract has 9 option years during which the contracting offi cer mUSI determine whether the price for each option...slaled III part 2. $p..",:lal ..!lOrIS muSI he la ~cn 10 m:lkc ~ure Ihal i lone~’\\\\ e ll 0.11)1.𔄀 nOI "prolif ’ ’’l th ;l t\\ tr ForN’, .:~p.:n6...Iludil r~’I,:Oll1mendfllioll thai prup;:r dtlenlli’lO’ll\\)ll for hundling mUSI ~ obl:ained. NOfl-OOIlcur 11’,lh Ic \\’el 01 dclCnlllnftltOTl rtl

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care: What to Do When There Is a Breach of Contract between the Patient and Physician?

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, James D

2018-04-30

Care for patients is generally delivered under the context of an unwritten contract with few clauses, among them being that the physician will educate the patient about treatment options and recommend the treatment that they believe will be most likely to help the patient and that the patient will do their best to follow the agreed upon treatment plan. As the treatments for inflammatory bowel disease have become more complex, the demands placed on patients to complete pretreatment screening, monitoring, and health maintenance activities have also increased. Physicians caring for these patients face challenging decisions when patients do not adhere to the recommended protocol. This commentary discusses potential implications of different approaches to this clinical dilemma.

Share Contract Choices and Economic Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salazar Espinoza, César Antonio

2015-01-01

framework, we estimate a dose-response function to study the formation of contracts and identify the marginal effects of changes in crew profit shares on fishing returns in Chilean artisanal fisheries. The results support share contract choices based on bargaining power, monitoring costs, technology, state...... of fishing resources, and outside options. We find significant effects of increasing crew profit shares on vessel owner returns in the interval (0.25, 0.65). The results vary across fisheries, however. While the effects are not significant in the fish group, they are larger and robust for molluscs...

Cross hedging and forward-contract pricing of electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, C.-K.; Hoang, K.; Horowitz, I.

2001-01-01

We consider the problem of an electric-power marketer offering a fixed-price forward contract to provide electricity that it purchases from a potentially volatile and unpredictable fledgling spot energy market. One option for the risk-averse marketer who wants to hedge against the spot-price volatility is to engage in cross hedging to reduce the contract's profit variance, and to determine the forward-contract price as a risk-adjusted price - the sum of a baseline price and a risk premium. We show how the marketer can estimate the spot-price relationship between two wholesale energy markets for the purpose of cross hedging, as well as the optimal hedge and the forward contract's baseline price and risk premium

FORWARD, FUTURE AND OPTIONS ON STOCK EXCHANGE MARKET

OpenAIRE

Ljiljana Stošić Mihajlović; Ivana Zdravković

2016-01-01

The main motive of the formation and use of forward contracts and futures, and options, was certainly profit. Making financial markets more efficient, in terms of expanding the range of available financial instruments and reduction in transaction costs, these financial innovations are beneficial for both investors and managers company. Primary purpose of derivatives such as forwards, futures and options is to enable control risks by investitures and primarily from inadequate price trend...

Retractable Contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franco Barbanera

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In calculi for modelling communication protocols, internal and external choices play dual roles. Two external choices can be viewed naturally as dual too, as they represent an agreement between the communicating parties. If the interaction fails, the past agreements are good candidates as points where to roll back, in order to take a different agreement. We propose a variant of contracts with synchronous rollbacks to agreement points in case of deadlock. The new calculus is equipped with a compliance relation which is shown to be decidable.

The enhancement of the deteriorated South African bond options market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coert Frederik Erasmus

2015-06-01

Full Text Available nvestments, especially those in the bond market, carry a level of risk. Risks in the bond market can be mitigated by transacting in option contracts. In the developing South African economy, trading activity of over-the-counter (OTC bond options decreased significantly. Possible deteriorating factors and interventions to enhance OTC bond options were investigated in this research. Experts in the OTC bond option market were surveyed and the quantitative data collected was analysed with descriptive statistical methods. Results indicated that three factors were positively identified as deteriorating factors in the OTC bond option market and that five different interventions were possible to possible enhance this market.

The Operation of the Joint Protocol: Theoretical and Practical Implications Revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horbach, N.

2008-01-01

On 21 September 1988, a Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention was adopted and entered into force on 27 April 1992. The 1988 Joint Protocol (Article II) provides for a mutual extension of the operator's liability under the Paris and Vienna systems: thus, if a nuclear incident occurs for which an operator is liable under both the Vienna Convention and the Joint Protocol, he shall be liable in accordance with the Vienna Convention for nuclear damage suffered not only in the territory of Parties thereto, but also in the territory of Parties to both the Paris Convention and the Joint Protocol; conversely, if an incident occurs for which an operator is liable under both the Paris Convention and the Joint Protocol, there shall be reciprocity. Moreover, the Joint Protocol (Article III) eliminates conflicts of law which might otherwise arise, especially in transport cases, from simultaneous application of the two Conventions. Although the text of the Joint Protocol is quite straightforward, it still has led to different interpretations in legal doctrine concerning Article IV. The main concern is the conflict that might arise in respect of the appropriate designation of the competent court and applicable law in situations were courts of different states might claim exclusive jurisdiction. This depends also on whether the Joint Protocol should be interpreted as eliminating the distinction between Contracting Parties and non-Contracting Parties in respect of the 'functional' relations among Paris and Vienna Contracting Parties, also party to the Joint Protocol, as far as the operative provisions of both Conventions listed in Article IV are concerned (including the provisions on jurisdictional competence). The importance of finding the legally correct interpretation, already complicated in relation to the interpretation of the operation of the Joint Protocol under the unrevised nuclear liability treaties (1960 Paris

76 FR 15025 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated: Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... order ticket). Such orders are charged $.02 per contract and, like floor brokerage fees, a discounted... the Floor Brokerage Fees assessed in Volatility Index Options, and (ii) waive PAR Official Fees for... Index Options that are consistent with the Floor Brokerage Fees assessed in Volatility Index Options...

Toward a protocol for quantifying the greenhouse gas balance and identifying mitigation options in smallholder farming systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenstock, T. S.; Rufino, M. C.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Wollenberg, E.

2013-06-01

GHG budgets for developing economies. This dearth of information constrains the capacity to transition to low-carbon agricultural development, opportunities for smallholders to capitalize on carbon markets, and the negotiating position of developing countries in global climate policy discourse. Concerns over the poor state of information, in terms of data availability and representation, have fueled appeals for new approaches to quantifying GHG emissions and removals from smallholder agriculture, for both existing conditions and mitigation interventions (Berry and Ryan 2013, Olander et al 2013). Considering the dependence of quantification approaches on data and the current data deficit for smallholder systems, it is clear that in situ measurements must be a core part of initial and future strategies to improve GHG inventories and develop mitigation measures for smallholder agriculture. Once more data are available, especially for farming systems of high priority (e.g., those identified through global and regional rankings of emission hotspots or mitigation leverage points), better cumulative estimates and targeted actions will become possible. Greenhouse gas measurements in agriculture are expensive, time consuming, and error prone. These challenges are exacerbated by the heterogeneity of smallholder systems and landscapes and the diversity of methods used. Concerns over methodological rigor, measurement costs, and the diversity of approaches, coupled with the demand for robust information suggest it is germane for the scientific community to establish standards of measurements—'a protocol'—for quantifying GHG emissions from smallholder agriculture. A standard protocol for use by scientists and development organizations will help generate consistent, comparable, and reliable data on emissions baselines and allow rigorous comparisons of mitigation options. Besides enhancing data utility, a protocol serves as a benchmark for non-experts to easily assess data

Cross hedging and forward-contract pricing of electricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo, C.-K.; Hoang, K. [Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc., 353 Sacramento Street, Suite 1700, 94111 San Francisco, CA (United States); Horowitz, I. [Decision and Information Sciences, Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida, 32611 Gainesville, FL (United States)

2001-01-01

We consider the problem of an electric-power marketer offering a fixed-price forward contract to provide electricity that it purchases from a potentially volatile and unpredictable fledgling spot energy market. One option for the risk-averse marketer who wants to hedge against the spot-price volatility is to engage in cross hedging to reduce the contract's profit variance, and to determine the forward-contract price as a risk-adjusted price - the sum of a baseline price and a risk premium. We show how the marketer can estimate the spot-price relationship between two wholesale energy markets for the purpose of cross hedging, as well as the optimal hedge and the forward contract's baseline price and risk premium.

The resurgence of selective contracting restrictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsteller, J A; Bovbjerg, R R; Nichols, L M; Verrilli, D K

1997-10-01

As managed care has spread, so has legislation to force plans to contract with any willing provider (AWP) and give patients freedom of choice (FOC). Managed care organizations' selective networks and provider integration reduce patient access to providers, along with provider access to paying patients, so many providers have lobbied for AWP-FOC laws. In opposition are managed care organizations (MCOs), which want full freedom to contract selectively to control prices and utilization. This article comprehensively describes laws in all fifty-one jurisdictions, classifies their relative strength, and assesses the implications of the laws. Most are relatively weak forms and all are limited in application by ERISA and the federal HMO Act. The article also uses an associative multivariate analysis to relate the selective contracting environments to HMO penetration rates, rural population, physician density, and other variables. States with weak laws also have higher HMO penetration and higher physician density, but smaller rural populations. We conclude that the strongest laws overly restrict the management of care, to the likely detriment of cost control. But where market power is rapidly concentrating, not restricting selective contracting could diminish long-term competition and patient access to care. In the face of uncertainty about the impact of these laws, an intermediate approach may be better than all or nothing. States should consider mandating that plans offer point-of-service options, for a separate premium. This option expands patient choice of plans at the time of enrollment and of providers at the time of care, yet maintains plans' ability to control core providers.

75 FR 35861 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; Order Granting Approval of a...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-23

... Clearing Options on the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index June 14, 2010. I. Introduction On April 26, 2010... Gold ETF Volatility Index. The proposed rule change was published for comment in the Federal Register... treat as securities options any option contracts on the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index.\\4\\ This...

78 FR 25505 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

...''), Apple, Inc. (``AAPL''), SPDR Gold Trust (``GLD''), Google Inc. (``GOOG'') and Amazon.com Inc. (``AMZN... equity and exchange-traded fund (``ETF'') option contracts have a unit of trading of 100 shares... standard equity and ETF options, including exercise style. Accordingly, the mini-option filing contained a...

Natural gas market assessment: Long-term Canadian natural gas contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

A descriptive analysis is presented of the changes which have occurred and the developing trends in the long-term Canadian contracts governing the sale of western Canadian gas into the domestic and export markets from 1985 to 1991. The report is limited to domestic and export contracts for Canadian gas and does not include imported gas under contract. Contract structures prior to deregulation, the changing role of long-term contracts, size and duration of long-term contracts, and terms and conditions of long-term contracts are discussed. Important changes since the mid-1980s include: increased flexibility in long-term contracts enabling the parties to respond more readily to changing supply and demand conditions; greater balance between the buyer's obligation to purchase and the seller's obligation to deliver; flexible and increasingly simple pricing terms that track competitive market conditions; shorter contract terms; reduced contract volumes as smaller end-users and producer/marketers enter the market; and unbundling of gas sales and transportation service providing a wider range of contracting choices and options. 36 figs., 2 tabs

Features of the Market Achievement Plan (MAPII) contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, B.

2002-01-01

This PowerPoint presentation described the MAPII products and contract characteristics with reference to aggregator role, location and system development. Work underway by the Balancing Pool for Alberta's Electricity Consumers was highlighted. It was demonstrated that 'all-in' costs of PPAs exceed market prices. Charts depicting both unit and strip contract interfaces were included. It was noted that the sale of a strip contract requires an aggregator whose function will essentially replace the interface between power pool participants and the power pool. Strip contract buyers will interface with the aggregator. The aggregator will have no discretion in managing offers. The three options for aggregator location are for the aggregator to be part of the balancing pool, attached to the power pool, or as an independent agent. 2 figs

Profiling Smart Contracts Interactions with Tensor Decomposition and Graph Mining

OpenAIRE

Charlier , Jérémy; Lagraa , Sofiane; State , Radu; Francois , Jerome

2017-01-01

International audience; Smart contracts, computer protocols designed for autonomous execution on predefined conditions, arise from the evolution of the Bit-coin's crypto-currency. They provide higher transaction security and allow economy of scale through the automated process. Smart contracts provides inherent benefits for financial institutions such as investment banking, retail banking, and insurance. This technology is widely used within Ethereum, an open source block-chain platform, from...

SPP: A data base processor data communications protocol

Science.gov (United States)

Fishwick, P. A.

1983-01-01

The design and implementation of a data communications protocol for the Intel Data Base Processor (DBP) is defined. The protocol is termed SPP (Service Port Protocol) since it enables data transfer between the host computer and the DBP service port. The protocol implementation is extensible in that it is explicitly layered and the protocol functionality is hierarchically organized. Extensive trace and performance capabilities have been supplied with the protocol software to permit optional efficient monitoring of the data transfer between the host and the Intel data base processor. Machine independence was considered to be an important attribute during the design and implementation of SPP. The protocol source is fully commented and is included in Appendix A of this report.

Estimation of the Thurstonian model for the 2-AC protocol

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Rune Haubo Bojesen; Lee, Hye-Seong; Brockhoff, Per B.

2012-01-01

. This relationship makes it possible to extract estimates and standard errors of δ and τ from general statistical software, and furthermore, it makes it possible to combine standard regression modelling with the Thurstonian model for the 2-AC protocol. A model for replicated 2-AC data is proposed using cumulative......The 2-AC protocol is a 2-AFC protocol with a “no-difference” option and is technically identical to the paired preference test with a “no-preference” option. The Thurstonian model for the 2-AC protocol is parameterized by δ and a decision parameter τ, the estimates of which can be obtained...... by fairly simple well-known methods. In this paper we describe how standard errors of the parameters can be obtained and how exact power computations can be performed. We also show how the Thurstonian model for the 2-AC protocol is closely related to a statistical model known as a cumulative probit model...

Higher-Order Finite Element Solutions of Option Prices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raahauge, Peter

2004-01-01

Kinks and jumps in the payoff function of option contracts prevent an effectiveimplementation of higher-order numerical approximation methods. Moreover, thederivatives (the greeks) are not easily determined around such singularities, even withstandard lower-order methods. This paper suggests...... for prices as well as for first and second order derivatives(delta and gamma). Unlike similar studies, numerical approximation errors aremeasured both as weighted averages and in the supnorm over a state space includingtime-to-maturities down to a split second.KEYWORDS: Numerical option pricing, Transformed...

75 FR 28085 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; Notice of Filing of Proposed...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-19

... Options on the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index May 13, 2010. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities... any option contracts on the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index. II. Self-Regulatory Organization's... rule change is to make clear that options on the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index, which is an index that...

Power options: the Massachusetts nonprofit energy purchasers consortium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayes, J.

1999-01-01

A series of overhead viewgraphs described some of the topics that were discussed at this workshop. A corporate review of the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority (HEFA) was presented. HEFA was formed in 1968 to provide cost savings in electric bills to health, education, cultural and other non profit organizations. The methods that HEFA uses to achieve this goal is to provide energy services with either fixed prices or with two-year or five-year options. Since their creation HEFA has a total of 100 signed natural gas contracts and 300 signed electricity contracts

Outdoor Irrigation Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Figueroa, Jorge [Western Resource Advocates, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M&V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings resulting from water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with outdoor irrigation efficiency projects. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M&V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

Skewed Normal Distribution Of Return Assets In Call European Option Pricing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evy Sulistianingsih

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Option is one of security derivates. In financial market, option is a contract that gives a right (notthe obligation for its owner to buy or sell a particular asset for a certain price at a certain time.Option can give a guarantee for a risk that can be faced in a market.This paper studies about theuse of Skewed Normal Distribution (SN in call europeanoption pricing. The SN provides aflexible framework that captures the skewness of log return. We obtain aclosed form solution forthe european call option pricing when log return follow the SN. Then, we will compare optionprices that is obtained by the SN and the Black-Scholes model with the option prices of market. Keywords: skewed normaldistribution, log return, options.

Assessment of neuromuscular function after different strength training protocols using tensiomyography.

Science.gov (United States)

de Paula Simola, Rauno Á; Harms, Nico; Raeder, Christian; Kellmann, Michael; Meyer, Tim; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

2015-05-01

The purpose of the study was to analyze tensiomyography (TMG) sensitivity to changes in muscle force and neuromuscular function of the muscle rectus femoris (RF) using TMG muscle properties after 5 different lower-limb strength training protocols (multiple sets; DS = drop sets; eccentric overload; FW = flywheel; PL = plyometrics). After baseline measurements, 14 male strength trained athletes completed 1 squat training protocol per week over a 5-week period in a randomized controlled order. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), TMG measurements of maximal radial displacement of the muscle belly (Dm), contraction time between 10 and 90% of Dm (Tc), and mean muscle contraction velocities from the beginning until 10% (V10) and 90% of Dm (V90) were analyzed up to 0.5 (post-train), 24 (post-24), and 48 hours (post-48) after the training interventions. Significant analysis of variance main effects for measurement points were found for all TMG contractile properties and MVIC (p TMG muscle properties are sensitive to changes in muscle force, and different lower-limb strength training protocols lead to changes in neuromuscular function of RF. In addition, those protocols involving high and eccentric load and a high total time under tension may induce higher changes in TMG muscle properties.

On Risk Charges and Shadow Account Options in Pension Funds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Peter Løchte; Gatzert, Nadine

2015-01-01

to equityholders and our paper develops a model in which the influence of risk charges and shadow account options on stakeholders’ value can be quantified and studied. Our numerical results show that the value of shadow account options can be significant and thus come at the risk of expropriating policyholder......This paper studies the economic implications of regulatory systems which allow equityholders of pension companies to not only charge a specific premium to compensate them for their higher risk (compared to policyholders), but also to accumulate these risk charges in a so-called shadow account...... wealth. However, our analysis also shows that this risk can be remedied if proper attention is given to the specific contract design and to the fixing of fair contract parameters at the outset....

76 FR 27117 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-10

... exchange-traded fund (``ETF'') option classes traded on C2. Currently, transactions fees as set out in the... maker rebate and pay a liquidity removing taker rate of $.25 per contract; C2 Market-Makers receive a liquidity making rebate of $.25 per contract and pay a liquidity removing taker rate of $.34 per contract...

FORWARD, FUTURE AND OPTIONS ON STOCK EXCHANGE MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljiljana Stošić Mihajlović

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The main motive of the formation and use of forward contracts and futures, and options, was certainly profit. Making financial markets more efficient, in terms of expanding the range of available financial instruments and reduction in transaction costs, these financial innovations are beneficial for both investors and managers company. Primary purpose of derivatives such as forwards, futures and options is to enable control risks by investitures and primarily from inadequate price trends for all types of assets that could be subject to transactions in financial markets.

48 CFR 552.238-78 - Scope of Contract (Eligible Ordering Activities).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... containing information technology Special Item Numbers, and Schedule 84 contracts, on an optional basis... Act of 1937), school districts, colleges and other institutions of higher education, council of...

Vienna convention on civil liability for nuclear damage and optional protocol concerning the compulsory settlement of disputes. Status lists as of 12 September 2000. Signature, ratification, accession, or succession. Declarations/reservations made upon expressing consent to be bound and objections thereto. Declarations/reservations made upon signature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The document provides the status list to the Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and optional protocol concerning the compulsory settlement of disputes as of 12 September 2000

New types of contracts. Part 2. The natural gas spot market. Many options, many constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Gelder, J.W.

1999-01-01

In two articles, new types of contracts such as swaps, futures and spot contracts are surveyed. How far has the Dutch liberalised market developed in this field? This article focuses on the spot market for gas, whilst in the previous issue attention was paid to the electricity market. Bilateral spot contracts have been used in the Netherlands for years and years. The only gas exchange in Europe, the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE), was established in London, UK, at the end of 1994. This is a screen exchange, just like the APX (Amsterdam Power Exchange), where natural gas traders can enter into various types of contracts. An organised gas exchange has as yet not been established on the continent. The most suitable candidate is Zeebrugge in Belgium, where all the large players are represented. To do so, however, more transparency is required on the transmission market so that supply and demand can find each other quickly at standard conditions

Fair and optimistic quantum contract signing

Science.gov (United States)

Paunković, N.; Bouda, J.; Mateus, P.

2011-12-01

We present a fair and optimistic quantum-contract-signing protocol between two clients that requires no communication with the third trusted party during the exchange phase. We discuss its fairness and show that it is possible to design such a protocol for which the probability of a dishonest client to cheat becomes negligible and scales as N-1/2, where N is the number of messages exchanged between the clients. Our protocol is not based on the exchange of signed messages: Its fairness is based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Thus, it is abuse free, and the clients do not have to generate new keys for each message during the exchange phase. We discuss a real-life scenario when measurement errors and qubit-state corruption due to noisy channels and imperfect quantum memories occur and argue that for a real, good-enough measurement apparatus, transmission channels, and quantum memories, our protocol would still be fair. Apart from stable quantum memories, the other segments of our protocol could be implemented by today's technology, as they require in essence the same type of apparatus as the one needed for the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) cryptographic protocol. Finally, we briefly discuss two alternative versions of the protocol, one that uses only two states [based on the Bennett 1992 (B92) protocol] and the other that uses entangled pairs, and show that it is possible to generalize our protocol to an arbitrary number of clients.

Fair and optimistic quantum contract signing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paunkovic, N.; Mateus, P. [SQIG - Instituto de Telecomunicacoes, IST, TULisbon, Avenida Rovisco Pais, P-1049-001 Lisbon (Portugal); Bouda, J. [Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Botanicka 68a, CZ-60200 Brno (Czech Republic)

2011-12-15

We present a fair and optimistic quantum-contract-signing protocol between two clients that requires no communication with the third trusted party during the exchange phase. We discuss its fairness and show that it is possible to design such a protocol for which the probability of a dishonest client to cheat becomes negligible and scales as N{sup -1/2}, where N is the number of messages exchanged between the clients. Our protocol is not based on the exchange of signed messages: Its fairness is based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Thus, it is abuse free, and the clients do not have to generate new keys for each message during the exchange phase. We discuss a real-life scenario when measurement errors and qubit-state corruption due to noisy channels and imperfect quantum memories occur and argue that for a real, good-enough measurement apparatus, transmission channels, and quantum memories, our protocol would still be fair. Apart from stable quantum memories, the other segments of our protocol could be implemented by today's technology, as they require in essence the same type of apparatus as the one needed for the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) cryptographic protocol. Finally, we briefly discuss two alternative versions of the protocol, one that uses only two states [based on the Bennett 1992 (B92) protocol] and the other that uses entangled pairs, and show that it is possible to generalize our protocol to an arbitrary number of clients.

Fair and optimistic quantum contract signing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paunkovic, N.; Mateus, P.; Bouda, J.

2011-01-01

We present a fair and optimistic quantum-contract-signing protocol between two clients that requires no communication with the third trusted party during the exchange phase. We discuss its fairness and show that it is possible to design such a protocol for which the probability of a dishonest client to cheat becomes negligible and scales as N -1/2 , where N is the number of messages exchanged between the clients. Our protocol is not based on the exchange of signed messages: Its fairness is based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Thus, it is abuse free, and the clients do not have to generate new keys for each message during the exchange phase. We discuss a real-life scenario when measurement errors and qubit-state corruption due to noisy channels and imperfect quantum memories occur and argue that for a real, good-enough measurement apparatus, transmission channels, and quantum memories, our protocol would still be fair. Apart from stable quantum memories, the other segments of our protocol could be implemented by today's technology, as they require in essence the same type of apparatus as the one needed for the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) cryptographic protocol. Finally, we briefly discuss two alternative versions of the protocol, one that uses only two states [based on the Bennett 1992 (B92) protocol] and the other that uses entangled pairs, and show that it is possible to generalize our protocol to an arbitrary number of clients.

Smart Contract Relations in e-Commerce: Legal Implications of Exchanges Conducted on the Blockchain

OpenAIRE

Philippa Ryan

2017-01-01

Much of the discussion around blockchain-based smart contracts has focused on whether or not they operate in the same way as legal contracts. However, it is argued that most contracts are social rather than legal in nature and are entered into because the parties trust each other to perform the agreed exchange. Little has been written to address how the blockchain’s trust protocol can enable the kind of social contracting that characterized the way exchanges were conducted before the Internet...

Contract manual for the gas industry. Practically oriented drafting and legally compliant application; Vertragshandbuch Gaswirtschaft. Praxisgerechte Gestaltung und rechtssichere Anwendung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baumgert, Caspar (ed.) [WEMAG AG, Schwerin (Germany)

2010-07-01

The handbook presents all contracts on the delivery and grid side, including their specific clauses and variants along the value chain. This includes base load and auxiliary supply, contracts for private, commercial and industrial special customers as well as re-distributors, metering contracts, grid contracts, storage contracts, and biogas and heat supply contracting. The legal problems are outlined clearly and easy to understand, and the following questions are answered: What are the boundary conditions set by the new energy industry law and general civil law? Inhowfar are the contents of contracts influenced by legal specifications? What options are available for contract drafting, and what are their consequences? What contents are of particular importance? What are the requirements that result from price regulation by civil and cartel law? What is the role of licence fees in product design? What are the chances and risks of innovative products? What options for reaction do providers have in case of (impending) customer insolvency? (orig./RHM)

License Auctions with Royalty Contracts for (Winners and) Losers

OpenAIRE

Wolfstetter, Elmar; Giebe, Thomas

2007-01-01

This paper revisits the licensing of a non–drastic process innovation by an outside innovator to a Cournot oligopoly. We propose a new mechanism that combines a restrictive license auction with royalty licensing. This mechanism is more profitable than standard license auctions, auctioning royalty contracts, fixed–fee licensing, pure royalty licensing, and two-part tariffs. The key features are that royalty contracts are auctioned and that losers of the auction are granted the option to si...

Una aplicación de opciones reales a la valoración de contratos de leasing An application of real options to the assessment of leasing contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mónica Andrea Arango Arango

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Este artículo es el resultado de una investigación que desarrolla un modelo para la determinación del canon de arrendamiento en un contrato de leasing sobre vehículos, incluyendo la valoración de la opción de compra implícita en éste. Para realizar esta valoración se utilizaron como base los modelos propuestos por Giaccotto et al. [1] y Gamba y Rigon [2] (en tres marcas de vehículos en Colombia para el período comprendido entre Enero de 2004 y Diciembre de 2007. Se identificó el proceso ARMA de las series de los retornos de los precios de los vehículos. Se realizaron pruebas para identificar posibles efectos ARCH en las series de los retornos de los precios de los vehículos analizados. La estimación del valor de la opción de compra del vehículo al finalizar el contrato de leasing se realiza mediante la implementación del modelo de black-scholes y de simulación Monte Carlo.This article is the result of a research that develops a model related to the determination of the rent on a leasing vehicle contract and the valuation of the call option that gives the lessee the right but not the obligation to buy the used car at the end of the contract at a specified price. We used models proposed by [1] and by [2] in three brands of vehicles in Colombia for the period between January of 2004 and December of 2007. The analysis of the time series of returns of the prices vehicles displayed an ARMA process. We also developed further tests to identify possible ARCH effects in the series of returns of prices of the vehicles analyzed. The estimation of the value of the option to purchase the vehicle at the end of the leasing contract is done by the implementation of the model of Black Scholes and Montecarlo Simulation.

Flexibility and Project Value: Interactions and Multiple Real Options

Science.gov (United States)

Čulík, Miroslav

2010-06-01

This paper is focused on a project valuation with embedded portfolio of real options including their interactions. Valuation is based on the criterion of Net Present Value on the simulation basis. Portfolio includes selected types of European-type real options: option to expand, contract, abandon and temporarily shut down and restart a project. Due to the fact, that in reality most of the managerial flexibility takes the form of portfolio of real options, selected types of options are valued not only individually, but also in combination. The paper is structured as follows: first, diffusion models for forecasting of output prices and variable costs are derived. Second, project value is estimated on the assumption, that no real options are present. Next, project value is calculated with the presence of selected European-type options; these options and their impact on project value are valued first in isolation and consequently in different combinations. Moreover, intrinsic value evolution of given real options with respect to the time of exercising is analysed. In the end, results are presented graphically; selected statistics and risk measures (Value at Risk, Expected Shortfall) of the NPV's distributions are calculated and commented.

Turf Conversion Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Figueroa, Jorge [Western Resource Advocates, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M and V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings as a result of water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with converting turfgrass or other water-intensive plantings to water-wise and sustainable landscapes. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M and V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

77 FR 43881 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Order Granting...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-26

... multiplier will be $100. The minimum tick size for series trading below $3 will be 0.05 ($5.00) and above $3... to list in-, at- and out-of-the- money strike prices (where the ``at-the-money'' strike price is 100... and the exercise price of the option, multiplied by the contract multiplier ($100). SPBAS options will...

Pricing the Option to Surrender in Incomplete Markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Consiglio, Andrea; De Giovanni, Domenico

New international accounting standards require insurers to reflect the value of embedded options and guarantees in their products. Pricing techniques based on the Black & Scholes paradigm are often used, however, the hypotheses underneath this model are rarely met. We propose a framework that enc......New international accounting standards require insurers to reflect the value of embedded options and guarantees in their products. Pricing techniques based on the Black & Scholes paradigm are often used, however, the hypotheses underneath this model are rarely met. We propose a framework...... that encompasses the most known sources of incompleteness. We show that the surrender option, joined with a wide range of claims embedded in insurance contracts, can be priced through our tool, and deliver hedging portfolios to mitigate the risk arising from their positions. We provide extensive empirical analysis...... to highlight the effect of incompleteness on the fair value of the option....

The information content of implied volatilities of options on eurodeposit futures traded on the LIFFE: is there long memory?

OpenAIRE

Cifarelli, giulio

2002-01-01

Under rather general conditions Black - Scholes implied volatilities from at-the-money options appropriately quantify, in each period, the market expectations of the average volatility of the return of the underlying asset until contract expiration. The efficiency of these expectation estimates is investigated here, for options on two major short term interest rate futures contracts traded at the LIFFE, using a long memory framework. Over the 1993 – 1997 time interval the performance of im...

Freshwater Choices in China: Options That Will Impact South and Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-04

economies in the world. To sustain this economic growth and transform chronic hunger into food self-sufficiency, both China and India have embarked...FRESHWATER CHOICES IN CHINA: OPTIONS THAT WILL IMPACT SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA A Monograph by Mr. Steven M. Nystrom...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Freshwater Choices in China: Options that will Impact South and Southeast Asia 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c

Recommendations for Enhancing Implementation of Additional Protocol Declarations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niina, Toshiaki; Nidaira, Kazuo; Aono, Yosuke

2010-01-01

Japan signed the Additional Protocol (hereafter, AP) in December 1998. The domestic law and regulation had been revised to implement the initial and annual declarations for the Agency and the Additional Protocol came into force in December 1999. Since initial declaration in 2000, Japan has submitted the annual declaration in every May. Until 2010, Japan has made 10 annual declarations. This paper gives recommendations to enhance implementation of Additional Protocol declarations based on 10-year experience in Japan and addresses the following: Current status of additional protocol declaration in Japan; Outline of processing method; AP Information Management System; Recommendations for improving quality of declaration. Preparation of additional protocol declaration in NMCC has been conducted in the course of contract with Japan Safeguards Office (hereafter, JSGO) for safeguards information treatment. (author)

Contract farming with possible reneging in a developing country: Can it work?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woonghee Tim Huh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available We consider a processed-food manufacturer that faces uncertain exogenous demand and procures a farm crop either from the outside market or from local farmers via contract farming. The contract price is determined at the beginning of the season when the market price is still uncertain. When the market price is realised, we allow the farmer the possibility of reneging from the contract, which occurs if the market price is sufficiently high. We show that granting farmers the option of reneging on the contract may improve the manufacturer's expected profit, and identify the conditions under which such an improvement can be expected.

78 FR 8208 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-05

... foregoing proposed rule change: (1) Does not significantly affect the protection of investors or the public... allow investors to select among options on various high-priced and actively traded securities, each with... equivalent mini- options contracts on AAPL would provide investors with the ability to manage and hedge their...

Preconditioning of skeletal muscle against contraction-induced damage: the role of adaptations to oxidants in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

McArdle, F; Spiers, S; Aldemir, H; Vasilaki, A; Beaver, A; Iwanejko, L; McArdle, A; Jackson, M J

2004-11-15

Adaptations of skeletal muscle following exercise are accompanied by changes in gene expression, which can result in protection against subsequent potentially damaging exercise. One cellular signal activating these adaptations may be an increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a short period of non-damaging contractions on the subsequent susceptibility of muscle to contraction-induced damage and to examine the changes in gene expression that occur following the initial contraction protocol. Comparisons with changes in gene expression in cultured myotubes following treatment with a non-damaging concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) were used to identify redox-sensitive genes whose expression may be modified by the increased ROS production during contractions. Hindlimb muscles of mice were subjected to a preconditioning, non-damaging isometric contraction protocol in vivo. After 4 or 12 h, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles were removed and subjected to a (normally) damaging contraction protocol in vitro. Muscles were also analysed for changes in gene expression induced by the preconditioning protocol using cDNA expression techniques. In a parallel study, C(2)C(12) myotubes were treated with a non-damaging concentration (100 microM) of H(2)O(2) and, at 4 and 12 h following treatment, myotubes were treated with a damaging concentration of H(2)O(2) (2 mM). Myotubes were analysed for changes in gene expression at 4 h following treatment with 100 microM H(2)O(2) alone. Data demonstrate that a prior period of non-damaging contractile activity resulted in significant protection of EDL and soleus muscles against a normally damaging contraction protocol 4 h later. This protection was associated with significant changes in gene expression. Prior treatment of myotubes with a non-damaging concentration of H(2)O(2) also resulted in significant protection against a damaging

Comparison of test protocols for standard room/corner tests

Science.gov (United States)

R. H. White; M. A. Dietenberger; H. Tran; O. Grexa; L. Richardson; K. Sumathipala; M. Janssens

1998-01-01

As part of international efforts to evaluate alternative reaction-to-fire tests, several series of room/comer tests have been conducted. This paper reviews the overall results of related projects in which different test protocols for standard room/corner tests were used. Differences in the test protocols involved two options for the ignition burner scenario and whether...

Manual of contracts for the electricity sector. Contracts that work: Drafting and proper legal application. 2. rev. ed.; Vertragshandbuch Stromwirtschaft. Praxisgerechte Gestaltung und rechtssichere Anwendung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoene, Thomas (ed.)

2014-07-01

This manual deals fundamentally with the drafting of contracts for the electricity sector. It covers all types of contracts on both the customer and the network side with their various special clauses and variants, specifically: basic supply, substitute supply, supply contracts for private, commercial and industrial special customers as well as redistributors, EFET contracts, network access contracts, supplier framework contracts, feed-in contracts, grid connection contracts and connection use contracts. The manual also addresses questions concerning electricity customer insolvency, an issue of growing importance. The following topics are furthermore dealt with in a practically oriented manner and with care being taken to explain the underlying legal issues in readily understandable language. What basic framework conditions are specified by the new energy economy laws and general civil law? What possibilities are available in drafting contracts and what are the ramifications in each case? What subject matters in a contract are of particular economic significance? How can concession contracts be designed in a market-conforming way when there is strong competition for qualified rights of way? What opportunities and risks are associated with innovative products? What options for action does a supplier have in the event of (threatening) customer insolvency? Model contracts from day-to-day management practice and tips, checklists and cautioning notes round off this manual.

Kyoto protocol and Nepal's energy sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokharel, Shaligram

2007-01-01

Nepal has recently ratified Kyoto Protocol, which considers justifiable use of resources to limit or reduce the emission of gases that contribute to green house gas inventory in the atmosphere. Nepal's per capita green gas (GHG) emission from energy use is insignificant. However, it is important for Nepal to adopt environmentally friendly energy options based on local resources like hydropower and biomass. Nepal can benefit from the provisions of clean development mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) or carbon funds being promoted by various organizations in order to obtain funding for new projects that reduce GHG emissions (ER). Funding can be generated through Carbon trading in international market as well. In this paper, the country's current contribution to GHG due to energy consumption is evaluated. Options for promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly projects have also been discussed

77 FR 42539 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-19

... which broker-dealers do not have. Further, Market-Makers/DPMs/e-DPMs pay a $0.65 per contract Marketing... executions by broker-dealers in non- Penny Pilot equity options and index, ETF, ETN and HOLDRs options... (``AIM'') when the professional, voluntary professional or broker- dealer is on the Agency/Primary side...

Smart Contract Relations in e-Commerce: Legal Implications of Exchanges Conducted on the Blockchain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippa Ryan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Much of the discussion around blockchain-based smart contracts has focused on whether or not they operate in the same way as legal contracts. However, it is argued that most contracts are social rather than legal in nature and are entered into because the parties trust each other to perform the agreed exchange. Little has been written to address how the blockchain’s trust protocol can enable the kind of social contracting that characterized the way exchanges were conducted before the Internet. This article aims to fill that gap by exploring blockchain-based smart contracts primarily as non-contractual social exchanges.

H-reflexes reduce fatigue of evoked contractions after spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergquist, Austin J; Wiest, Matheus J; Okuma, Yoshino; Collins, David F

2014-08-01

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) over a muscle belly (mNMES) generates contractions predominantly through M-waves, while NMES over a nerve trunk (nNMES) can generate contractions through H-reflexes in people who are neurologically intact. We tested whether the differences between mNMES and nNMES are present in people with chronic motor-complete spinal cord injury and, if so, whether they influence contraction fatigue. Plantar-flexion torque and soleus electromyography were recorded from 8 participants. Fatigue protocols were delivered using mNMES and nNMES on separate days. nNMES generated contractions that fatigued less than mNMES. Torque decreased the least when nNMES generated contractions, at least partly through H-reflexes (n = 4 participants; 39% decrease), and torque decreased the most when contractions were generated through M-waves, regardless of NMES site (nNMES 71% decrease, n = 4; mNMES, 73% decrease, n = 8). nNMES generates contractions that fatigue less than mNMES, but only when H-reflexes contribute to the evoked contractions. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hybrid protocols plus natural treatments for inflammatory conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

Hybrid protocols combine one, two, or three pharmaceutical drugs with several nutritional or immune-based therapies. These protocols are not limited solely to FDA-approved drugs or strictly to alternative therapies. The rationale for using a hybrid protocol is to find an effective antiviral regimen that also restores immune function. The goal is to obtain the benefits of protease inhibitors without viral resistance and side effects which include problems with fat metabolism and cholesterol levels. Natural treatments for inflammatory conditions are also described. Options include licorice root, ginger root, and slippery elm.

Successful contracting of prevention services: fighting malnutrition in Senegal and Madagascar.

Science.gov (United States)

Marek, T; Diallo, I; Ndiaye, B; Rakotosalama, J

1999-12-01

There are very few documented large-scale successes in nutrition in Africa, and virtually no consideration of contracting for preventive services. This paper describes two successful large-scale community nutrition projects in Africa as examples of what can be done in prevention using the contracting approach in rural as well as urban areas. The two case-studies are the Secaline project in Madagascar, and the Community Nutrition Project in Senegal. The article explains what is meant by 'success' in the context of these two projects, how these results were achieved, and how certain bottlenecks were avoided. Both projects are very similar in the type of service they provide, and in combining private administration with public finance. The article illustrates that contracting out is a feasible option to be seriously considered for organizing certain prevention programmes on a large scale. There are strong indications from these projects of success in terms of reducing malnutrition, replicability and scale, and community involvement. When choosing that option, a government can tap available private local human resources through contracting out, rather than delivering those services by the public sector. However, as was done in both projects studied, consideration needs to be given to using a contract management unit for execution and monitoring, which costs 13-17% of the total project's budget. Rigorous assessments of the cost-effectiveness of contracted services are not available, but improved health outcomes, targeting of the poor, and basic cost data suggest that the programmes may well be relatively cost-effective. Although the contracting approach is not presented as the panacea to solve the malnutrition problem faced by Africa, it can certainly provide an alternative in many countries to increase coverage and quality of services.

The NYMEX electricity futures contract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer-Huggins, D.

1998-01-01

Members of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) include bankers, industry (such as refiners, producers, and electricity marketers) brokerage houses, and individuals. NYMEX is the largest physical commodity futures exchange in the world. The primary economic role of the commodity exchange industry was discussed, with special emphasis on open interest, volume, and liquidity. Hedge dynamics were also reviewed. A hedge was described as a financial instrument used to lock in prices, costs, and profit margins. Futures contracts in general, and electricity futures contracts in particular were defined ('a firm commitment to deliver or to receive a specified quantity or grade of commodity at a specific location within a designated month'). Results expected from hedging, - cost control, predictable margins, securing a certain market share, price stabilization - , the nature of options trading, and its benefits were also reviewed. 1 tab., 4 figs

75 FR 66402 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-28

... necessary systems capacity to handle the additional traffic associated with the expanded range of strike... Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Expand the Range of Strike Price Intervals for VIX Options October 21... amend Rule 24.9.01(e), Terms of Index Option Contracts, to expand the range of strike price intervals...

78 FR 30367 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-22

... product by keeping the Jumbo SPY Options fees low and easy for investors to understand. The Exchange... charge the same rate for transactions in Jumbo SPY Options, since the costs to the Exchange to process... charge the ORF at the same rate as the standard contract. 2. Statutory Basis The Exchange believes that...

Contract Design: The problem of information asymmetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Axel C. Mühlbacher

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Integrated care systems are advocated as an effective method of improving the performance of healthcare systems. These systems outline a payment and care delivery model that intends to tie provider reimbursements to predefined quality metrics. Little is known about the contractual design and the main challenges of delegating “accountability” to these new kinds of organisations and/or contracts. The research question in this article focuses on how healthcare contracts can look like and which possible problems arise in designing such contracts. In this a special interest is placed on information asymmetries.  Methods: A comprehensive literature review on methods of designing contracts in Integrated Care was conducted. This article is the first in a row of three that all contribute to a specific issue in designing healthcare contracts. Starting with the organisation of contracts and information asymmetries, part 2 focusses on financial options and risks and part 3 finally concludes with the question of risk management and evaluation.  Results: Healthcare contracting between providers and payers will have a major impact on the overall design of future healthcare systems. If Integrated care systems or any other similar concept of care delivery are to be contracted directly by payers to manage the continuum of care the costs of market utilisation play an essential role. Transaction costs also arise in the course of the negotiation and implementation of contracts. These costs are the reason why it is generally not possible to conclude perfect (complete contracts. Problems with asymmetric distribution of information can relate to the situation before a contract is concluded (adverse selection and after conclusion of a contract (moral hazard.  Discussion and Conclusions: Information asymmetries are seen as a major obstacle to the efficient operation of integrated care programmes. Coordination and motivation problems cannot be solved

Contract Design: The problem of information asymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Mühlbacher, Axel C; Amelung, Volker E; Juhnke, Christin

2018-01-12

Integrated care systems are advocated as an effective method of improving the performance of healthcare systems. These systems outline a payment and care delivery model that intends to tie provider reimbursements to predefined quality metrics. Little is known about the contractual design and the main challenges of delegating "accountability" to these new kinds of organisations and/or contracts. The research question in this article focuses on how healthcare contracts can look like and which possible problems arise in designing such contracts. In this a special interest is placed on information asymmetries. A comprehensive literature review on methods of designing contracts in Integrated Care was conducted. This article is the first in a row of three that all contribute to a specific issue in designing healthcare contracts. Starting with the organisation of contracts and information asymmetries, part 2 focusses on financial options and risks and part 3 finally concludes with the question of risk management and evaluation. Healthcare contracting between providers and payers will have a major impact on the overall design of future healthcare systems. If Integrated care systems or any other similar concept of care delivery are to be contracted directly by payers to manage the continuum of care the costs of market utilisation play an essential role. Transaction costs also arise in the course of the negotiation and implementation of contracts. These costs are the reason why it is generally not possible to conclude perfect (complete) contracts. Problems with asymmetric distribution of information can relate to the situation before a contract is concluded (adverse selection) and after conclusion of a contract (moral hazard). Information asymmetries are seen as a major obstacle to the efficient operation of integrated care programmes. Coordination and motivation problems cannot be solved at no-costs. The presented problems in the design of selective individual contracts

Pricing summer day options by good-deal bounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanamura, Takashi; Ohashi, Kazuhiko

2009-01-01

Despite the worldwide popularity of CDD- and HDD-type weather derivatives based on temperature, a different class of weather derivatives, so-called summer day options, is more popular in Japan; the payoffs are determined by the number of summer days (i.e., the days whose average temperature is above 25 C) during the contract period. In this paper, we price such summer day options by the good-deal bounds of Cochrane and Saa-Requejo [Cochrane, J.H., and J. Saa-Requejo, 2000, Beyond Arbitrage: Good-Deal Asset Price Bounds in Incomplete Markets, Journal of Political Economy 108, 79-119.], using temperature data for Tokyo. (author)

Isometric Contractions Are More Analgesic Than Isotonic Contractions for Patellar Tendon Pain: An In-Season Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Rio, Ebonie; van Ark, Mathijs; Docking, Sean; Moseley, G Lorimer; Kidgell, Dawson; Gaida, Jamie E; van den Akker-Scheek, Inge; Zwerver, Johannes; Cook, Jill

2017-05-01

This study aimed to compare the immediate analgesic effects of 2 resistance programs in in-season athletes with patellar tendinopathy (PT). Resistance training is noninvasive, a principle stimulus for corticospinal and neuromuscular adaptation, and may be analgesic. Within-season randomized clinical trial. Data analysis was conducted blinded to group. Subelite volleyball and basketball competitions. Twenty jumping athletes aged more than 16 years, participating in games/trainings 3 times per week with clinically diagnosed PT. Two quadriceps resistance protocols were compared; (1) isometric leg extension holds at 60 degrees knee flexion (80% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction) or (2) isotonic leg extension (at 80% of their 8 repetition maximum) 4 times per week for 4 weeks. Time under load and rest between sets was matched between groups. (1) Pain (0-10 numerical rating score) during single leg decline squat (SLDS), measured preintervention and postintervention sessions. (2) VISA-P, a questionnaire about tendon pain and function, completed at baseline and after 4 weeks. Twenty athletes with PT (18 men, mean 22.5 ± 4.7 years) participated (isotonic n = 10, isometric n = 10). Baseline median SLDS pain was 5/10 for both groups (isotonic range 1-8, isometric range 2-8). Isometric contractions produced significantly greater immediate analgesia (P < 0.002). Week one analgesic response positively correlated with improvements in VISA-P at 4 weeks (r = 0.64). Both protocols appear efficacious for in-season athletes to reduce pain, however, isometric contractions demonstrated significantly greater immediate analgesia throughout the 4-week trial. Greater analgesia may increase the ability to load or perform.

Natural gas contracts in efficient portfolios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sutherland, R.J.

1994-12-01

This report addresses the {open_quotes}contracts portfolio{close_quotes} issue of natural gas contracts in support of the Domestic Natural Gas and Oil Initiative (DGOI) published by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1994. The analysis is a result of a collaborative effort with the Public Service Commission of the State of Maryland to consider {open_quotes}reforms that enhance the industry`s competitiveness{close_quotes}. The initial focus of our collaborative effort was on gas purchasing and contract portfolios; however, it became apparent that efficient contracting to purchase and use gas requires a broader consideration of regulatory reform. Efficient portfolios are obtained when the holder of the portfolio is affected by and is responsible for the performance of the portfolio. Natural gas distribution companies may prefer a diversity of contracts, but the efficient use of gas requires that the local distribution company be held accountable for its own purchases. Ultimate customers are affected by their own portfolios, which they manage efficiently by making their own choices. The objectives of the DGOI, particularly the efficient use of gas, can be achieved when customers have access to suppliers of gas and energy services under an improved regulatory framework. The evolution of the natural gas market during the last 15 years is described to account for the changing preferences toward gas contracts. Long-term contracts for natural gas were prevalent before the early 1980s, primarily because gas producers had few options other than to sell to a single pipeline company, and this pipeline company, in turn, was the only seller to a gas distribution company.

Stock price dynamics and option valuations under volatility feedback effect

Science.gov (United States)

Kanniainen, Juho; Piché, Robert

2013-02-01

According to the volatility feedback effect, an unexpected increase in squared volatility leads to an immediate decline in the price-dividend ratio. In this paper, we consider the properties of stock price dynamics and option valuations under the volatility feedback effect by modeling the joint dynamics of stock price, dividends, and volatility in continuous time. Most importantly, our model predicts the negative effect of an increase in squared return volatility on the value of deep-in-the-money call options and, furthermore, attempts to explain the volatility puzzle. We theoretically demonstrate a mechanism by which the market price of diffusion return risk, or an equity risk-premium, affects option prices and empirically illustrate how to identify that mechanism using forward-looking information on option contracts. Our theoretical and empirical results support the relevance of the volatility feedback effect. Overall, the results indicate that the prevailing practice of ignoring the time-varying dividend yield in option pricing can lead to oversimplification of the stock market dynamics.

Testing option pricing with the Edgeworth expansion

Science.gov (United States)

Balieiro Filho, Ruy Gabriel; Rosenfeld, Rogerio

2004-12-01

There is a well-developed framework, the Black-Scholes theory, for the pricing of contracts based on the future prices of certain assets, called options. This theory assumes that the probability distribution of the returns of the underlying asset is a Gaussian distribution. However, it is observed in the market that this hypothesis is flawed, leading to the introduction of a fudge factor, the so-called volatility smile. Therefore, it would be interesting to explore extensions of the Black-Scholes theory to non-Gaussian distributions. In this paper, we provide an explicit formula for the price of an option when the distributions of the returns of the underlying asset is parametrized by an Edgeworth expansion, which allows for the introduction of higher independent moments of the probability distribution, namely skewness and kurtosis. We test our formula with options in the Brazilian and American markets, showing that the volatility smile can be reduced. We also check whether our approach leads to more efficient hedging strategies of these instruments.

7 CFR 51.3418 - Optional test for fry color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Optional test for fry color. 51.3418 Section 51.3418... color. Fry color may be determined in accordance with contract specifications by using the Munsell Color...°F or 21/2 minutes at 375°F. 5 Munsell Color Standards for Frozen French Fried Potatoes, Third...

Incomplete Information, Renegotiation, and Breach of Contract

OpenAIRE

Jihong Lee

2005-01-01

Once a contract has been agreed by two agents, the problem of renegotiating breach under two-sided asymmetric information on the agents' outside options is equivalent to the problem of bilateral trade with uncertain gains. Thus, the theorem of Myerson and Satterthwaite (1983) implies the impossibility of efficient renegotiation. We also show that, assuming no renegotiation, the optimal breach mechanism in this setting corresponds to the expectation damage rule.

Adaptive wavelet method for pricing two-asset Asian options with floating strike

Science.gov (United States)

Černá, Dana

2017-12-01

Asian options are path-dependent option contracts which payoff depends on the average value of the asset price over some period of time. We focus on pricing of Asian options on two assets. The model for pricing these options is represented by a parabolic equation with time variable and three state variables, but using substitution it can be reduced to the equation with only two state variables. For time discretization we use the θ-scheme. We propose a wavelet basis that is adapted to boundary conditions and use an adaptive scheme with this basis for discretization on the given time level. The main advantage of this scheme is small number of degrees of freedom. We present numerical experiments for the Asian put option with floating strike and compare the results for the proposed adaptive method and the Galerkin method.

Bi-directional interhemispheric inhibition during unimanual sustained contractions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ni Zhen

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The interaction between homologous muscle representations in the right and left primary motor cortex was studied using a paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS protocol known to evoke interhemispheric inhibition (IHI. The timecourse and magnitude of IHI was studied in fifteen healthy right-handed adults at several interstimulus intervals between the conditioning stimulus and test stimulus (6, 8, 10, 12, 30, 40, 50 ms. IHI was studied in the motor dominant to non-dominant direction and vice versa while the right or left hand was at rest, performing isometric contraction of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI muscle, and isometric contraction of the FDI muscle in the context of holding a pen. Results Compared with rest, IHI was reduced at all ISIs during contraction of either type (with or without the context of pen. IHI was reduced bi-directionally without evidence of hemispheric dominance. Further, contraction of the hand contralateral to the conditioning and test pulse yielded similar reductions in IHI. Conclusion These data provide evidence for bi-directional reduction of IHI during unimanual contractions. During unimanual, sustained contractions of the hand, the contralateral and ipsilateral motor cortices demonstrate reduced inhibition. The data suggest that unimanual movement decreases inhibition bi-directionally across motor hemispheres and offer one explanation for the observation of ipsilateral M1 activity during hand movements.

Density forecasts of crude-oil prices using option-implied and ARCH-type models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høg, Esben; Tsiaras, Leonicas

2011-01-01

of derivative contracts. Risk-neutral densities, obtained from panels of crude-oil option prices, are adjusted to reflect real-world risks using either a parametric or a non-parametric calibration approach. The relative performance of the models is evaluated for the entire support of the density, as well...... obtained by option prices and non-parametric calibration methods over those constructed using historical returns and simulated ARCH processes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark...

Electrical stimulation induces propagated colonic contractions in an experimental model.

Science.gov (United States)

Aellen, S; Wiesel, P H; Gardaz, J-P; Schlageter, V; Bertschi, M; Virag, N; Givel, J-C

2009-02-01

Direct colonic electrical stimulation may prove to be a treatment option for specific motility disorders such as chronic constipation. The aim of this study was to provoke colonic contractions using electrical stimulation delivered from a battery-operated device. Electrodes were inserted into the caecal seromuscular layer of eight anaesthetized pigs. Contractions were induced by a neurostimulator (Medtronic 3625). Caecal motility was measured simultaneously by video image analysis, manometry and a technique assessing colonic transit. Caecal contractions were generated using 8-10 V amplitude, 1000 micros pulse width, 120 Hz frequency for 10-30 s, with an intensity of 7-15 mA. The maximal contraction strength was observed after 20-25 s. Electrical stimulation was followed by a relaxation phase of 1.5-2 min during which contractions propagated orally and aborally over at least 10 cm. Spontaneous and stimulated caecal motility values were significantly different for both intraluminal pressure (mean(s.d.) 332(124) and 463(187) mmHg respectively; P < 0.001, 42 experiments) and movement of contents (1.6(0.9) and 3.9(2.8) mm; P < 0.001, 40 experiments). Electrical stimulation modulated caecal motility, and provoked localized and propagated colonic contractions.

13 CFR 124.514 - Exercise of 8(a) options and modifications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... corresponding to the SIC code for the requirement, negotiations to price the option cannot be entered into and... the requirement on a sole source basis, the procuring activity contracting officer may negotiate price... requirements, including the procuring activity's offering and SBA's acceptance of the requirement for the 8(a...

Proposal for the award of a contract for cleaning on the Swiss part of the CERN site

CERN Document Server

2005-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for cleaning on the Swiss part of the CERN site. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with TOP-NET SERVICES (CH), the lowest bidder complying with the specification, for the provision of cleaning and building maintenance work on the Swiss part of the CERN site for three years for a total amount of 5 841 159 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 1 January 2009, with options for additional services for an additional amount of 350 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 1 January 2009, bringing the total amount to 6 191 159 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 1 January 2009. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

The Groningen Protocol for newborn euthanasia; which way did the slippery slope tilt?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, A. A. Eduard

In The Netherlands, neonatal euthanasia has become a legal option and the Groningen Protocol contains an approach to identify situations in which neonatal euthanasia might be appropriate. In the 5 years following the publication of the protocol, neither the prediction that this would be the first

Manager’s Flexibility & Cancellation Option: Insights of a Case Study in the Latin American Oil Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Ridolfo Neto

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This article focused on the main business insights of the use of Real Options valuation analysis in the eyes of a finance professional. It used a case study of an investment opportunity in the oil and gas field services industry in Latin America to discuss the methodology implementation and its insights. As a secondary objective, it discussed the insights and options embedded in this investment opportunity.Methodology: The investment opportunity was examined using the Real Options Analysis (ROA framework and the results compared to the traditional methodology of Net Present Value. The valuation technique was performed as if it had been applied at the time the project was approved.Findings: The most important of Real Option valuation is not the results, but how one arrives at them. After the project value is calculated and the project approved or not, the Real Option valuation requires and supports the monitoring of the project. By understanding how the options are created, managers can make better decisions about the project after it was approved.Practical implications: A relevant contribution from the study was the discussion, as a practitioner, of the methodology implementation in a real world corporation. Originality & value: The case study evaluated two types of real options: first, the effect of an option to cancel a contract that was assessed from the perspective of the client contracting the project; and second, the option to abandon and defer, from the perspective of the company that will perform the investment to provide the services. By incorporating the cost of the put option that the company puts forth for the client (cancellation option it reduces the project value by giving flexibility to its clients.

Regional transport sector mitigation options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Peter [EECG Consultants, Gaborone (Botswana)

1998-10-01

The rationale for conducting climate change mitigation studies in the transport sector is on the premise that: The transport sector is the second largest consumer of fossil fuels in the region; The regional transport sector is an area with high opportunity for infrastructural development under UNFCCC financial mechanism; The regional transport sector is crucial in the SADC region for trade and coupled with the Trade Protocol will play a major role in development hence the need to make it efficient in terms of energy demand and provision of services; The sector offers many mitigation options but with a challenge to evaluate their energy saving and GHG saving potential and yet there is need to quantify possible emission reduction for possible future emission trading. This is also a sector with potential to qualify for financing through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) recently stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. (au)

Regional transport sector mitigation options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Peter

1998-01-01

The rationale for conducting climate change mitigation studies in the transport sector is on the premise that: The transport sector is the second largest consumer of fossil fuels in the region; The regional transport sector is an area with high opportunity for infrastructural development under UNFCCC financial mechanism; The regional transport sector is crucial in the SADC region for trade and coupled with the Trade Protocol will play a major role in development hence the need to make it efficient in terms of energy demand and provision of services; The sector offers many mitigation options but with a challenge to evaluate their energy saving and GHG saving potential and yet there is need to quantify possible emission reduction for possible future emission trading. This is also a sector with potential to qualify for financing through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) recently stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. (au)

Contract theory and EU Contract Law

OpenAIRE

Hesselink, M.W.; Twigg-Flesner, C.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between contract theory and European contract law. In particular, it confronts the leading contract law theories with the main characteristics of EU contract law. The conclusion is that the two do not match well. In particular, monist normative contract theories are largely irreconcilable with the contract law of the EU. The paper further addresses the main implications of this mismatch, both for contract theory and for EU contract law. It suggests that in...

Proposal for the award of a contract for the maintenance and operation of CERN's sewage installations

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for the maintenance and operation of CERN's sewage installations. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with VALLIER ASSAINISSEMENT (FR), the lowest bidder, for the maintenance and operation of CERN's sewage installations for a period of three years for a total amount of 1 745 897 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Forward Volatility Contract Pricing in the Brazilian Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro Magalhães Manteiga

2004-06-01

Full Text Available In this work we consider the pricing of a special class of volatility derivatives, the so-called variance swaps. The fair value of a variance swap is equal to the expected value of the realized variance of the underlying of the swap during the lifetime of the contract. It is shown how this expected value can be computed by means of an exotic option with logarithmic pay-off. We show how to statically replicate this pay-off in terms of a basket of synthetic vanilla call and put options. We apply this construction to the TNLP4 ticker of BOVESPA and synthetize a basket with pure exposure to volatility using actual market prices.

Cooling Tower (Evaporative Cooling System) Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Boyd, Brian [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lewis, Taylor [Colorado Energy Office, Denver, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M and V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings resulting from water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with cooling tower efficiency projects. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M and V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

Applying Real Options for Evaluating Investments in ERP Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagane, Jun; Sekozawa, Teruji

This paper intends to verify effectiveness of real options approach for evaluating investments in Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP) and proves how important it is to disclose shadow options potentially embedded in ERP investment. The net present value (NPV) method is principally adopted to evaluate the value of ERP. However, the NPV method assumes no uncertainties exist in the object. It doesn't satisfy the current business circumstances which are filled with dynamic issues. Since the 1990s the effectiveness of option pricing models for Information System (IS) investment to solve issues in the NPV method has been discussed in the IS literature. This paper presents 3 business cases to review the practical advantages of such techniques for IS investments, especially ERP investments. The first case is EDI development. We evaluate the project by a new approach with lighting one of shadow options, EDI implementation. In the second case we reveal an ERP investment has an “expanding option” in a case of eliminating redundancy. The third case describes an option to contract which is deliberately slotted in ERP development to prepare transferring a manufacturing facility.

Research on air and missile defense task allocation based on extended contract net protocol

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunzhi; Wang, Gang

2017-10-01

Based on the background of air and missile defense distributed element corporative engagement, the interception task allocation problem of multiple weapon units with multiple targets under network condition is analyzed. Firstly, a mathematical model of task allocation is established by combat task decomposition. Secondly, the initialization assignment based on auction contract and the adjustment allocation scheme based on swap contract were introduced to the task allocation. Finally, through the simulation calculation of typical situation, the model can be used to solve the task allocation problem in complex combat environment.

Ring-Contraction Strategy for the Practical, Scalable, Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Versatile γ-Quaternary Acylcyclopentenes

KAUST Repository

Hong, Allen Y.

2011-02-24

Contraction action! A simple protocol for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalized γ-quaternary acylcyclopentenes (see schematic) in up to 91 % overall yield and 92 % ee has been developed. The reaction sequence employs a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective alkylation reaction and exploits the unusual stability of β-hydroxy cycloheptanones to achieve a general and robust method for performing two-carbon ring contractions.

Ring-Contraction Strategy for the Practical, Scalable, Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Versatile γ-Quaternary Acylcyclopentenes

KAUST Repository

Hong, Allen Y.; Krout, Michael R.; Jensen, Thomas; Bennett, Nathan B.; Harned, Andrew M.; Stoltz, Brian M.

2011-01-01

Contraction action! A simple protocol for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalized γ-quaternary acylcyclopentenes (see schematic) in up to 91 % overall yield and 92 % ee has been developed. The reaction sequence employs a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective alkylation reaction and exploits the unusual stability of β-hydroxy cycloheptanones to achieve a general and robust method for performing two-carbon ring contractions.

Direct electrical stimulation using a battery-operated device for induction and modulation of colonic contractions in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertschi, Mattia; Schlageter, Vincent; Vesin, Jean-Marc; Aellen, Steve; Peloponissios, Nicolas; D'Ambrogio, Aris; Wiesel, Paul Herman; Givel, Jean-Claude; Kucera, Pavel; Virag, Nathalie

2010-07-01

Direct electrical stimulation of the colon offers a promising approach for the induction of propulsive colonic contractions by using an implantable device. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility to induce colonic contractions using a commercially available battery-operated stimulator (maximum pulse width of 1 ms and maximum amplitude of 10 V). Three pairs of pacing electrodes were inserted into the cecal seromuscular layer of anesthetized pigs. During a first set of in vivo experiments conducted on six animals, a pacing protocol leading to cecum contractions was determined: stimulation bursts with 1 ms pulse width, 10 V amplitude (7-15 mA), 120 Hz frequency, and 30-s burst duration, repeated every 2-5 min. In a second testing phase, an evaluation of the pacing protocol was performed in four animals (120 stimulation bursts in total). By using the battery-operated stimulator, contractions of the cecum and movement of contents could be induced in 92% of all stimulations. A cecal shortening of about 30% and an average intraluminal pressure increase of 10.0 +/- 6.0 mmHg were observed.

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE ON-GOING CONTRACTS AFTER THE INSOLVENCY PROCEDURE HAS BEEN INSTITUTED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan-Alexandru SITARU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of the article is to highlight new aspects regarding contracts that a legal person had perfected before the insolvency procedure is opened. Once the syndic judge rules in favour of opening the procedure the judicial administrator, named in that case, has a special power, a right to opt, to either permit the contract to run its course or to denounce it thus ending its effects. Sometimes, due to the special nature of some contracts, the right of option is conditioned and certain procedures must be enforced. Also, due to an obvious possibility that the respective contract might create an unbalance to the debtors’ accounts and other sectors, the judicial administrator must take special consideration and can also modify the articles of the contract, rendering new significance or substituting the content of the provisions. Nonetheless, a combination of these possibilities may be preferable to the judicial administrator, partially changing the contracts or keeping in effect only what is in the debtors favour.

Pricing long-dated insurance contracts with stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Haastrecht, A.; Lord, R.; Pelsser, A.; Schrager, D.

2009-01-01

We consider the pricing of long-dated insurance contracts under stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility. In particular, we focus on the valuation of insurance options with long-term equity or foreign exchange exposures. Our modeling framework extends the stochastic volatility model of

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for indoor fitting work at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for indoor fitting work (carpentry, glazing, venetian and roller blinds) at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm ROLAND COSTA MENUISERIE (CH), the lowest bidder, for the provision of indoor fitting work at CERN, for three years for a total amount not exceeding 1 213 403 Swiss francs, not subject to revision for two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Effectiveness of oxaliplatin desensitization protocols.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortijo-Cascajares, Susana; Nacle-López, Inmaculada; García-Escobar, Ignacio; Aguilella-Vizcaíno, María José; Herreros-de-Tejada, Alberto; Cortés-Funes Castro, Hernán; Calleja-Hernández, Miguel-Ángel

2013-03-01

Hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) to antineoplastic drugs can force doctors to stop treatment and seek other alternatives. These alternatives may be less effective, not as well tolerated and/or more expensive. Another option is to use desensitization protocols that induce a temporary state of tolerance by gradually administering small quantities of the antineoplastic drug until the therapeutic dosage is reached. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of oxaliplatin desensitization protocols. A retrospective observational study was carried out between January 2006 and May 2011. The inclusion criteria were patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment with oxaliplatin who had developed an HSR to the drug and who were candidates for continuing the treatment using a desensitization protocol. The patients' clinical records were reviewed and variables were gathered relating to the patient, the treatment, the HSR, and the desensitization protocol administered. The data were analysed using version 18.0 of the statistics program SPSS. A total of 53 desensitization protocols were administered to 21 patients. In 89 % of these cases, no new reactions occurred while the drug was being administered. New reactions of mild severity only occurred in 11 % of cases, and none of these reactions were severe enough for treatment to be stopped. All patients were able to complete the desensitization protocol. This study confirms that oxaliplatin desensitization protocols are safe and effective and allow patients to continue with the treatment that initially caused an HSR.

The petroleum explorationist's guide to contracts used in oil and gas operations, new revised 2nd edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosburg, L.G. Jr.

1991-01-01

This book includes many materials on contracts involving natural gas (including take-or-pay litigation, regulation gas balancing, purchase and sale); drilling contracts, division orders and acquisition contracts; a new taxation section and the 1988 ASPL Model Form Operating Agreement. Also includes: Side-byside comparison of the 1982-1989 model forms; COPAS accounting procedure, support and farmount agreements, Area of Mutual Interest provisions, seismic options, structuring considerations, AAPL model from operating agreement, and much more exclamation point

A Simulation-Based Evaluation of Premovement Active Surveillance Protocol Options for the Managed Movement of Turkeys to Slaughter During an Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Todd Weaver, J; Malladi, Sasidhar; Bonney, Peter J; Patyk, Kelly A; Bergeron, Justin G; Middleton, Jamie L; Alexander, Catherine Y; Goldsmith, Timothy J; Halvorson, David A

2016-05-01

Risk management decisions associated with live poultry movement during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak should be carefully considered. Live turkey movements may pose a risk for disease spread. On the other hand, interruptions in scheduled movements can disrupt business continuity. The Secure Turkey Supply (STS) Plan was developed through an industry-government-academic collaboration to address business continuity concerns that might arise during a HPAI outbreak. STS stakeholders proposed outbreak response measure options that were evaluated through risk assessment. The developed approach relies on 1) diagnostic testing of two pooled samples of swabs taken from dead turkeys immediately before movement via the influenza A matrix gene real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test; 2) enhanced biosecurity measures in combination with a premovement isolation period (PMIP), restricting movement onto the premises for a few days before movement to slaughter; and 3) incorporation of a distance factor from known infected flocks such that exposure via local area spread is unlikely. Daily exposure likelihood estimates from spatial kernels from past HPAI outbreaks were coupled with simulation models of disease spread and active surveillance to evaluate active surveillance protocol options that differ with respect to the number of swabs per pooled sample and the timing of the tests in relation to movement. Simulation model results indicate that active surveillance testing, in combination with strict biosecurity, substantially increased HPAI virus detection probability. When distance from a known infected flock was considered, the overall combined likelihood of moving an infected, undetected turkey flock to slaughter was predicted to be lower at 3 and 5 km. The analysis of different active surveillance protocol options is designed to incorporate flexibility into HPAI emergency response plans.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for minor civil-engineering work at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for minor civil-engineering work at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm LOSINGER CONSTRUCTION (CH), the lowest bidder, for the provision of minor civilengineering work at CERN for three years for a total amount not exceeding 2 840 278 Swiss francs, not subject to revision for the first two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Sincalide - the final protocol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, E.A.; Notghi, A.; Hesslewood, S.R.; Harding, L.K.

2002-01-01

Full text: HIDA biliary studies examine the gallbladder (GB) to give a percentage ejection fraction (EF). Porcine CCK was an accepted agent for stimulating the GB prior to being withdrawn in the UK from 1998. Sincalide (a synthetic CCK) was the suggested replacement. We have tried many administration regimes in an attempt to get results comparable with our established CCK protocols. Dose concentration and length of infusion times have been studied. Initially a dose of 10 ngm/kg/min given over 2 minutes (manufacturer's recommended dose) was used. This gave falsely low ejection fractions. The dose was reduced to 3 ngm/kg/min over 3 minutes as it was felt the higher dose may be causing constriction of the sphincter of Oddi. This gave a slight improvement with 22 % of patients having normal EF (>35 %). The length of infusion was extended to 15 minutes and the dose concentration reduced again to 0.6 ngm/kg/min. 62 % of patients had a normal EF. However, on many of the curves the gallbladder was still contracting on completion of the 15 minute infusion and began to refill immediately after stopping Sincalide. A further change of protocol was indicated. The infusion time was extended to 30 minutes and the dose concentration per minute kept the same. Imaging began at 30 minutes post HIDA injection and continued for a total of 50 minutes. Sincalide infusion began at 35 minutes if a GB was visualized. This protocol has been performed on 17 patients. 53 % of these had a normal result (comparable with a normal rate of 40 % previously established with CCK) with a mean EF of 60 %. The mean EF of patients with abnormal studies was 15 %. Curves showed a plateau by 30 minutes in 94 % of patients indicating that gallbladder contraction was complete. No normal range is available so results were compared with ultrasound (US). All patients who had an abnormal US scan also had abnormal HIDA results. Three patients had a normal US scan and abnormal HIDA study. These are currently

A planning comparison of 7 irradiation options allowed in RTOG 1005 for early-stage breast cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Guang-Pei, E-mail: gpchen@mcw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Liu, Feng [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States); White, Julia [Department of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); Vicini, Frank A. [Michigan Healthcare Professionals/21st Century Oncology, Farmington Hills, MI (United States); Freedman, Gary M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Arthur, Douglas W. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (United States); Li, X. Allen [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

2015-04-01

This study compared the 7 treatment plan options in achieving the dose-volume criteria required by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 1005 protocol. Dosimetry plans were generated for 15 representative patients with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) based on the protocol-required dose-volume criteria for each of the following 7 treatment options: 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), whole-breast irradiation (WBI) plus 3DCRT lumpectomy boost, 3DCRT WBI plus electron boost, 3DCRT WBI plus intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) boost, IMRT WBI plus 3DCRT boost, IMRT WBI plus electron boost, IMRT WBI plus IMRT boost, and simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) with IMRT. A variety of dose-volume parameters, including target dose conformity and uniformity and normal tissue sparing, were compared for these plans. For the patients studied, all plans met the required acceptable dose-volume criteria, with most of them meeting the ideal criteria. When averaged over patients, most dose-volume goals for all plan options can be achieved with a positive gap of at least a few tenths of standard deviations. The plans for all 7 options are generally comparable. The dose-volume goals required by the protocol can in general be easily achieved. IMRT WBI provides better whole-breast dose uniformity than 3DCRT WBI does, but it causes no significant difference for the dose conformity. All plan options are comparable for lumpectomy dose uniformity and conformity. Patient anatomy is always an important factor when whole-breast dose uniformity and conformity and lumpectomy dose conformity are considered.

The Kyoto Protocol : Canada's risky rush to judgement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKitrick, R.; Wigle, R.M.

2002-01-01

This paper outlined the 4 proposed policy options to implement the Kyoto Protocol in Canada and presented reasons why the Canadian timetable to ratify the Kyoto Protocol is an unrealistic and unsound policy. The Canadian Prime Minister will ask Parliament to ratify the agreement before the end of 2002 but the authors claim that before any decision regarding ratification is made, the government should cost out all relevant options, under all reasonable contingencies. For policy purposes, this paper focuses on reductions of carbon dioxide. Canada's obligation is to reduce them 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010, but because of economic growth, emissions among participating countries may be 30 per cent above their aggregate target. In addition, the withdrawal of the United States means that about two-thirds of the world's emissions are not covered by Kyoto. The first policy option involves the selling of emission permits covering about 80 per cent of domestic emitters. It results in 16 MT of domestic emissions reductions being accomplished and 128 MT of foreign permits being purchased. This first option is considered to be the least costly of the four. The second option relies on command-and-control measures in which 104 MT worth of new targeted measures are forced through. Although the government has not provided cost estimates for option 2, it is likely to be much more costly than option 1. The third option slightly adjusts the mix of permits trading and command-and-control measures, and distributes the permits freely instead of selling them. Only the large emitters are involved in the trading system, covering 40 per cent of domestic emission sources. The cost of emissions reductions would be lower than under option 1. The fourth and final option combines tradable permits systems in which only large emitters are involved, but where permits are distributed according to sectoral emission reduction costs, expected future emission growth rates as well as economic

Contract theory and EU Contract Law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hesselink, M.W.; Twigg-Flesner, C.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between contract theory and European contract law. In particular, it confronts the leading contract law theories with the main characteristics of EU contract law. The conclusion is that the two do not match well. In particular, monist normative contract theories

A Proposed Solution for the Chicken-Egg Dilemma in Pricing Currency Options

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariful Hoque

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The implied volatility (IV estimation process suffers from an obvious chicken-egg dilemma: obtaining an unbiased IV requires the options to be priced correctly and calculating an accurate option price (OP requires an unbiased IV. We address this critical issue in two steps. First, the Granger causality test is employed, whichconfirms the chicken-and-egg problem in the IV computing process. Secondly, the concept of “moneyness volatility (MV” is introduced as an alternative to IV. MV is modelled based on an option’s moneyness (OM during the life of the option’s contract. The F-test, Granger-Newbold test and Diebold-Mariano test results consistently show that MV outperforms IV in estimating the exchange rate volatility for pricing options. Further, these series of tests across six major currency options substantiate the validity as well as the reliability of the results. We posit that MV offers a unique solution for pricing currency options accurately.

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROVISIONS OF THE APPLICABLE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT AND THE INDIVIDUAL LABOR CONTRACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Vidat

2015-11-01

Full Text Available It is inconceivable that a contract executed by definition in time, could remain in all respects, in its original form in which the parties have concluded (in writing. Flexicurity requirements during the execution of the individual labour contract is not, in reality, only a requirement of the legislature - which translates options employer organizations - it is an objective necessity determined that occur after the conclusion of the contract a number of circumstances, situations, goals or subjective, requiring modification of.

Effective dose comparison between protocols stitched and usual protocols in dental cone beam CT for complete arcade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, M. R.; Maia, A. F.; Batista, W. O. G.; Lara, P. A.

2014-08-01

To visualization a complete dental radiology dental lives together with two separate proposals: [1] protocols diameter encompassing the entire arch (single) or [2] protocol with multiple fields of view (Fov) which together encompass the entire arch (stitched Fov s). The objective of this study is to evaluate effective dose values in examination protocols for all dental arcade available in different outfits with these two options. For this, a female anthropomorphic phantom manufactured by Radiology Support Devices twenty six thermoluminescent dosimeters inserted in relevant bodies and positions was used. Irradiate the simulator in the clinical conditions. The protocols were averaged and compared: [a] 14.0 cm x 8.5 cm and [b] 8.5 cm x 8.5 cm (Gendex Tomography GXCB 500), [c] protocol stitched for jaw combination of three volumes of 5.0 cm x 3.7 cm (Kodak 9000 3D scanner) [d] protocol stitched Fov s 5.0 cm x 8.0 cm (Planmeca Pro Max 3D) and [e] single technical Fov 14 cm x 8 cm (i-CAT Classical). Our results for the effective dose were: a range between 43.1 and 111.1 micro Sv for technical single Fov and 44.5 and 236.2 for technical stitched Fov s. The protocol presented the highest estimated effective dose was [d] and showed that lowest index was registered [a]. These results demonstrate that the protocol stitched Fov generated in Kodak 9000 3D machine applied the upper dental arch has practically equal value effective dose obtained by protocol extended diameter of, [a], which evaluates in a single image upper and lower arcade. It also demonstrates that the protocol [d] gives an estimate of five times higher than the protocol [a]. Thus, we conclude that in practical terms the protocol [c] stitched Fov s, not presents dosimetric advantages over other protocols. (Author)

Effective dose comparison between protocols stitched and usual protocols in dental cone beam CT for complete arcade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soares, M. R.; Maia, A. F. [Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Departamento de Fisica, Cidade Universitaria Prof. Jose Aloisio de Campos, Marechal Rondon s/n, Jardim Rosa Elze, 49-100000 Sao Cristovao, Sergipe (Brazil); Batista, W. O. G. [Instituto Federal da Bahia, Rua Emidio dos Santos s/n, Barbalho, Salvador, 40301015 Bahia (Brazil); Lara, P. A., E-mail: wilsonottobatista@gmail.com [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares / CNEN, Av. Lineu Prestes 2242, Cidade Universitaria, 05508-000 Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2014-08-15

To visualization a complete dental radiology dental lives together with two separate proposals: [1] protocols diameter encompassing the entire arch (single) or [2] protocol with multiple fields of view (Fov) which together encompass the entire arch (stitched Fov s). The objective of this study is to evaluate effective dose values in examination protocols for all dental arcade available in different outfits with these two options. For this, a female anthropomorphic phantom manufactured by Radiology Support Devices twenty six thermoluminescent dosimeters inserted in relevant bodies and positions was used. Irradiate the simulator in the clinical conditions. The protocols were averaged and compared: [a] 14.0 cm x 8.5 cm and [b] 8.5 cm x 8.5 cm (Gendex Tomography GXCB 500), [c] protocol stitched for jaw combination of three volumes of 5.0 cm x 3.7 cm (Kodak 9000 3D scanner) [d] protocol stitched Fov s 5.0 cm x 8.0 cm (Planmeca Pro Max 3D) and [e] single technical Fov 14 cm x 8 cm (i-CAT Classical). Our results for the effective dose were: a range between 43.1 and 111.1 micro Sv for technical single Fov and 44.5 and 236.2 for technical stitched Fov s. The protocol presented the highest estimated effective dose was [d] and showed that lowest index was registered [a]. These results demonstrate that the protocol stitched Fov generated in Kodak 9000 3D machine applied the upper dental arch has practically equal value effective dose obtained by protocol extended diameter of, [a], which evaluates in a single image upper and lower arcade. It also demonstrates that the protocol [d] gives an estimate of five times higher than the protocol [a]. Thus, we conclude that in practical terms the protocol [c] stitched Fov s, not presents dosimetric advantages over other protocols. (Author)

17 CFR 230.151 - Safe harbor definition of certain “annuity contracts or optional annuity contracts” within the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the contract does not vary according to the investment experience of a separate account; (2) The insurer for the life of the contract (i) Guarantees the principal amount of purchase payments and interest... section to net purchase payments and interest credited thereto; and (3) The insurer guarantees that the...

Forward, Forward Option and No Hedging Which One is the Best for Managing Currency Risk?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riko Hendrawan

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Bank Indonesia Regulation No.18/18/PBI/2016 concerning foreign exchange transactions against rupiah between banks and domestic parties, indicates that the importance of hedging for business actors in Indonesia. Based on the data of the rupiah exchange rate movement against the dollar from January 2006 to December 2016 shows that the fluctuation of the rupiah against the US dollar tends to weaken, although at some point the observation shows the strengthening of the rupiah against the US dollar. The purpose of this research is to assess impact of Forward, Forward Option and No Hedging Strategy for managing currency exposure between IDR to USD. Using data from January 2006–December 2016 taken from website of Bank Indonesia and Federal Reserve. Total 396 simulations,consists of 132 using Forward simulations, 132 using Forward Option simulations and 132 using No Hedging simulations. Findings from this research show that Forward Option was has no positive contribution in managing currency exposure, No Hedging Strategy has 36,36 percent positive contribution and forward contract has 72,73 percent positive contribution in managing currency exposure. Its means Forward Contract was better than Forward Option and No Hedging Strategies in managing currency exposure.

Risk management and oil trading contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sas, B.

1992-01-01

The oil market provides an excellent case study for an analysis of the commodity trading risks and the development of contractual instruments and market structures to meet these risks. The paper identifies the main risks, namely performance, credit/payment, price, regulatory, fiscal, and ''trading'' risk. A conceptual framework provides the basis to trace the evolution of the risk management instruments from relational (e.g. long-term), through ''transactional'' (e.g. spot and forwards) to ''institutional'' (e.g. futures and options) and finally ''pricing'' (e.g. swaps and trigger pricing) contracts. (author)

Assessing older drivers: a primary care protocol to evaluate driving safety risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Murden, Robert A; Unroe, Kathleen

2005-08-01

Most articles on elder drivers offer either general advice, or review testing protocols that divide drivers into two distinct groups: safe or unsafe. We believe it is unreasonable to expect any testing to fully separate drivers into just these two mutually exclusive groups, so we offer a protocol for a more practical approach. This protocol can be applied by primary care physicians. We review the justification for the many steps of this protocol, which have branches that lead to identifying drivers as low risk, high risk (for accidents) or needing further evaluation. Options for further evaluation are provided.

41 CFR 102-194.30 - What role does my agency play in the Standard and Optional Forms Management Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... What role does my agency play in the Standard and Optional Forms Management Program? Your agency head... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What role does my agency play in the Standard and Optional Forms Management Program? 102-194.30 Section 102-194.30 Public...

Effects of contraction duration on low-frequency fatigue in voluntary and electrically induced exercise of quadriceps muscle in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratkevicius, A; Skurvydas, A; Povilonis, E; Quistorff, B; Lexell, J

1998-04-01

The aims of this study were to investigate if low-frequency fatigue (LFF) dependent on the duration of repeated muscle contractions and to compare LFF in voluntary and electrically induced exercise. Male subjects performed three 9-min periods of repeated isometric knee extensions at 40% maximal voluntary contraction with contraction plus relaxation periods of 30 plus 60 s, 15 plus 30 s and 5 plus 10 s in protocols 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The same exercise protocols were repeated using feedback-controlled electrical stimulation at 40% maximal tetanic torque. Before and 15 min after each exercise period, knee extension torque at 1, 7, 10, 15, 20, 50 and 100 Hz was assessed. During voluntary exercise, electromyogram root mean square (EMGrms) of the vastus lateralis muscle was evaluated. The 20-Hz torque:100-Hz torque (20:100 Hz torque) ratio was reduced more after electrically induced than after voluntary exercise (P exercise, the decrease in 20:100 Hz torque ratio was gradually (P exercise, the decrease in 20:100 Hz torque ratio and the increase in EMGrms were greater in protocol 1 (P exercise and that the electrically induced exercise produced a more pronounced LFF compared to voluntary exercise of submaximal intensity. It is suggested that compensatory recruitment of faster-contracting motor units is an additional factor affecting the severity of LFF during voluntary exercise.

Monitoring System with Two Central Facilities Protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caesar Firdaus

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The security of data and information on government’s information system required proper way of defending against threat. Security aspect can be achieved by using cryptography algorithm, applying information hiding concept, and implementing security protocol. In this research, two central facilities protocol was implemented on Research and Development Center of Mineral and Coal Technology’s Cooperation Contract Monitoring System by utilizing AES and whitespace manipulation algorithm. Adjustment on the protocol by creating several rule of validation ID’s generation and checking processes could fulfill two of four cryptography objectives, consist of authentication and non-repudiation. The solid collaboration between central legitimization agency (CLA, central tabulating facility (CTF, and client is the main idea in two central facilities protocol. The utilization of AES algorithm could defend the data on transmission from man in the middle attack scenario. On the other hand, whitespace manipulation algorithm provided data integrity aspect of the document that is uploaded to the system itself. Both of the algorithm fulfill confidentiality, data integrity, and authentication.

Financial oil derivatives: from options to oil warrants and synthetic oilfields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trabia, Xavier

1992-01-01

This study aims to shed light on some of the most interesting financial oil derivatives issued so far in order to assess the potential of this new wave of innovative funding instruments. In Part I some theoretical background is provided and applied to the problem of the American futures option. The ''binomial'' model for valuing future option contracts is presented and the most accurate alternatives for pricing American futures options are reviewed. The role of these numerical procedures in valuing more complex options involved in oil warrants is examined. Comments are made on the behaviour of volatility, which stands as a key interface between theory and practice in oil trading on the oil futures market. Part II of the study describes in detail some of the most famous new financial oil derivatives. Some final conclusions are drawn on the potential of oil trusts and synthetic oilfields to be involved in project and general funding in the oil industry. (44 figures, 11 tables, 53 references) (UK)

Confidence limits for data mining models of options prices

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, J. V.; Dixon, M.; Read, B. J.; Cai, F. F.

2004-12-01

Non-parametric methods such as artificial neural nets can successfully model prices of financial options, out-performing the Black-Scholes analytic model (Eur. Phys. J. B 27 (2002) 219). However, the accuracy of such approaches is usually expressed only by a global fitting/error measure. This paper describes a robust method for determining prediction intervals for models derived by non-linear regression. We have demonstrated it by application to a standard synthetic example (29th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Special Session on Intelligent Systems, pp. 1926-1931). The method is used here to obtain prediction intervals for option prices using market data for LIFFE “ESX” FTSE 100 index options ( http://www.liffe.com/liffedata/contracts/month_onmonth.xls). We avoid special neural net architectures and use standard regression procedures to determine local error bars. The method is appropriate for target data with non constant variance (or volatility).

Types of contracts and contracting procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zijl, N.A. van

1977-01-01

Contracting for a nuclear power plant can be carried out in many different ways, from a bilateral agreement between two countries to an international open bidding competition. Also the kind of contracts (turnkey, split-package or multi-contract type) are discussed with their pros and cons as well as the contracting procedures which can be followed to come to the conclusion of a contract. (orig.) [de

17 CFR 1.35 - Records of cash commodity, futures, and option transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... paragraph (a-1)(5)(iii) of this section and to permit the reconstruction of the handling of the order from... contract for future delivery or underlying physical, strike price, and details of the purchase price of the... delivery, or underlying physical, strike price, details of the purchase price of the option, including...

Proposal for the award of three contracts for the provision of temporary labour on the CERN site

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of three contracts for the provision of temporary labour on the CERN site. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of three contracts for the provision of temporary labour on the CERN site with CREYF'S (CH), VEDIOR (CH), and ALPEMPLOI (CH) for a total combined maximum amount for three years for all three contracts of 12 000 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision, for an initial period of three years from 1 July 2006. The contracts will include options for two further one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. 2006/62/5/e

A Receiver-Initiated Collision-Avoidance Protocol for Multi-Channel Networks

Science.gov (United States)

2001-01-01

00-00-2001 to 00-00-2001 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A Receiver-Initiated Collision-Avoidance Protocol for Multi-Channel Netowrks 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER...images. 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 10 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE

ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THE AIR FORCE CONTRACT AUGMENTATION PROGRAM: A PATTERNED APPROACH TO RISK IDENTIFICATION

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-22

eight contractors. It is a multiple - award indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) $5 billion arrangement with one base year and four option...evaluation factors, and the pre-award phase is completed. The post-award phase concerns the insurance of performance under the terms of the contract...may have consequences ranging from award fee decrements , contract termination, suspension or debarment, or other appropriate remedies or

Current options for the treatment of facial angiofibromas.

Science.gov (United States)

Salido-Vallejo, R; Garnacho-Saucedo, G; Moreno-Giménez, J C

2014-01-01

Facial angiofibromas are hamartomatous growths that are closely associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and, in fact, they constitute one of the main diagnostic criteria for that disease. These lesions composed of blood vessels and fibrous tissue appear on the face at an early age. Since they have important physical and psychological repercussions for patients, several treatment options have been used to remove them or improve their appearance. However, the lack of treatment guidelines prevents us from developing a common protocol for patients with this condition. The present article aims to review the treatments for facial angiofibromas used to date and to propose a new evidence-based treatment protocol. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

Muscle fatigue and contraction intensity modulates the complexity of surface electromyography.

Science.gov (United States)

Cashaback, Joshua G A; Cluff, Tyler; Potvin, Jim R

2013-02-01

Nonlinear dynamical techniques offer a powerful approach for the investigation of physiological time series. Multiscale entropy analyses have shown that pathological and aging systems are less complex than healthy systems and this finding has been attributed to degraded physiological control processes. A similar phenomenon may arise during fatiguing muscle contractions where surface electromyography signals undergo temporal and spectral changes that arise from the impaired regulation of muscle force production. Here we examine the affect of fatigue and contraction intensity on the short and long-term complexity of biceps brachii surface electromyography. To investigate, we used an isometric muscle fatigue protocol (parsed into three windows) and three contraction intensities (% of maximal elbow joint moment: 40%, 70% and 100%). We found that fatigue reduced the short-term complexity of biceps brachii activity during the last third of the fatiguing contraction. We also found that the complexity of surface electromyography is dependent on contraction intensity. Our results show that multiscale entropy is sensitive to muscle fatigue and contraction intensity and we argue it is imperative that both factors be considered when evaluating the complexity of surface electromyography signals. Our data contribute to a converging body of evidence showing that multiscale entropy can quantify subtle information content in physiological time series. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of nuclear power in the option zero emission technologies for fossil fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corak, Z.

2006-01-01

The energy sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) increasing concerns due to their potential risk to induce global warming and climate change. The Parties having signed the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997, committed to decrease their GHG emissions. The Protocol states that countries shall undertake promotion, research, development and increased use of new and renewable forms of energy, of carbon dioxide sequestration technologies and of advanced and innovative environmentally sound technologies. The one significant option that is not specifically mentioned is nuclear energy which is essentially carbon-free. There are a number of technical options that could help reducing, or at least slowing the increase of, GHG emissions from the energy sector. The list of options includes: improving the efficiency of energy conversion and end-use processes; shifting to less carbon intensive energy sources (e.g. shifting from coal to natural gas); developing carbon-free or low-carbon energy sources; and carbon sequestration (e.g. planting forests or capturing and storing carbon dioxide). It must be pointed out that nuclear power is one of the few options that are currently available on the market, competitive in a number of countries, especially if global costs to society of alternative options are considered; practically carbon-free; and sustainable at large-scale deployment. The nuclear power could play significant role in alleviating the risk of global climate change. The main objective of the article is to present sequestration options, their cost evaluation as well as comparation with alternative possibilities of nuclear energy production. (author)

Witnet: A Decentralized Oracle Network Protocol

OpenAIRE

de Pedro, Adán Sánchez; Levi, Daniele; Cuende, Luis Iván

2017-01-01

Witnet is a decentralized oracle network (DON) that connects smart contracts to the outer world. Generally speaking, it allows any piece of software to retrieve the contents published at any web address at a certain point in time, with complete and verifiable proof of its integrity and without blindly trusting any third party. Witnet runs on a blockchain with a native protocol token (called Wit), which miners-called witnesses-earn by retrieving, attesting and delivering web contents for clien...

Multiyear Procurement (MYP) and Block Buy Contracting in Defense Acquisition: Background and Issues for Congress

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-16

approaches, see CRS Report RL31404, Defense Procurement: Full Funding Policy— Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke and Stephen ...proposing  a multiyear procurement contract for FY2017-FY2021 for procuring UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters; and  a multiyear contract for FY2017-FY2021...as reported states: SEC. 112. Multiyear procurement authority for UH–60M and HH–60M Black Hawk helicopters. (a) Authority for multiyear procurement

Procurement Options for New Renewable Electricity Supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreycik, C. E.; Couture, T. D.; Cory, K. S.

2011-12-01

State renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies require utilities and load-serving entities (LSEs) to procure renewable energy generation. Utility procurement options may be a function of state policy and regulatory preferences, and in some cases, may be dictated by legislative authority. Utilities and LSEs commonly use competitive solicitations or bilateral contracting to procure renewable energy supply to meet RPS mandates. However, policymakers and regulators in several states are beginning to explore the use of alternatives, namely feed-in tariffs (FITs) and auctions to procure renewable energy supply. This report evaluates four procurement strategies (competitive solicitations, bilateral contracting, FITs, and auctions) against four main criteria: (1) pricing; (2) complexity and efficiency of the procurement process; (3) impacts on developers access to markets; and (4) ability to complement utility decision-making processes. These criteria were chosen because they take into account the perspective of each group of stakeholders: ratepayers, regulators, utilities, investors, and developers.

ASTM STANDARD GUIDE FOR EVALUATING DISPOSAL OPTIONS FOR REUSE OF CONCRETE FROM NUCLEAR FACILITY DECOMMISSIONING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Ann Marie; Meservey, Richard H.

2003-01-01

Within the nuclear industry, many contaminated facilities that require decommissioning contain huge volumes of concrete. This concrete is generally disposed of as low-level waste at a high cost. Much of the concrete is lightly contaminated and could be reused as roadbed, fill material, or aggregate for new concrete, thus saving millions of dollars. However, because of the possibility of volumetric contamination and the lack of a method to evaluate the risks and costs of reusing concrete, reuse is rarely considered. To address this problem, Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory teamed to write a ''concrete protocol'' to help evaluate the ramifications of reusing concrete within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This document, titled the Protocol for Development of Authorized Release Limits for Concrete at U.S. Department of Energy Site (1) is based on ANL-E's previously developed scrap metal recycle protocols; on the 10-step method outlined in DOE's draft handbook, Controlling Release for Reuse or Recycle of Property Containing Residual Radioactive Material (2); and on DOE Order 4500.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment (3). The DOE concrete protocol was the basis for the ASTM Standard Guide for Evaluating Disposal Options for Concrete from Nuclear Facility Decommissioning, which was written to make the information available to a wider audience outside DOE. The resulting ASTM Standard Guide is a more concise version that can be used by the nuclear industry worldwide to evaluate the risks and costs of reusing concrete from nuclear facility decommissioning. The bulk of the ASTM Standard Guide focuses on evaluating the dose and cost for each disposal option. The user calculates these from the detailed formulas and tabulated data provided, then compares the dose and cost for each disposal option to select the best option that meets regulatory requirements. With this information

The incremental cost of switching from Option B to Option B+ for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Lisa; Shaffer, Nathan; Sangrujee, Nalinee; Abimbola, Taiwo O

2014-03-01

To estimate the incremental cost over 5 years of a policy switch from the Option B to the Option B+ protocol for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Data from cost studies and other published sources were used to determine the cost, per woman and per cohort (1000 breastfeeding and 1000 non-breastfeeding women), of switching from Option B (maternal triple antiretroviral [ARV] regimen during pregnancy and breastfeeding plus daily nevirapine for the infant for 6 weeks) to Option B+ (maternal triple ARV regimen initiated during pregnancy and continued for life). The variables used to model the different scenarios were maternal CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4+ cell) count (350-500 versus > 500 cells/µl), rate of decline in CD4+ cells (average, rapid, slow), breastfeeding status (yes, no) and breastfeeding duration (12, 18 or 24 months). For women with CD4+ cell counts of 350-500 cells/µl, the incremental cost per 1000 women was 157,345 United States dollars (US$) for breastfeeding women and US$ 92,813 for non-breastfeeding women. For women with CD4+ cell counts > 500 cells/µl, the incremental cost per 1000 women ranged from US$ 363,443 to US$ 484,591 for breastfeeding women and was US$ 605,739 for non-breastfeeding women. From a cost perspective, a policy switch from Option B to Option B+ is feasible in PMTCT programme settings where resources are currently being allocated to Option B.

Depression Screening and Education: Options to Reduce Barriers to Treatment (DESEO): protocol for an educational intervention study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Katherine; Eghaneyan, Brittany H; Trivedi, Madhukar H

2016-07-29

Barriers to depression treatment among Hispanic populations include persistent stigma, inadequate doctor patient communication (DPC) and resultant sub-optimal use of anti-depressant medications. Stigma is primarily perpetuated due to inadequate disease literacy and cultural factors. Common concerns about depression treatments among Hispanics include fears about the addictive and harmful properties of antidepressants, worries about taking too many pills, and the stigma attached to taking psychotropic medications. The current manuscript presents the study protocol for the Depression Screening and Education: Options to Reduce Barriers to Treatment (DESEO) study funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Grants to Support the Hispanic Health Services Research Grant Program. DESEO will implement universal screening with a self-report depression screening tool (the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)) that is presented through a customized web application and a Depression Education Intervention (DEI) designed to increase disease literacy, and dispel myths about depression and its treatment among Hispanic patients thus reducing stigma and increasing treatment engagement. This project will be conducted at one community health center whose patient population is majority Hispanic. The target enrollment for recruitment is 350 patients over the 24-month study period. A one-group, pretest-posttest design will be used to asses knowledge of depression and its treatment and related stigma before, immediately after, and one month post intervention. Primary care settings often are the gateway to identifying undiagnosed mental health disorders, particularly for people with comorbid physical health conditions. This study is unique in that it aims to examine the specific role of patient education as an intervention to increase engagement in depression treatment. By participating in the DEI, it is expected that patients will have time to understand treatment

An Overview of Chain of Custody Options for LETTERPRESS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smartt, Heidi A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-11-01

This purpose of this document is to provide an overview of Chain of Custody (CoC) technology options that could be made available for the LETTERPRESS exercise as part of the Quad Working Group. The Quad Working Group comprises five sub-working groups (Management, Protocol, Simulation, Technology, and Training) with members from the U.S., U.K., Norway, and Sweden having the goal of providing a repeatable, realistic arms control exercise (dubbed LETTERPRESS) to be executed in representative facilities and using non-proliferative but representative treaty items. The Technology Working Group is responsible for supporting the technology requirements of the LETTERPRESS exercise and as such the technologies presented here are possible options to meet those requirements.

An Overview of Chain of Custody Options for LETTERPRESS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smartt, Heidi A.

2016-01-01

This purpose of this document is to provide an overview of Chain of Custody (CoC) technology options that could be made available for the LETTERPRESS exercise as part of the Quad Working Group. The Quad Working Group comprises five sub-working groups (Management, Protocol, Simulation, Technology, and Training) with members from the U.S., U.K., Norway, and Sweden having the goal of providing a repeatable, realistic arms control exercise (dubbed LETTERPRESS) to be executed in representative facilities and using non-proliferative but representative treaty items. The Technology Working Group is responsible for supporting the technology requirements of the LETTERPRESS exercise and as such the technologies presented here are possible options to meet those requirements.

Penalty methods for the numerical solution of American multi-asset option problems

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Bjørn Fredrik; Skavhaug, Ola; Tveito, Aslak

2008-12-01

We derive and analyze a penalty method for solving American multi-asset option problems. A small, non-linear penalty term is added to the Black-Scholes equation. This approach gives a fixed solution domain, removing the free and moving boundary imposed by the early exercise feature of the contract. Explicit, implicit and semi-implicit finite difference schemes are derived, and in the case of independent assets, we prove that the approximate option prices satisfy some basic properties of the American option problem. Several numerical experiments are carried out in order to investigate the performance of the schemes. We give examples indicating that our results are sharp. Finally, the experiments indicate that in the case of correlated underlying assets, the same properties are valid as in the independent case.

78 FR 27453 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-10

... selling. \\8\\ Parity is the intrinsic value of an option when it is in- the-money. With respect to puts, it... contracts x 100 multiplier) Under proposed rule: Customer A would be able to choose to have the B10 GOOG May...

48 CFR 552.216-70 - Economic Price Adjustment-FSS Multiple Award Schedule Contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... ___* percent of the original contract unit price. The Government reserves the right to raise this ceiling where... price increase. (e) The Government reserves the right to exercise one of the following options: (1... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Economic Price Adjustment...

Adaptive algorithm for solution of early exercise boundary problem of American put option implemented in Mathematica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukáš Ladislav

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is focused on American option pricing problem. Assuming non-dividend paying American put option leads to two disjunctive regions, a continuation one and a stopping one, which are separated by an early exercise boundary. We present variational formulation of American option problem with special attention to early exercise action effect. Next, we discuss financially motivated additive decomposition of American option price into a European option price and another part due to the extra premium required by early exercising the option contract. As the optimal exercise boundary is a free boundary, its determination is coupled with the determination of the option price. Therefore, a closed-form expression of the free boundary is not attainable in general. We discuss in detail a derivation of an asymptotic expression of the early exercise boundary. Finally, we present some numerical results of determination of free boundary based upon this approach. All computations are performed by sw Mathematica, and suitable numerical procedure is discussed in detail, as well.

76 FR 12775 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing of a Proposed...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-08

... contract would use a $100 multiplier, and the minimum trading increment would be $0.05 for options trading... trading that could be attributable to expiring in-the-money series. The data would include a comparison of...

Renegotiating ethane contracts from producer/processor perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawkins, D. J.

1997-01-01

An overview of commercial practices relating to ethane sup ply and other collateral issues, including the variety of technologies used in the recovery of ethane and the manufacture of ethylene was provided. Ethane supply and demand balances, the Alberta ethane supply, the justifications for ethane recovery, the need for renegotiating ethane contracts in view of the changing Alberta market, the major price components , producers and processors' objectives in ethane sales, the nature of ethane contracts, and ethane pricing mechanisms were reviewed. The 'Alberta Advantage' based on gas price, large-scale ethane recovery, proximity to the largest market in the world, efficient transportation and fractionation facilities, further enhanced by deregulation and reduced regulatory barriers, was described. It was suggested that the enhanced competition and increase in market diversity demands a transparency in pricing that may well be realized as additional players enter the petrochemical business, and as competing transportation, processing and fractionation options become available to ethane suppliers and purchasers.1 tab

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for operation of the Computer Centre at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for operation of the Computer Centre at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium DATA CONVERSION SYSTEMS (CH) - INTRACOM BULGARIA (BG), the lowest bidder, for the operation of the Computer Centre at CERN for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 2 046 570 Swiss francs, not subject to revision for the first two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. 2006/55/5/e

Breaking and entering’ of contracts as a matter of bargaining power and exclusivity clauses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosenkranz, S.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/157222241; Weitzel, G.U.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/276323394

2011-01-01

We analyze the effect of liquidated damage rules in exclusive contracts that are negotiated in a sequential bargaining process between one seller and two buyers with endogenous outside options. We show that assumptions on the distribution of bargaining power influence the size of the payment of

Decision and Recommendation Concerning the Application of the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy to Nuclear Installations for the Disposal of Certain Types of Low-level Radioactive Waste (This Decision and Recommendation was adopted at the 133. Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy held on 3-4 November 2016.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

The steering committee, having regard to the Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy of 29 July 1960, as amended by the Additional Protocol of 28 January 1964, by the Protocol of 16 November 1982 and by the Protocol of 12 February 2004, and in particular Article 1(b) thereof; Considering that, by virtue of that Article, the Steering Committee may, if in its view the small extent of the risks involved so warrants, exclude any nuclear installation, nuclear fuel or nuclear substances from the application of the Paris Convention; having regard to Article 8(b) and Article 10(b) of the Statute of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; considering that nuclear installations for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste are covered by the provisions of the Paris Convention; considering that it should be made possible for Contracting Parties to cease the application of the Paris Convention to a nuclear installation for the disposal of certain types of low-level radioactive waste where the risks involved are so limited; noting the attached Explanatory Note; decides that any Contracting Party may cease to apply the Paris Convention to a nuclear installation for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, provided that the provisions set out in the Appendix to this Decision and Recommendation and any additional conditions which the Contracting Party may judge appropriate to establish are met; recommends that the Contracting Parties which make use of this option notify the other Contracting Parties, as well as the Nuclear Energy Agency; and recommends that the Nuclear Energy Agency, as appropriate, analyses periodically the experience gained by the Contracting Parties which use this option and reports back to all the Contracting Parties. (authors)

High-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE for non-thermal ablation without muscle contraction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arena Christopher B

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Therapeutic irreversible electroporation (IRE is an emerging technology for the non-thermal ablation of tumors. The technique involves delivering a series of unipolar electric pulses to permanently destabilize the plasma membrane of cancer cells through an increase in transmembrane potential, which leads to the development of a tissue lesion. Clinically, IRE requires the administration of paralytic agents to prevent muscle contractions during treatment that are associated with the delivery of electric pulses. This study shows that by applying high-frequency, bipolar bursts, muscle contractions can be eliminated during IRE without compromising the non-thermal mechanism of cell death. Methods A combination of analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques were performed to investigate high-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE. A theoretical model for determining transmembrane potential in response to arbitrary electric fields was used to identify optimal burst frequencies and amplitudes for in vivo treatments. A finite element model for predicting thermal damage based on the electric field distribution was used to design non-thermal protocols for in vivo experiments. H-FIRE was applied to the brain of rats, and muscle contractions were quantified via accelerometers placed at the cervicothoracic junction. MRI and histological evaluation was performed post-operatively to assess ablation. Results No visual or tactile evidence of muscle contraction was seen during H-FIRE at 250 kHz or 500 kHz, while all IRE protocols resulted in detectable muscle contractions at the cervicothoracic junction. H-FIRE produced ablative lesions in brain tissue that were characteristic in cellular morphology of non-thermal IRE treatments. Specifically, there was complete uniformity of tissue death within targeted areas, and a sharp transition zone was present between lesioned and normal brain. Conclusions H-FIRE is a feasible technique for

An Enhanced LoRaWAN Security Protocol for Privacy Preservation in IoT with a Case Study on a Smart Factory-Enabled Parking System.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Ilsun; Kwon, Soonhyun; Choudhary, Gaurav; Sharma, Vishal; Seo, Jung Taek

2018-06-08

The Internet of Things (IoT) utilizes algorithms to facilitate intelligent applications across cities in the form of smart-urban projects. As the majority of devices in IoT are battery operated, their applications should be facilitated with a low-power communication setup. Such facility is possible through the Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN), but at a constrained bit rate. For long-range communication over LPWAN, several approaches and protocols are adopted. One such protocol is the Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), which is a media access layer protocol for long-range communication between the devices and the application servers via LPWAN gateways. However, LoRaWAN comes with fewer security features as a much-secured protocol consumes more battery because of the exorbitant computational overheads. The standard protocol fails to support end-to-end security and perfect forward secrecy while being vulnerable to the replay attack that makes LoRaWAN limited in supporting applications where security (especially end-to-end security) is important. Motivated by this, an enhanced LoRaWAN security protocol is proposed, which not only provides the basic functions of connectivity between the application server and the end device, but additionally averts these listed security issues. The proposed protocol is developed with two options, the Default Option (DO) and the Security-Enhanced Option (SEO). The protocol is validated through Burrows⁻Abadi⁻Needham (BAN) logic and the Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) tool. The proposed protocol is also analyzed for overheads through system-based and low-power device-based evaluations. Further, a case study on a smart factory-enabled parking system is considered for its practical application. The results, in terms of network latency with reliability fitting and signaling overheads, show paramount improvements and better performance for the proposed protocol compared with the two

An Enhanced LoRaWAN Security Protocol for Privacy Preservation in IoT with a Case Study on a Smart Factory-Enabled Parking System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilsun You

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT utilizes algorithms to facilitate intelligent applications across cities in the form of smart-urban projects. As the majority of devices in IoT are battery operated, their applications should be facilitated with a low-power communication setup. Such facility is possible through the Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN, but at a constrained bit rate. For long-range communication over LPWAN, several approaches and protocols are adopted. One such protocol is the Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN, which is a media access layer protocol for long-range communication between the devices and the application servers via LPWAN gateways. However, LoRaWAN comes with fewer security features as a much-secured protocol consumes more battery because of the exorbitant computational overheads. The standard protocol fails to support end-to-end security and perfect forward secrecy while being vulnerable to the replay attack that makes LoRaWAN limited in supporting applications where security (especially end-to-end security is important. Motivated by this, an enhanced LoRaWAN security protocol is proposed, which not only provides the basic functions of connectivity between the application server and the end device, but additionally averts these listed security issues. The proposed protocol is developed with two options, the Default Option (DO and the Security-Enhanced Option (SEO. The protocol is validated through Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN logic and the Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA tool. The proposed protocol is also analyzed for overheads through system-based and low-power device-based evaluations. Further, a case study on a smart factory-enabled parking system is considered for its practical application. The results, in terms of network latency with reliability fitting and signaling overheads, show paramount improvements and better performance for the proposed protocol compared with

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for computer centre operations

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for Computer Centre operations. Following a market survey carried out among 40 firms in eleven Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2871/IT) was sent on 9 March 2001 to nine firms and one consortium consisting of two firms in six Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received three tenders from two firms and one consortium in three Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium DCS (CH) - INTRASOFT (GR), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 October 2001 for a total amount of 2 196 588 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 30 September 2002. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: CH-55% ; GR-45%.

Extraction protocols for orthodontic treatment: A retrospective study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaishnevi N Thirunavukkarasu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Various extraction protocols have been followed for successful orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extraction protocols in patients who had previously undergone orthodontic treatment and also who had reported for continuing orthodontic treatment from other clinics. Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty eight patients who registered for orthodontic treatment at the Faculty of Dentistry were divided into 10 extraction protocols based on the Orthodontic treatment protocol given by Janson et al. and were evaluated for statistical significance. Results: The descriptive statistics of the study revealed a total of 40 (29% patients in protocol 1, 43 (31.2% in protocol 2, 18 (13% in protocol 3, 16 (11.6% in protocol 5, and 12 (8.7% in Type 3 category of protocol 9. The Type 3 category in protocol 9 was statistically significant compared to other studies. Midline shift and collapse of the arch form were noticed in these individuals. Conclusion: Extraction of permanent teeth such as canine and lateral incisors without rational reasons could have devastating consequences on the entire occlusion. The percentage of cases wherein extraction of permanent teeth in the crowded region was adopted as a treatment option instead of orthodontic treatment is still prevalent in dental practice. The shortage of orthodontists in Malaysia, the long waiting period, and lack of subjective need for orthodontic treatment at an earlier age group were the reasons for the patient's to choose extraction of the mal-aligned teeth such as the maxillary canine or maxillary lateral incisors.

Influence of curing protocol on selected properties of light-curing polymers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dewaele, Magali; Asmussen, Erik; Peutzfeldt, Anne

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of light-curing protocol on degree of conversion (DC), volume contraction (C), elastic modulus (E), and glass transition temperature (T(g)) as measured on a model polymer. It was a further aim to correlate the measured values with each other....

GENERALIZED MATRIXES OF GALOIS PROTOCOLS EXCHANGE ENCRYPTION KEYS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatoly Beletsky

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The methods of construction of matrix formation the secret protocols legalized subscribers of public communications networks encryption keys. Based key exchange protocols laid asymmetric cryptography algorithms. The solution involves the calculation of one-way functions and is based on the use of generalized Galois arrays of isomorphism relationship with forming elements, and depending on the selected irreducible polynomial generating matrix. A simple method for constructing generalized Galois matrix by the method of filling the diagonal. In order to eliminate the isomorphism of Galois arrays and their constituent elements, limiting the possibility of building one-way functions, Galois matrix subjected to similarity transformation carried out by means of permutation matrices. The variant of the organization of the algebraic attacks on encryption keys sharing protocols and discusses options for easing the consequences of an attack.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for paintwork, false ceilings, plasterwork and false floors at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for paintwork, false ceilings, plasterwork and false floors at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm PREZIOSO (FR), the lowest bidder, for the provision of paintwork, false ceilings, plasterwork and false floors at CERN for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 538 419 euros (830 381 Swiss francs), not subject to revision for the first two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial threeyear period.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for minor metalwork, metal fittings, cladding and roofing at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for minor metalwork, metal fittings, cladding and roofing at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm INIZIATIVE INDUSTRIALI SRL (IT), the lowest bidder, for the provision of minor metalwork, metal fittings, cladding and roofing at CERN for three years for a total amount not exceeding 1 467 895 euros (2 258 301 Swiss francs), not subject to revision for two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Proposal for the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of low-voltage switchgear

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of low-voltage switchgear. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of low-voltage switchgear with HAZEMEYER (FR) for a total amount of 385 000 euros (610 000 Swiss francs), covering an initial period of five years, subject to revision for inflation after 1 January 2007. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial five-year period. The amount in Swiss francs has been calculated using the present rate of exchange. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: FR - 100%.

Kyoto protocol and its implementation in pakistan: hurdles and expectations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, S.; Sher, H.A.; Qureshi, S.A

2010-01-01

In 1997 Kyoto protocol was adopted at the third session of Conference of the parties of UNFCC in Kyoto, Japan. This protocol restricts the industrialized countries and those in transition to a market economy agreed to limit or reduce their emissions. In Pakistan the government is also taking steps to reduce the pollution. This paper discusses the possible low carbon emitting electricity generation options by keeping in view the current energy scenario of Pakistan and the new energy policy announced by the Government of Pakistan for renewable energy promotion. (author)

Fast track developments, Gulf of Mexico -- options and organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craig, M.J.K.; Carruth, R.E.

1995-01-01

The pressure continues to compress the 'idea to barrel' time period -- to get oil and gas from a discovery into the pipeline as quickly, cheaply and safely as possible. This paper discusses the range of development options presently available in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) to meet these goals, and a project organizational structure that allows for maximum implementation efficiency. The structural options range from a standard 4-pile to a single, freestanding caisson, and the spectrum of 'minimum structures' in between. Developments in water depths of 100 feet and 200 feet are addressed, as are each system's associated costs, relative risks and startup times. Project organization is also addressed in terms of an effective in-house and out-of-house project organizational structure, the necessary attributes of the key members of this organization, and the most effective types of contracting

Implementation of a Hydrotherapy Protocol to Improve Postpartum Pain Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Batten, Meghann; Stevenson, Eleanor; Zimmermann, Deb; Isaacs, Christine

2017-03-01

A growing number of women are seeking alternatives to traditional pharmacologic pain management during birth. While there has been an extensive array of nonpharmacologic options developed for labor, there are limited offerings in the postpartum period. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a hydrotherapy protocol in the early postpartum period to improve pain management for women choosing a nonmedicated birth. The postpartum hydrotherapy protocol was initiated in a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) practice in an urban academic medical center. All women who met criteria were offered a 30-minute warm water immersion bath at one hour postpartum. Pain scores were assessed prior to the bath, at 15 minutes after onset, and again at the conclusion (30 minutes). Women who completed the bath were also asked to complete a brief survey on their experience with postpartum hydrotherapy. In women who used the bath (N = 45), there was a significant reduction in pain scores (P hydrotherapy protocol as an alternative or adjunct to medication for early postpartum pain management that significantly reduced pain and improved the birth experience for those who used it. It offers a nonpharmacologic alternative where there have traditionally been limited options. © 2017 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Proposal for the award of two contracts for the provision of mechanical design and draughting services on and off the CERN Site

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of two contracts for the provision of mechanical design and draughting services on and off the CERN site. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of two contracts with: 1. ACROTECNA (FR), the lowest bidder, for approximately 55% of the provision of mechanical design and draughting services on and off the CERN site, for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 794 200 euros (1 239 006 Swiss francs), not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The rate of exchange used is that stipulated in the tender. 2. TECNICAS AERONAUTICAS MADRID (ES), the joint lowest bidder after alignment, for approximately 45% of the provision of mechanical design and draughting services on and off the CERN site, for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 1 013 730 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond...

Banking contracts

OpenAIRE

Durčáková, Klára

2010-01-01

Resumé - Bank Contracts Bank Contracts are an integral part of our everyday lives. Citizen and bussines entities used bank contracts very often. Despite this fact we can't find legal definition in the Czech law. Banking contracts understand contracts that are signed by banks in their business activities and obligations under these contracts arise. While the banking contracts have been widely used, in Czech law there is not too much literature and judgements abou this issue. Lack of legislatio...

The BOT option: conflicts and compromises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, A.K.; Fernando, P.N.

1995-01-01

The build, operate and transfer (BOT) and the build, operate and own (BOO) arrangements have emerged as the most important private power investment options in developing countries. Although there is a huge market for such arrangements, since they are complex to negotiate, involve perceptions of risk that are not always properly understood and involve unusual cost, contracting, cash flow and returns to equity issues, the number of projects successfully launched have been few. This paper is concerned with exploring these issues in a systematic way, dispelling certain myths and discussing how mutually useful arrangements can be reached between a host utility and private developers on a fair and level playing field. (author)

Governance Strategies and Welfare Effects: Vertical Integration and Contracts in the Catfish Sector in Vietnam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trifkovic, Neda

2014-01-01

Using an original dataset from the Vietnamese catfish sector, we study the impact of vertical coordination options on household welfare and the implications of different stages of vertical coordination for the success of the whole sector. The welfare gain from contract farming and employment on p...

Healthcare Blockchain System Using Smart Contracts for Secure Automated Remote Patient Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Kristen N; Ossipova, Olya; Kohlios, Christopher P; Baccarini, Alessandro N; Howson, Emily A; Hayajneh, Thaier

2018-06-06

As Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other remote patient monitoring systems increase in popularity, security concerns about the transfer and logging of data transactions arise. In order to handle the protected health information (PHI) generated by these devices, we propose utilizing blockchain-based smart contracts to facilitate secure analysis and management of medical sensors. Using a private blockchain based on the Ethereum protocol, we created a system where the sensors communicate with a smart device that calls smart contracts and writes records of all events on the blockchain. This smart contract system would support real-time patient monitoring and medical interventions by sending notifications to patients and medical professionals, while also maintaining a secure record of who has initiated these activities. This would resolve many security vulnerabilities associated with remote patient monitoring and automate the delivery of notifications to all involved parties in a HIPAA compliant manner.

Contraction Options and Optimal Multiple-Stopping in Spectrally Negative Lévy Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamazaki, Kazutoshi, E-mail: kyamazak@kansai-u.ac.jp [Kansai University, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Engineering Science (Japan)

2015-08-15

This paper studies the optimal multiple-stopping problem arising in the context of the timing option to withdraw from a project in stages. The profits are driven by a general spectrally negative Lévy process. This allows the model to incorporate sudden declines of the project values, generalizing greatly the classical geometric Brownian motion model. We solve the one-stage case as well as the extension to the multiple-stage case. The optimal stopping times are of threshold-type and the value function admits an expression in terms of the scale function. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to verify the optimality and to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm.

Contraction Options and Optimal Multiple-Stopping in Spectrally Negative Lévy Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Kazutoshi

2015-01-01

This paper studies the optimal multiple-stopping problem arising in the context of the timing option to withdraw from a project in stages. The profits are driven by a general spectrally negative Lévy process. This allows the model to incorporate sudden declines of the project values, generalizing greatly the classical geometric Brownian motion model. We solve the one-stage case as well as the extension to the multiple-stage case. The optimal stopping times are of threshold-type and the value function admits an expression in terms of the scale function. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to verify the optimality and to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm

Volatility and dividend risk in perpetual American options

Science.gov (United States)

Montero, Miquel

2007-04-01

American options are financial instruments that can be exercised at any time before expiration. In this paper we study the problem of pricing this kind of derivatives within a framework in which some of the properties—volatility and dividend policy—of the underlaying stock can change at a random instant of time, but in such a way that we can forecast their final values. Under this assumption we can model actual market conditions because some of the most relevant facts that may potentially affect a firm will entail sharp predictable effects. We will analyse the consequences of this potential risk on perpetual American derivatives, a topic connected with a wide class of recurrent problems in physics: holders of American options must look for the fair price and the optimal exercise strategy at once, a typical question of free absorbing boundaries. We present explicit solutions to the most common contract specifications and derive analytical expressions concerning the mean and higher moments of the exercise time.

A fast numerical method for the valuation of American lookback put options

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Haiming; Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Ran

2015-10-01

A fast and efficient numerical method is proposed and analyzed for the valuation of American lookback options. American lookback option pricing problem is essentially a two-dimensional unbounded nonlinear parabolic problem. We reformulate it into a two-dimensional parabolic linear complementary problem (LCP) on an unbounded domain. The numeraire transformation and domain truncation technique are employed to convert the two-dimensional unbounded LCP into a one-dimensional bounded one. Furthermore, the variational inequality (VI) form corresponding to the one-dimensional bounded LCP is obtained skillfully by some discussions. The resulting bounded VI is discretized by a finite element method. Meanwhile, the stability of the semi-discrete solution and the symmetric positive definiteness of the full-discrete matrix are established for the bounded VI. The discretized VI related to options is solved by a projection and contraction method. Numerical experiments are conducted to test the performance of the proposed method.

HARMONISATION OF EUROPEAN CONTRACT LAW: SLOWLY BUT SURELY?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GEMA TOMÁS

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the harmonisation of European Contract Law from a gradual point of view. The main objective is to show the different academic and official steps carried out in this field. The so called Commission on European Contract Law under the leadership of Professor Ole Lando was the starting point in 1982. Some international research teams set up by European scholars and lawyers have been devoted to this aim for two decades. Time and effort have been made in the academic level to get a serious advance on bringing closer contractual national rules. This bottom-up approach met a stronger support in the last years although the European Parliament had “requested” the creation of a European Civil Code already in 1989. The momentous time comes in 2010 with a Green Paper from the European Commission on policy options for progress towards a European Contract Law for consumers and businesses. This Green Paper opened a public consultation period in 2011 and afterwards an expert group was appointed to draft a feasibility study for a future Instrument in European Contract Law. After all, a Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law was adopted in October 2011 arising not few doubts, worries and misgivings from different points of view. This will be not the last step in this process.

Calculation Aspects of the European Rebalanced Basket Option using Monte Carlo Methods: Valuation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CJ van der Merwe

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Extra premiums can be charged to a client to guarantee a minimum payout of a contract on a portfolio that gets rebalanced on a regular basis back to fixed proportions. The valuation of this premium can be changed to that of the pricing of a European put option with underlying rebalanced portfolio. This article finds the most efficient estimators for the value of this path-dependant multi-asset put option using different Monte Carlo methods. With the help of a refined method, computing time of the value decreased significantly. Furthermore, Variance Reduction Techniques and Quasi-Monte Carlo methods delivered more accurate and faster converging estimates as well.

77 FR 35095 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-12

... being out-of-the-money. For example, a market participant might have a long position in a call series... multiplier). Because the temporary procedures allow trading below $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier), the procedures are available for all classes, including those...

78 FR 77532 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-23

... conditions which may result in a significant number of series being out-of-the-money. For example, a market... multiplier). Because the temporary procedures allow trading below $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier), the procedures are available for all classes, including those...

Proposal for the award of a contract for software support services for industrial control systems

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for software support services for industrial control systems, including maintenance of existing systems and development of new applications. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium ASSYSTEMS (FR) - INBIS (GB), the lowest bidder, for software support services for industrial control systems, including maintenance of existing systems and development of new applications, for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 1 281 057 euros (1 998 530 Swiss francs), not subject to revision for the first two years. The rate of exchange used is that stipulated in the tender. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

The Effects of Eccentric Contraction Duration on Muscle Strength, Power Production, Vertical Jump, and Soreness.

Science.gov (United States)

Mike, Jonathan N; Cole, Nathan; Herrera, Chris; VanDusseldorp, Trisha; Kravitz, Len; Kerksick, Chad M

2017-03-01

Mike, JN, Cole, N, Herrera, C, VanDusseldorp, T, Kravitz, L, and Kerksick, CM. The effects of eccentric contraction duration on muscle strength, power production, vertical jump, and soreness. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 773-786, 2017-Previous research has investigated the effects of either eccentric-only training or comparing eccentric and concentric exercise on changes related to strength and power expression, but no research to date has investigated the impact of altering the duration of either the concentric or the eccentric component on these parameters. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the duration of eccentric (i.e., 2-second, 4-second vs. 6-second) muscle contractions and their effect on muscle strength, power production, vertical jump, and soreness using a plate-loaded barbell Smith squat exercise. Thirty college-aged men (23 ± 3.5 years, 178 ± 6.8 cm, 82 ± 12 kg, and 11.6 ± 5.1% fat) with 3.0 ± 1.0 years of resistance training experience and training frequency of 4.3 ± 0.9 days per week were randomized and assigned to 1 of 3 eccentric training groups that incorporated different patterns of contraction. For every repetition, all 3 groups used 2-second concentric contractions and paused for 1 second between the concentric and eccentric phases. The control group (2S) used 2-second eccentric contractions, whereas the 4S group performed 4-second eccentric contractions and the 6S group performed 6-second eccentric contractions. All repetitions were completed using the barbell Smith squat exercise. All participants completed a 4-week training protocol that required them to complete 2 workouts per week using their prescribed contraction routine for 4 sets of 6 repetitions at an intensity of 80-85% one repetition maximum (1RM). For all performance data, significant group × time (G × T) interaction effects were found for average power production across all 3 sets of a squat jump protocol (p = 0.04) while vertical jump did not reach

Automated electrohysterographic detection of uterine contractions for monitoring of pregnancy: feasibility and prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Muszynski, C; Happillon, T; Azudin, K; Tylcz, J-B; Istrate, D; Marque, C

2018-05-08

Preterm birth is a major public health problem in developed countries. In this context, we have conducted research into outpatient monitoring of uterine electrical activity in women at risk of preterm delivery. The objective of this preliminary study was to perform automated detection of uterine contractions (without human intervention or tocographic signal, TOCO) by processing the EHG recorded on the abdomen of pregnant women. The feasibility and accuracy of uterine contraction detection based on EHG processing were tested and compared to expert decision using external tocodynamometry (TOCO) . The study protocol was approved by local Ethics Committees under numbers ID-RCB 2016-A00663-48 for France and VSN 02-0006-V2 for Iceland. Two populations of women were included (threatened preterm birth and labour) in order to test our system of recognition of the various types of uterine contractions. EHG signal acquisition was performed according to a standardized protocol to ensure optimal reproducibility of EHG recordings. A system of 18 Ag/AgCl surface electrodes was used by placing 16 recording electrodes between the woman's pubis and umbilicus according to a 4 × 4 matrix. TOCO was recorded simultaneously with EHG recording. EHG signals were analysed in real-time by calculation of the nonlinear correlation coefficient H 2 . A curve representing the number of correlated pairs of signals according to the value of H 2 calculated between bipolar signals was then plotted. High values of H 2 indicated the presence of an event that may correspond to a contraction. Two tests were performed after detection of an event (fusion and elimination of certain events) in order to increase the contraction detection rate. The EHG database contained 51 recordings from pregnant women, with a total of 501 contractions previously labelled by analysis of the corresponding tocographic recording. The percentage recognitions obtained by application of the method based on coefficient H 2 was

Energy options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampton, Michael

1999-01-01

This chapter focuses on energy options as a means of managing exposure to energy prices. An intuitive approach to energy options is presented, and traditional definitions of call and put options are given. The relationship between options and swaps, option value and option exercises, commodity options, and option pricing are described. An end-user's guide to energy option strategy is outlined, and straight options, collars, participating swaps and collars, bull and bear spreads, and swaption are examined. Panels explaining the defining of basis risk, and discussing option pricing and the Greeks, delta hedging, managing oil options using the Black-Scholes model, caps, floors and collars, and guidelines on hedging versus speculation with options are included in the paper

Proposal for the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of uninterruptable power supply systems

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of uninterruptable power supply systems. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of uninterruptable power supply systems with MGE (FR) for a total amount of 575 000 euros (911 000 Swiss francs), covering an initial period of five years, subject to revision for inflation after 1 January 2007. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial five-year period. The amount in Swiss francs has been calculated using the present rate of exchange. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: FR - 100%.

Alternative natural gas contract and pricing structures and incentives for the LNG industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attanasi, E.D.

1991-01-01

Gas conversion to liquefied gas (LNG) and transport by LNG tankers is one option for meeting expanding gas consumption and for gas traded internationally. This paper examines the impact of the traditional gas contract provisions of indefinite pricing, market out price ceilings, and take-or-pay requirements on the profitability of LNG projects in the context of markets characterized by price and quantity uncertainty. Simulation of experiments are used to examine and calibrate the effects of those provisions. The results provide guidance to operators, host countries and purchasers in structuring such contracts. The paper also assesses prospects of future expansion of world LNG capacity. (author). 11 refs, 3 figs, 4 tabs

The incremental cost of switching from Option B to Option B+ for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Nathan; Sangrujee, Nalinee; Abimbola, Taiwo O

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To estimate the incremental cost over 5 years of a policy switch from the Option B to the Option B+ protocol for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods Data from cost studies and other published sources were used to determine the cost, per woman and per cohort (1000 breastfeeding and 1000 non-breastfeeding women), of switching from Option B (maternal triple antiretroviral [ARV] regimen during pregnancy and breastfeeding plus daily nevirapine for the infant for 6 weeks) to Option B+ (maternal triple ARV regimen initiated during pregnancy and continued for life). The variables used to model the different scenarios were maternal CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4+ cell) count (350–500 versus > 500 cells/µl), rate of decline in CD4+ cells (average, rapid, slow), breastfeeding status (yes, no) and breastfeeding duration (12, 18 or 24 months). Findings For women with CD4+ cell counts of 350–500 cells/µl, the incremental cost per 1000 women was 157 345 United States dollars (US$) for breastfeeding women and US$ 92 813 for non-breastfeeding women. For women with CD4+ cell counts > 500 cells/µl, the incremental cost per 1000 women ranged from US$ 363 443 to US$ 484 591 for breastfeeding women and was US$ 605 739 for non-breastfeeding women. Conclusion From a cost perspective, a policy switch from Option B to Option B+ is feasible in PMTCT programme settings where resources are currently being allocated to Option B. PMID:24700975

76 FR 41839 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-15

... existing PAR Official Fee structure that imposes a flat per contract fee does not provide an incentive for...-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate... interested persons. \\1\\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). \\2\\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4. I. Self-Regulatory Organization's...

76 FR 20793 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-13

... structure that imposes a flat per contract fee does not provide an incentive for firms to adequately staff...-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate.... \\1\\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). \\2\\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4. I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the...

78 FR 7835 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-04

... respect to the related arbitrage, the Exchange understands that the OCC's portfolio margining process will... to result in more efficient pricing through arbitrage with standard contracts. Additionally, the... believes Jumbo SPY options will provide investors with an additional tool for hedging risk in the highly...

[Perinatal bioethics: euthanasia or end-of-life decisions? Analysis of the Groningen Protocol].

Science.gov (United States)

Halac, Jacobo; Halac, Eduardo; Moya, Martín P; Olmas, José M; Dopazo, Silvina L; Dolagaray, Nora

2009-12-01

The so called "Groningen Protocol" was conceived as a framework to discuss the euthanasia in neonates. Originally, it presents three groups of babies who might be candidates to this option. We analyzed the protocol in its original context and that of the Dutch society in which it was created. The analysis started with a careful reading of the protocol in both English and Dutch versions, translated later into Spanish. The medical and nursing staff participated in discussing it. A final consensus was reached. The Institutional Ethics Committee at our hospital discussed it freely and made recommendations for its application as a guideline to honestly discuss with parents the clinical condition of their babies, without permitting the option included literally in the word euthanasia. We selected four extremely ill infants. Their parents were interviewed at least twice daily: three stages were identified: the initial one of promoting all possible treatments; a second one of guarded and cautious request for the staff to evaluate "suffering", and a last one where requests were made to reduce therapeutic efforts to provide dignified death. A week after the death of their infants, they were presented with the facts of the protocol and the limits of our legal system. In all four cases the parents suggested that they would have chosen ending the life of their infants, in order to avoid them undue suffering. They clearly pointed out that this option emerged as a viable one to them once the ultimate outcome was evident. The protocol must not be viewed as a guideline for euthanasia in newborns, but rather as a mean to discuss the critical condition of an infant with the parents. Its direct implementation in our setting remains difficult. As a clear limitation for its overall application remains the definition of what is considered "unbearable suffering" in newborns, and how to certify when the infant has "no prospect". We emphasize the benefits of securing the help of the Ethics

23 CFR 635.121 - Contract time and contract time extensions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... TRAFFIC OPERATIONS CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE Contract Procedures § 635.121 Contract time and contract time extensions. (a) The STD should have adequate written procedures for the determination of contract... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Contract time and contract time extensions. 635.121...

Consequences of optional protocol agreements for the Dutch industry. Most important results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beumer, L.; Van der Tak, C.M.; Molemaker, R.J.; Melissen, P.; Wilbers, C.A.J.; Van Duyse, P.; Sedee, C.

1997-01-01

The study on the title subject comprises several (English) sub-studies in which the environmental and economic consequences of optional international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are summarized for the Dutch sectors air transport, maritime transport, petrochemical industry, fertilizer industry, and the iron- and steel industry. For the first two sectors the impacts of fuel taxes are analyzed while for the other sectors the effects of energy efficiency measures are analyzed. The appendices contain executive summaries of the English sub-studies. 5 appendices

78 FR 39424 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

... significant number of series being out-of-the-money. For example, a market participant might have a long... increment as low as $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier). Because the... multiplier), the procedures are available for all classes, including those classes participating in the Penny...

75 FR 31828 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-04

... of series being out-of-the-money. For example, a market participant might have a long position in a... increment as low as $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier). Because the... multiplier), the procedures are available for all classes, including those classes participating in the Penny...

78 FR 40539 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-05

... significant number of series being out-of-the-money. For example, a market participant might have a long... increment as low as $0.01 per share (or $1.00 per option contract with a 100 share multiplier). Because the... multiplier), the procedures are available for all classes, including those classes participating in the Penny...

48 CFR 552.217-71 - Notice Regarding Option(s).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Notice Regarding Option(s... Notice Regarding Option(s). As prescribed in 517.208(b), insert the following provision: Notice Regarding Option(s) (NOV 1992) The General Services Administration (GSA) has included an option to [Insert...

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for software support for industrial controls

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for software support for industrial controls. Following a market survey carried out among 68 firms in twelve Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2711/ST) was sent on 12 April 2000 to nine firms and five consortia in eight Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received seven tenders from two firms and five consortia in six Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm GTD (ES), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 October 2000, for a total amount not exceeding 4 500 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include an option for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: ES?100%.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for transport and handling services

CERN Document Server

1999-01-01

This document concerns the award of an industrial support contract for transport and handling services. Following a market survey carried out among 49 firms in nine Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2395/ST/Revised) was sent on 7 April 1999 to two firms and six consortia in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received six tenders. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium DELATTRE-LEVIVIER (FR) ? BELLELI (IT) ? SETROVA (PT) the lowest bidder complying with the specification, for an initial period of three years, from 1st May 2000, for a total amount not exceeding 22 000 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 30 April 2003. The contract will include an option for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Incorporation of Outcome-Based Contract Requirements in a Real Options Approach for Maintenance Planning

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-30

corrective maintenance (which increases as the RUL is used up), while maximizing the revenue earned during the RUL (which increases as the RUL is used up...running the system to failure, then performing corrective maintenance The value from exercising the option is the sum of the cumulative revenue loss...and the avoided corrective maintenance cost. The cumulative revenue loss is what the system would earn between the predictive maintenance event and

Chapter 15: Commercial New Construction Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Keates, Steven [ADM Associates, Inc., Atlanta, GA (United States)

2017-10-09

This protocol is intended to describe the recommended method when evaluating the whole-building performance of new construction projects in the commercial sector. The protocol focuses on energy conservation measures (ECMs) or packages of measures where evaluators can analyze impacts using building simulation. These ECMs typically require the use of calibrated building simulations under Option D of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

A practical and successful desensitization protocol for immediate hypersensitivity reactions to iron salts.

Science.gov (United States)

Demir, Semra; Olgac, Muge; Unal, Derya; Gelincik, Asli; Colakoglu, Bahauddin; Buyukozturk, Suna

2014-01-01

Orally administered iron salts (OAS) are widely used in the management of iron deficiency anemia and hypersensitivity reactions to OAS are not common. If an offending drug is the sole option or is significantly more effective than its alternatives, it can be readministered by desensitization. The oral desensitization protocols for iron published so far concern either desensitization that was completed only over a long period or did not attain the recommended therapeutic dose. We aimed to develop a more effective protocol. We report here on 2 patients who experienced hypersensitivity reactions to OAS. After confirming the diagnosis, both patients were desensitized to oral ferrous (II) glycine sulfate complex according to a 2-day desensitization protocol. A commercial suspension of oral ferrous glycine sulfate, which contains 4 mg of elemental iron in 1 ml, was preferred. We started with a dose as low as 0.1 ml from a 1/100 dilution (0.004 mg elemental iron) of the original suspension and reached the maximum effective dose in 2 days. Both patients were successfully desensitized and they went on to complete the 6-month iron treatment without any adverse effects. Although hypersensitvity reactions to iron are not common, there is no alternative for iron administration. Therefore, desensitization has to be the choice. This easy desensitization protocol seems to be a promising option. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Optimal Hedging and Pricing of Equity-Linked Life Insurance Contracts in a Discrete-Time Incomplete Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norman Josephy

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We present a method of optimal hedging and pricing of equity-linked life insurance products in an incomplete discrete-time financial market. A pure endowment life insurance contract with guarantee is used as an example. The financial market incompleteness is caused by the assumption that the underlying risky asset price ratios are distributed in a compact interval, generalizing the assumptions of multinomial incomplete market models. For a range of initial hedging capitals for the embedded financial option, we numerically solve an optimal hedging problem and determine a risk-return profile of each optimal non-self-financing hedging strategy. The fair price of the insurance contract is determined according to the insurer's risk-return preferences. Illustrative numerical results of testing our algorithm on hypothetical insurance contracts are documented. A discussion and a test of a hedging strategy recalibration technique for long-term contracts are presented.

Standard Port-Visit Cost Forecasting Model for U.S. Navy Husbanding Contracts

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

Protocol (HTTP) server.35 2. MySQL . An open-source database.36 3. PHP . A common scripting language used for Web development.37 E. IMPLEMENTATION OF...Inc. (2009). MySQL Community Server (Version 5.1) [Software]. Available from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/ 37 The PHP Group (2009). PHP (Version...Logistics Services MySQL My Structured Query Language NAVSUP Navy Supply Systems Command NC Non-Contract Items NPS Naval Postgraduate

Standard form contracts and a smart contract future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristin B. Cornelius

2018-05-01

Full Text Available With a budding market of widespread smart contract implementation on the horizon, there is much conversation about how to regulate this new technology. Discourse on standard form contracts (SFCs and how they have been adopted in a digital environment is useful toward predicting how smart contracts might be interpreted. This essay provides a critical review of the discourse surrounding digitised SFCs and applies it to issues in smart contract regulation. An exploration of the literature surrounding specific instances SFCs finds that it lacks a close examination of the textual and documentary aspects of SFCs, which are particularly important in a digital environment as a shift in medium prompts a different procedural process. Instead, common perspectives are either based on outdated notions of paper versions of these contracts or on ideologies of industry and business that do not sufficiently address the needs of consumers/users in the digital age. Most importantly, noting the failure of contract law to address the inequities of SFCs in this environment can help prevent them from being codified further with smart contracts.

Analysis on one type of swing option in the energy market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mistry, Hetal A.

2005-01-01

In the Nordic electricity market most of the trading takes place in derivates and options. To describe these products theoretically one needs to have knowledge from stochastic analysis. This thesis will derive a price model for one type of swing option in energy market. The main aim of writing this thesis is to introduce coal power plant and how to approach the problem if such power plant is built in Norway. This thesis uses the approach where I start out with a model for the spot price of electricity and coal, and then derive theoretical option prices. I use a Schwartz process for model and Ornstein Uhlenbeck processes to model the spot prices for electricity and coal. This model also incorporates mean-reversion, which is an important aspect of energy prices. Historical data for the spot prices is used to estimate my variables in the Schwartz model. The main objectives of this thesis were to find the price for a tolling contract in energy market and production volume that is producers control function. The first chapters gives an over view about the agreement and the formula used to derive the price. The second chapter provided me with the material I needed to derive these price and production volume such as dynamics for the spot prices for electricity and coal and their solution. Third chapter gives a statistical look on these stochastic processes. In the last chapter I tested the price model for stochastic control problem and found that the swing option can be bound in two ways: 1. Swing option limited as Margrabes solution. 2. Swing option limited as spread option. The use of the model is discussed. (Author)

Optimised low-dose multidetector CT protocol for children with cranial deformity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vazquez, Jose Luis [Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Department of Radiology, Vigo, Pontevedra (Spain); Pombar, Miguel Angel [Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Department of Radiophysics, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna (Spain); Pumar, Jose Manuel [Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Department of Radiology, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna (Spain); Campo, Victor Miguel del [Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Department of Public Health, Vigo, Pontevedra (Spain)

2013-08-15

To present an optimised low-dose multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) protocol for the study of children with cranial deformity. Ninety-one consecutive MDCT studies were performed in 80 children. Studies were performed with either our standard head CT protocol (group 1, n = 20) or a low-dose cranial deformity protocol (groups 2 and 3). Group 2 (n = 38), initial, and group 3 (n = 33), final and more optimised. All studies were performed in the same 64-MDCT equipment. Cranial deformity protocol was gradationally optimised decreasing kVp, limiting mA range, using automatic exposure control (AEC) and increasing the noise index (NI). Image quality was assessed. Dose indicators such us CT dose index volume (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP) and effective dose (E) were used. The optimised low-dose protocol reached the following values: 80 kVp, mA range: 50-150 and NI = 23. We achieved a maximum dose reduction of 10-22 times in the 1- to 12-month-old cranium in regard to the 2004 European guidelines for MDCT. A low-dose MDCT protocol that may be used as the first diagnostic imaging option in clinically selected patients with skull abnormalities. (orig.)

Valuation of marginal CO2 abatement options for electric power plants in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hojeong; Lim, Jaekyu

2009-01-01

The electricity generation sector in Korea is under pressure to mitigate greenhouse gases as directed by the Kyoto Protocol. The principal compliance options for power companies under the cap-and-trade include the application of direct CO 2 emission abatement and the procurement of emission allowances. The objective of this paper is to provide an analytical framework for assessing the cost-effectiveness of these options. We attempt to derive the marginal abatement cost for CO 2 using the output distance function and analyze the relative advantages of emission allowance procurement option as compared to direct abatement option. Real-option approach is adopted to incorporate emission allowance price uncertainty. Empirical result shows the marginal abatement cost with an average of Euro 14.04/ton CO 2 for fossil-fueled power plants and confirms the existence of substantial cost heterogeneity among plants which is sufficient to achieve trading gains in allowance market. The comparison of two options enables us to identify the optimal position of the compliance for each plant. Sensitivity analyses are also presented with regard to several key parameters including the initial allowance prices and interest rate. The result of this paper may help Korean power plants to prepare for upcoming regulations targeted toward the reduction of domestic greenhouse gases.

24 CFR 982.631 - Homeownership option: Home inspections, contract of sale, and PHA disapproval of seller.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Special Housing Types Homeownership Option § 982.631 Homeownership... PHA may not commence monthly homeownership assistance payments or provide a downpayment assistance... may not commence monthly homeownership assistance payments, or provide a downpayment assistance grant...

Energy exotic options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaminski, V.; Gibner, S.; Pinnamaneni, K.

1999-01-01

This chapter with 88 references focuses on the use of exotic options to control exposure to energy prices. Exotic options are defined, and the conversion of a standard option into an exotic option and pricing models are examined. Pricing and hedging exotic options, path-dependent options, multi-commodity options, options on the minimum-or-maximum of two commodities, compound options, digital options, hybrid and complex structures, and natural gas daily options are described. Formulas for option pricing for vanilla, barrier, compound, options on minimum or maximum of two assets, and look back options are given in an appendix

Contract Award Decisions Resulting in Contract Termination for Default

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1996-01-01

.... Specifically, the audit focused on contracts terminated either for default or convenience and determined whether the contract terminations could have been averted based on information available before contract award...

Current options for palliative treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridwelski, K; Meyer, F

2001-01-01

Palliative treatment is often the only remaining option in the management of pancreatic carcinoma, but its efficacy is poor due to low tumor sensitivity and inadequate treatment protocols. There are several options of palliative treatment with antitumor or supportive intention. Classical end points of palliative treatment are survival, tumor response, and quality of life. A decade ago, palliative chemotherapy consisted mainly of 5-fluorouracil as the standard agent in combination with either other agents and/or radiotherapy. Only the new antineoplastic drug gemcitabine, which was introduced simultaneously with the definition of novel end points of chemotherapy such as clinical benefit, allowed to achieve some progress. However, while gemcitabine monotherapy appeared to be superior to 5-fluorouracil and improved important parameters of quality of life, it could not provide a significant improvement of survival. A novel concept, therefore, is to improve this beneficial cytostatic response in pancreatic carcinoma using a gemcitabine-based protocol by combining it with antineoplastic drugs such as taxanes or platin analogs. This strategy may have the potential to improve the outcome in palliative chemotherapy of pancreatic carcinoma patients with advanced tumor growth or metastases. Best supportive care in pancreatic cancer consists of the treatment of symptoms, such as pain, jaundice, duodenal obstruction, weight loss, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and tumor-associated depression. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

Pelvic Muscle Rehabilitation: A Standardized Protocol for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Pedraza

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Pelvic floor dysfunction syndromes present with voiding, sexual, and anorectal disturbances, which may be associated with one another, resulting in complex presentation. Thus, an integrated diagnosis and management approach may be required. Pelvic muscle rehabilitation (PMR is a noninvasive modality involving cognitive reeducation, modification, and retraining of the pelvic floor and associated musculature. We describe our standardized PMR protocol for the management of pelvic floor dysfunction syndromes. Pelvic Muscle Rehabilitation Program. The diagnostic assessment includes electromyography and manometry analyzed in 4 phases: (1 initial baseline phase; (2 rapid contraction phase; (3 tonic contraction and endurance phase; and (4 late baseline phase. This evaluation is performed at the onset of every session. PMR management consists of 6 possible therapeutic modalities, employed depending on the diagnostic evaluation: (1 down-training; (2 accessory muscle isolation; (3 discrimination training; (4 muscle strengthening; (5 endurance training; and (6 electrical stimulation. Eight to ten sessions are performed at one-week intervals with integration of home exercises and lifestyle modifications. Conclusions. The PMR protocol offers a standardized approach to diagnose and manage pelvic floor dysfunction syndromes with potential advantages over traditional biofeedback, involving additional interventions and a continuous pelvic floor assessment with management modifications over the clinical course.

R and D options for demand side management in Japanese electric utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Takahiko

1996-01-01

Japanese electric demand has been steadily increasing in accordance with the economic growth. However, Japanese electric utilities are facing several problems; increasing construction cost of power facilities, siting constraints and the environmental issue of greenhouse gas emissions. To overcome these problems, electric utilities have been promoting demand-side-management (DSM) activities as well as supplier-side measures, with some presently being carried out through promoting energy conservation technologies and introducing electric tariff options of specific contracts for residential/commercial and industrial consumers. Japanese electric utilities have been carrying out R and D for the future, in particular, energy storage and heat storage which contribute to the improvement of load factor. In this paper, I would like to outline the R and D options for DSM in Japan. (author)

Farmers' Preferences for PES Contracts to Adopt Silvopastoral Systems in Southern Ecuador, Revealed Through a Choice Experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Raes, Leander; Speelman, Stijn; Aguirre, Nikolay

2017-08-01

This study investigates farmers' preferences to participate in payment contracts to adopt silvopastoral systems in Ecuador. A choice experiment was used to elicit preferences between different contract attributes, including differing payment amounts and land management requirements. The research was carried out in the buffer zone of Podocarpus National Park in Southern Ecuador, an area where most land is dedicated to cattle husbandry. A choice experiment was conducted to measure farmers' interest in different types of contracts. Based on existing incentive programs, contract choices varied with respect to the type of silvopastoral system, extra land-use requirements, payment levels and contract duration. In addition, contracts differed with regards to access by cattle to streams. Although the farmers did not show strong preferences for every contract attribute, the majority of farmers in the area showed interest in the proposed contracts. A latent class model identified three classes of respondents, based on their preferences for different contracts attributes or the "business as usual" option. The results suggest that farmland area, agricultural income, and landowners' perceptions of environmental problems provide a partial explanation for the heterogeneity observed in the choices for specific contracts. Participation might increase if contracts were targeted at specific groups of farmers, such as those identified through our latent class model. Offering flexible contracts with varying additional requirements within the same scheme, involving farmers from the start in payments for environmental services design, and combining payments for environmental services with integrated conservation and development projects may be a better way to convince more farmers to adopt silvopastoral systems.

Farmers' Preferences for PES Contracts to Adopt Silvopastoral Systems in Southern Ecuador, Revealed Through a Choice Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Raes, Leander; Speelman, Stijn; Aguirre, Nikolay

2017-08-01

This study investigates farmers' preferences to participate in payment contracts to adopt silvopastoral systems in Ecuador. A choice experiment was used to elicit preferences between different contract attributes, including differing payment amounts and land management requirements. The research was carried out in the buffer zone of Podocarpus National Park in Southern Ecuador, an area where most land is dedicated to cattle husbandry. A choice experiment was conducted to measure farmers' interest in different types of contracts. Based on existing incentive programs, contract choices varied with respect to the type of silvopastoral system, extra land-use requirements, payment levels and contract duration. In addition, contracts differed with regards to access by cattle to streams. Although the farmers did not show strong preferences for every contract attribute, the majority of farmers in the area showed interest in the proposed contracts. A latent class model identified three classes of respondents, based on their preferences for different contracts attributes or the "business as usual" option. The results suggest that farmland area, agricultural income, and landowners' perceptions of environmental problems provide a partial explanation for the heterogeneity observed in the choices for specific contracts. Participation might increase if contracts were targeted at specific groups of farmers, such as those identified through our latent class model. Offering flexible contracts with varying additional requirements within the same scheme, involving farmers from the start in payments for environmental services design, and combining payments for environmental services with integrated conservation and development projects may be a better way to convince more farmers to adopt silvopastoral systems.

An Analysis of Error Reconciliation Protocols for use in Quantum Key Distribution

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN // CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR...of the messages passed, and that the time to prepare or separate the message information is negligible . Finally, for this experiment all errors...of interactions becomes negligible . In fact, of the three protocols, experiments performed here have shown that Winnow produces the highest average

Option Grids to facilitate shared decision making for patients with Osteoarthritis of the knee: protocol for a single site, efficacy trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Marrin, Katy; Wood, Fiona; Firth, Jill; Kinsey, Katharine; Edwards, Adrian; Brain, Kate E; Newcombe, Robert G; Nye, Alan; Pickles, Timothy; Hawthorne, Kamila; Elwyn, Glyn

2014-04-07

Despite policy interest, an ethical imperative, and evidence of the benefits of patient decision support tools, the adoption of shared decision making (SDM) in day-to-day clinical practice remains slow and is inhibited by barriers that include culture and attitudes; resources and time pressures. Patient decision support tools often require high levels of health and computer literacy. Option Grids are one-page evidence-based summaries of the available condition-specific treatment options, listing patients' frequently asked questions. They are designed to be sufficiently brief and accessible enough to support a better dialogue between patients and clinicians during routine consultations. This paper describes a study to assess whether an Option Grid for osteoarthritis of the knee (OA of the knee) facilitates SDM, and explores the use of Option Grids by patients disadvantaged by language or poor health literacy. This will be a stepped wedge exploratory trial involving 72 patients with OA of the knee referred from primary medical care to a specialist musculoskeletal service in Oldham. Six physiotherapists will sequentially join the trial and consult with six patients using usual care procedures. After a period of brief training in using the Option Grid, the same six physiotherapists will consult with six further patients using an Option Grid in the consultation. The primary outcome will be efficacy of the Option Grid in facilitating SDM as measured by observational scores using the OPTION scale. Comparisons will be made between patients who have received the Option Grid and those who received usual care. A Decision Quality Measure (DQM) will assess quality of decision making. The health literacy of patients will be measured using the REALM-R instrument. Consultations will be observed and audio-recorded. Interviews will be conducted with the physiotherapists, patients and any interpreters present to explore their views of using the Option Grid. Option Grids offer a

Muscle contraction duration and fibre recruitment influence blood flow and oxygen consumption independent of contractile work during steady-state exercise in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Jennifer C; Crecelius, Anne R; Kirby, Brett S; Larson, Dennis G; Dinenno, Frank A

2012-06-01

We tested the hypothesis that, among conditions of matched contractile work, shorter contraction durations and greater muscle fibre recruitment result in augmented skeletal muscle blood flow and oxygen consumption ( ) during steady-state exercise in humans. To do so, we measured forearm blood flow (FBF; Doppler ultrasound) during 4 min of rhythmic hand-grip exercise in 24 healthy young adults and calculated forearm oxygen consumption ( ) via blood samples obtained from a catheter placed in retrograde fashion into a deep vein draining the forearm muscle. In protocol 1 (n = 11), subjects performed rhythmic isometric hand-grip exercise at mild and moderate intensities during conditions in which time-tension index (isometric analogue of work) was held constant but contraction duration was manipulated. In this protocol, shorter contraction durations led to greater FBF (184 ± 25 versus 164 ± 25 ml min(-1)) and (23 ± 3 versus 17 ± 2 ml min(-1); both P flow. Our collective data indicate that, among matched workloads, shorter contraction duration and greater muscle fibre recruitment augment FBF and during mild-intensity forearm exercise, and that muscle blood flow is more closely related to metabolic cost ( ) rather than contractile work per se during steady-state exercise in humans.

Service contracts in the petroleum industry - a practical approach; Contrato de servicos na industria do petroleo - uma abordagem pratica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Sidney P. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2003-07-01

The worldwide competition and the availability of new business opportunities have paved the way for service contracts as an attractive option when performing feasibility analysis for gas and energy projects. This paper addresses this subject and incorporates the experience gotten at PETROBRAS focusing on Compression Service Contract for Gas Pipeline Transmission System and also on Gas Processing Contract for gas dew point adjustment for natural gas production so as to specify the gas for industrial and automotive use. The methodology presented, that incorporates Monte Carlo Simulation for Risk Analysis, can be applied for any project with similar characteristics. This paper also underlines the importance of the use of Risk Analysis for feasibility studies. (author)

Stocks, bonds, options, futures, and portfolio insurance: a rose by any other name

OpenAIRE

Peter Fortune

1995-01-01

Trading volume and open interest in options and futures contracts on stock indices, equities, and interest rate instruments traded on world exchanges have experienced remarkable growth. However, this growth has been accompanied by controversy about the proper role of financial derivatives and the potential for abuse. Prominent attention has been given to losses by major corporations, broker-related short-term mutual funds, and municipal agencies.> The public debate about "derivatives" has pro...

Warranty of Misinforming as an Option in Product Utilization Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitar Grozdanov Christozov

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The following definition of “option” is given in Wikipedia - “In finance, an option is a contract, which gives the buyer (the owner or holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset or instrument at a specified strike price on or before a specified date, depending on the form of the option” (“Option,” n.d.. Option as a risk management (mitigation tool is broadly used in finance and trade. At the same time, it introduces asymmetry in the sense that, probabilistically, it limits the level of losses (e.g., the price of the option and allows for unlimited gains. In the market of sophisticated devices (as smart phones, tablets, etc., where technologies are rapidly advancing, customers usually do not have the experience to use all features of the device at the time of the purchase. Due to the lack of appropriate expertise, the risk of misinforming, leading to not purchasing the “right” device is high, but given enough time to learn the capabilities of the device and map these to the needs and tasks that device will be used for, could provide the client with substantial long term benefits. Warranty of misinforming is a mechanism that provides the client with the opportunity to explore the device and master its features under limited risk of financial losses. Thus, the warranty of misinforming could be considered as an option - the custom-ers buy it (at a fixed cost and may gain (theoretically unlimited benefit by realizing (within the terms of the warranty that the device can be used to solve a variety of problems not envisaged at the time of purchase. In this study we present the idea of treating the warranty of misinforming as an option in finances and provide examples to illustrate our viewpoint.

Proposal for the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of high-voltage switchgear and protection equipment

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of high-voltage switchgear and protection equipment. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract, without competitive tendering, for the maintenance of high-voltage switchgear and protection equipment with SCHNEIDER (FR) for a total amount of 1 100 000 euros (1 742 000 Swiss francs), covering an initial period of five years, subject to revision for inflation after 1 January 2007. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial five-year period. The amount in Swiss francs has been calculated using the present rate of exchange. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: FR - 100%.

The Groningen Protocol for newborn euthanasia; which way did the slippery slope tilt?

Science.gov (United States)

Verhagen, A A Eduard

2013-05-01

In The Netherlands, neonatal euthanasia has become a legal option and the Groningen Protocol contains an approach to identify situations in which neonatal euthanasia might be appropriate. In the 5 years following the publication of the protocol, neither the prediction that this would be the first step on a slippery slope, nor the prediction of complete transparency and legal control became true. Instead, we experienced a transformation of the healthcare system after antenatal screening policy became a part of antenatal care. This resulted in increased terminations of pregnancy and less euthanasia.

Polymorphic Contracts

Science.gov (United States)

Belo, João Filipe; Greenberg, Michael; Igarashi, Atsushi; Pierce, Benjamin C.

Manifest contracts track precise properties by refining types with predicates - e.g., {x : Int |x > 0 } denotes the positive integers. Contracts and polymorphism make a natural combination: programmers can give strong contracts to abstract types, precisely stating pre- and post-conditions while hiding implementation details - for example, an abstract type of stacks might specify that the pop operation has input type {x :α Stack |not ( empty x )} . We formalize this combination by defining FH, a polymorphic calculus with manifest contracts, and establishing fundamental properties including type soundness and relational parametricity. Our development relies on a significant technical improvement over earlier presentations of contracts: instead of introducing a denotational model to break a problematic circularity between typing, subtyping, and evaluation, we develop the metatheory of contracts in a completely syntactic fashion, omitting subtyping from the core system and recovering it post facto as a derived property.

Past and Future of the Kyoto Protocol. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijen, F.; Zoeteman, K.

2004-01-01

The present report reflects findings from a study on the realization of and prospects for the Kyoto Protocol. The purpose of the study was (1) to obtain insights into the factors that enabled the realization of the Kyoto Protocol, in particular the interactions among major parties involved; (2) to assess the future opportunities and threats of the Kyoto Protocol, in particular against the backdrop of an increasingly globalised world. The study was conducted from February up to December 2003 by (a) reviewing the literature, especially publications on the negotiation history of the Kyoto process, the social interactions enabling the realization of the Protocol, analyses of strengths and weaknesses, and future climate regimes; (b) conducting a series of interviews with representatives from government, academia, non-governmental organisations, and business, who have been - directly or indirectly - involved in the Kyoto process; (c) internal discussions,brainstorming and analysing the Protocol's strengths and weaknesses, possible future scenarios (including policy options), and the management of a possible failure of the Kyoto Protocol. The present report reflects and integrates the different sources. The first section deals with the past and the present. It discusses how the Kyoto Protocol could be realized despite the divergent interests, reflects on its architecture, and analyses major strengths and weaknesses. In the second section, we present possible future scenarios. We explore how different combinations of domestic and international commitment provide possible realities that national government may face when crafting climate policy. The third section provides an in-depth analysis of the possible event that the Kyoto Protocol fails. We discuss its definition and policy implications. The final section is reserved for overall conclusions and policy recommendations

29 CFR 4.122 - Contracts for operation of postal contract stations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Application of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act Specific Exclusions § 4.122 Contracts for operation of postal contract stations. The Act, in paragraph (7) of section 7, exempts from its provisions “any... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Contracts for operation of postal contract stations. 4.122...

Implementing the Kyoto Protocol. The role of environmental agreements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torvanger, Asbjoern; Skodvin, Tora

1999-09-01

This report examines under what circumstances voluntary agreements to curb greenhouse gas emissions could be an attractive policy option from the government`s perspective. The report begins by defining the term Environmental Agreement (EA) and then explores EAs in three steps: (1) Advantages and disadvantages of EAs compared to other policy tools (direct regulation, taxes and tradable permits), based on theoretical studies and experience from practical use, (2) The potential of EAs as an international policy tool, either in a bilateral or regional setting, (3) The attractiveness of EAs to implement the Kyoto Protocol, and the relation to joint implementation and international emissions trading. The main conclusions are: (1) Experience from OECD countries suggests that EAs are most attractive as a supplement to traditional command and control, or to market-based policy tools. (2) Skillful design of EAs can improve their efficiency. (3) Bilateral EAs is an interesting policy option to regulate pollution from other countries. (4) Regional EAs are rare but could have important advantages. (5) EAs can play a role in a soft transition stage from traditional command and control to domestic emission trading, and further on to a Kyoto Protocol regime of emission trading and joint implementation. 52 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Proposal for the award of a contract for industrial support for logistics and stores operations

CERN Document Server

1999-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for industrial support for logistics and stores operations. Following a market survey carried out among 59 firms in ten Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2401/SPL/Revised) was sent on 11 March 1999 to five firms and four consortia in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received eight tenders from five Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium ISS GEBÄUDESERVICE (DE) - ISS SERVISYSTEM (CH) the lowest bidder complying with the specification, for industrial support for logistics and stores operations over a period of three years, starting on 1st January 2000, for a total amount of 3 830 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include an option for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for operation of the CERN telephone system

CERN Document Server

1999-01-01

This document concerns the award of an industrial support contract for operation of the CERN telephone system. Following a market survey carried out among 22 firms in eight Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2655/ST) was sent on 27 August 1999 to three firms and two consortia in four Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received three tenders from one firm and two consortia in three Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium MERROW (UK) ? DCS (CH) the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1st January 2000, for a total amount not exceeding 850 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 31 December 2000. The contract will include an option for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

20 CFR 416.2035 - Optional supplementation: Additional State options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Optional supplementation: Additional State options. 416.2035 Section 416.2035 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL... § 416.2035 Optional supplementation: Additional State options. (a) Residency requirement. A State or...

IPP fuel contracts - creating certain contracts for uncertain times

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coddington, I. [Coddington International Pty. Ltd., Milsons Point, NSW (Australia)

1998-12-31

Coal contracts for the new Asian Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are examined. Since most IPPs will be selling to state electricity utilities, often in competition with power plant using other fuels, coal based IPPs must negotiate advantageous coal supply contracts several years before the commissioning of a plant, and must ensure security of supply for at least the life of the construction loan. A more recent trend in the developed world is the Merchant IPP, where there is no guaranteed electricity sale. Lenders are wary of IPPs relying an imported coal, and insist on binding fuel contracts, while coal companies are wary of the quantity of information demanded by these lenders. A full understanding of the risks involved is needed; and a method of price indexation for the contracts. Contracts must also specify security of supply, coal quality, freight contracts and other details. 2 figs.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTS. DELIMITATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liana Teodora PASCARIU

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Article examines whether all contracts of public persons are administrative contracts; in other words, if the administration may conclude contracts that, according to their legal nature, are not administrative. If we start from the definition of administrative contracts as it appears in Law no. 554/2004, these include contracts by public authorities which concern the enhancement of public property execution of works of public interest, public services, public procurement and other administrative contracts provided by special laws and subject to the jurisdiction of the administrative courts.

The protocol amending the 1963 Vienna Convention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamm, V.

2006-01-01

Technically the Vienna Convention was revised by the adoption of the protocol to amend the instrument. and according to Article 19 of the protocol 'A State which is Party to this Protocol but not to the 1963 Vienna Convention shall be bound by the provisions of that Convention as amended by this Protocol in relation to other States Parties hereto, and failing an expression of a different intention by that State at the time of deposit of an instrument referred to in Article 20 shall be bound by the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention in relation to States which are only Parties thereto'. This solution has created a special situation, because after the entry into force of the protocol there will be living together or operating in practice 'two' Vienna Conventions, notably the convention's original text of 1963 and its new version as amended by the protocol. After the protocol has come into force, a state may only accede to the amended version, but in the inter se relations of the States Party to the 'old' Vienna Convention the provisions of that convention will remain in force until such time as they have acceded to the new protocol. This rather complicated situation is nevertheless understandable and is fully in accord with Article 40 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which provides for the amendment of multilateral treaties. In 1989 the negotiations on the revision of the Vienna Convention had begun with the aim of strengthening the existing nuclear liability regime and of improving the situation of potential victims of nuclear accidents. The Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention serves those purposes; it also reflects a good compromise, since it is the outcome of a negotiation process in which experts from both nuclear and non-nuclear states, from Contacting Parties and non-Contracting Parties were very active. That affords some assurance that the compromise solution reached is acceptable to all States participating in the adoption of

Electrical contracting

CERN Document Server

Neidle, Michael

2013-01-01

Electrical Contracting, Second Edition is a nine-chapter text guide for the greater efficiency in planning and completing installations for the design, installation and control of electrical contracts. This book starts with a general overview of the efficient cabling and techniques that must be employed for safe wiring design, as well as the cost estimation of the complete electrical contract. The subsequent chapters are devoted to other electrical contracting requirements, including electronic motor control, lighting, and electricity tariffs. A chapter focuses on the IEE Wiring Regulations an

Administrative contracts

OpenAIRE

Vukićević-Petković Milica

2015-01-01

Administrative contracts are a special type of contract where usually one of the contracting parties is a public law body and which is concluded for the performance of public service and the realization of a public interest. They go a long way since its inception to its eventual final acceptance of all the legal systems. One of the enduring characteristics of this type of contract is their disquised or unnoticed existence. This is why only monitoring their development may lead to a complete u...

A Novel k-out-of-n Oblivious Transfer Protocol from Bilinear Pairing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jue-Sam Chou

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Oblivious transfer (OT protocols mainly contain three categories: 1-out-of-2 OT, 1-out-of-n OT, and k-out-of-n OT. In most cases, they are treated as cryptographic primitives and are usually executed without consideration of possible attacks that might frequently occur in an open network, such as an impersonation, replaying, or man-in-the-middle attack. Therefore, when used in certain applications, such as mental poker games and fair contract signings, some extra mechanisms must be combined to ensure the security of the protocol. However, after a combination, we found that very few of the resulting schemes are efficient enough in terms of communicational cost, which is a significant concern for generic commercial transactions. Therefore, we propose a novel k-out-of-n oblivious transfer protocol based on bilinear pairing, which not only satisfies the requirements of a k-out-of-n OT protocol, but also provides mutual authentication to resist malicious attacks. Meanwhile, it is efficient in terms of communication cost.

Analysis of the 314th Contracting Squadrons Contract Management Capability Using the Contract Management Maturity Model (CMMM)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jackson, Jr, Carl J

2007-01-01

.... The purpose of this research project is to analyze the 314th Contracting Squadron contracting processes and requirement target areas for improvement efforts by the application of the Contract Management Maturity Model (CMMM...

Contracting with the Enemy: The Contracting Officer’s Dilemma

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

contracting command xv KO contracting officer KTR contractor LSC lead service component MGAA Mesopotamia Group Atlas Apache NAT National Afghanistan...and Contract Authority Understanding the roles of contracting versus command authority and command relationships is a fundamental that must be...Audit 12-7 (2012) described the CENTCOM-JTSCC (C- JTSCC) formation and command relationship : In April 2010, CENTCOM issued a fragmentary order to

Comparison between three option, four option and five option multiple choice question tests for quality parameters: A randomized study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vegada, Bhavisha; Shukla, Apexa; Khilnani, Ajeetkumar; Charan, Jaykaran; Desai, Chetna

2016-01-01

Most of the academic teachers use four or five options per item of multiple choice question (MCQ) test as formative and summative assessment. Optimal number of options in MCQ item is a matter of considerable debate among academic teachers of various educational fields. There is a scarcity of the published literature regarding the optimum number of option in each item of MCQ in the field of medical education. To compare three options, four options, and five options MCQs test for the quality parameters - reliability, validity, item analysis, distracter analysis, and time analysis. Participants were 3 rd semester M.B.B.S. students. Students were divided randomly into three groups. Each group was given one set of MCQ test out of three options, four options, and five option randomly. Following the marking of the multiple choice tests, the participants' option selections were analyzed and comparisons were conducted of the mean marks, mean time, validity, reliability and facility value, discrimination index, point biserial value, distracter analysis of three different option formats. Students score more ( P = 0.000) and took less time ( P = 0.009) for the completion of three options as compared to four options and five options groups. Facility value was more ( P = 0.004) in three options group as compared to four and five options groups. There was no significant difference between three groups for the validity, reliability, and item discrimination. Nonfunctioning distracters were more in the four and five options group as compared to three option group. Assessment based on three option MCQs is can be preferred over four option and five option MCQs.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for cooling water treatment

CERN Document Server

1999-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Support contract for cooling water treatment for LEP, PS and SPS. Following a market survey carried out among 46 firms in twelve Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2557/ST) was sent on 26 July 1999 to seven firms and two consortia in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received five tenders from firms and consortia in three Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium AQUAZUR (FR) and SCHILLING CHEMIE (DE), the lowest bidder after realignment, for an initial period of three years, starting on 1 January 2000, for a total amount not exceeding 976 482 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 31 December 2001. The contract will include options for two further one-year extensions beyond the initial three year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the work covered by this adjudication proposal: FR - 52% and DE - 48%.

Why radiologists lose their hospital contracts: is your contract secure?

Science.gov (United States)

Muroff, Lawrence R

2010-03-01

Previously, a hospital contract meant tenure for the incumbent group of radiologists; however, those days are long gone. Exclusive contracts have morphed into exclusive contracts with carve-outs. Turf erosion has become a fact of life for radiology practices. Now radiologists are losing their hospital contracts in record numbers. Group size, though helpful for a variety of reasons, does not ensure that a practice will be secure in its hospital setting. The reasons that groups lose their hospital contracts are varied, and in this paper, the author discusses the most common ones. Suggestions to help practices avoid this unfortunate fate are presented.

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for dismantling LEP cooling and ventilation equipment

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Service contract for dismantling LEP cooling and ventilation equipment. Following a market survey carried out among 68 firms in fourteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2658/ST/SL) was sent on 11 February 2000 to 14 firms and one consortium in eight Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received nine tenders from seven firms and two consortia in six Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm ZVVZ (CZ), the lowest bidder, for a total amount of 822 005 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for additional dismantling work in the LEP structure, specified in the tender, for a total amount of 313 311 Swiss francs, not subject to revision, bringing the total amount to a maximum of 1 135 316 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: CZ-100%.

Reviving Ulysses contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Spellecy, Ryan

2003-12-01

Ulysses contracts have faced paternalism objections since they first were proposed. Since the contracts are designed to override a present request from a legally competent patient in favor of a past request made by that patient, enforcement of these contracts was argued to be unjustifiable strong paternalism. Recent legal developments and new theories of practical reasoning suggest that the discussion of Ulysses contracts should be revived. This paper argues that with a proper understanding of the future-directed planning embodied in Ulysses contracts, the charge of strong paternalism can be answered, and the enforcement of some Ulysses contracts may be justified under the rubric of weak paternalism.

THE INFLUENCE OF MAC BUFFER ON THE CONTENTION-BASED ACCESS SCHEME WITH BURSTING OPTION FOR IEEE 802.11E WIRELESS NETWORKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. SELVAKENNEDY

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Wireless LANs are increasingly being used for inelastic applications. Currently, there is little support for quality of service in the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol, and IEEE task group E has defined the 802.11e MAC extension. Enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA is a contention-based scheme of the 802.11e standard. To allow a station to transmit more than one frame from a single contention, an optional feature known as controlled frame-bursting (CFB is introduced in the standard. In this paper, we initially performed an average analysis to determine a suitable burst duration limit. Then, a detailed evaluation and comparison of the EDCA protocol with the CFB option is carried out through simulation to quantify its performance gain. The impact of the MAC transmit buffer size is also incorporated. Accordingly, we have proposed a suitable approach to guide the configuration of the burst duration limit. It is demonstrated that an optimized CFB configuration allows the MAC protocol to achieve 30% more capacity than the basic EDCA scheme.

24 CFR 983.206 - HAP contract amendments (to add or substitute contract units).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false HAP contract amendments (to add or... Contract § 983.206 HAP contract amendments (to add or substitute contract units). (a) Amendment to substitute contract units. At the discretion of the PHA and subject to all PBV requirements, the HAP contract...

Data exchange technology based on handshake protocol for industrial automation system

Science.gov (United States)

Astafiev, A. V.; Shardin, T. O.

2018-05-01

In the article, questions of data exchange technology based on the handshake protocol for industrial automation system are considered. The methods of organizing the technology in client-server applications are analyzed. In the process of work, the main threats of client-server applications that arise during the information interaction of users are indicated. Also, a comparative analysis of analogue systems was carried out, as a result of which the most suitable option was chosen for further use. The basic schemes for the operation of the handshake protocol are shown, as well as the general scheme of the implemented application, which describes the entire process of interaction between the client and the server.

Individual breakdown of pension rights and end of contract

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

As in previous years, members of the CERN Pension Fund will shortly receive their “Individual breakdown of pension rights” by e-mail.   In this respect, we would like to remind members that according to Articles II 1.11 - II 1.12 (calculation and payment of the transfer value) and II 2.02 (retirement pension), several options are possible at the end of their contract (depending on their length of service in the Fund): payment of the transfer value into a personal bank account, payment of the transfer value into a new pension scheme, pension (deferred, anticipated or retirement). Benefits Service CERN Pension Fund

Administrative contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vukićević-Petković Milica

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Administrative contracts are a special type of contract where usually one of the contracting parties is a public law body and which is concluded for the performance of public service and the realization of a public interest. They go a long way since its inception to its eventual final acceptance of all the legal systems. One of the enduring characteristics of this type of contract is their disquised or unnoticed existence. This is why only monitoring their development may lead to a complete understanding of the importance and essence of this institution as well as the need for its complete legal regulation.

Classification of SOA Contract Specification Languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Okika, Joseph C.; Ravn, Anders Peter

2008-01-01

There are numerous existing notations and standards in the Web service community. These may be grouped broadly into three competing families, namely; Web Services, Semantic Web, and Electronic Business. Although the families are competing, we expect that applications will cut across them...... and there is a need to map from one to another and to analyze compatibility and other properties. Therefore we survey how they deal with different aspects. We then illustrate with examples, the aspects of contracts captured by one language from each of the three competing families in addition to WSDL, the core...... standard for Web services description. The result is a classification based on the aspects of computations: functionality, protocol, and for instance performance covered by the languages. The classification is used to identify similarities between semantic models and thus find potential mappings between...

Army Contract Specialists’ Lack of Desire to Become Contracting Officers

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

response to question 2 was 1 or 2, choose all the responses that support the reasoning for your answer. B ). N o t en o u g h w el l tr ai n ed...contracting specialist set the goal of becoming a contracting officer? ACC 20 Contracting officer burnout Consider contracting officer rotations every 2 to

Messaging Performance of FIPA Interaction Protocols in Networked Embedded Controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

García JoséAPérez

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Agent-based technologies in production control systems could facilitate seamless reconfiguration and integration of mechatronic devices/modules into systems. Advances in embedded controllers which are continuously improving computational capabilities allow for software modularization and distribution of decisions. Agent platforms running on embedded controllers could hide the complexity of bootstrap and communication. Therefore, it is important to investigate the messaging performance of the agents whose main motivation is the resource allocation in manufacturing systems (i.e., conveyor system. The tests were implemented using the FIPA-compliant JADE-LEAP agent platform. Agent containers were distributed through networked embedded controllers, and agents were communicating using request and contract-net FIPA interaction protocols. The test scenarios are organized in intercontainer and intracontainer communications. The work shows the messaging performance for the different test scenarios using both interaction protocols.

Messaging Performance of FIPA Interaction Protocols in Networked Embedded Controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Jehovani López Orozco

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Agent-based technologies in production control systems could facilitate seamless reconfiguration and integration of mechatronic devices/modules into systems. Advances in embedded controllers which are continuously improving computational capabilities allow for software modularization and distribution of decisions. Agent platforms running on embedded controllers could hide the complexity of bootstrap and communication. Therefore, it is important to investigate the messaging performance of the agents whose main motivation is the resource allocation in manufacturing systems (i.e., conveyor system. The tests were implemented using the FIPA-compliant JADE-LEAP agent platform. Agent containers were distributed through networked embedded controllers, and agents were communicating using request and contract-net FIPA interaction protocols. The test scenarios are organized in intercontainer and intracontainer communications. The work shows the messaging performance for the different test scenarios using both interaction protocols.

Inflation Forecast Contracts

OpenAIRE

Gersbach, Hans; Hahn, Volker

2012-01-01

We introduce a new type of incentive contract for central bankers: inflation forecast contracts, which make central bankers’ remunerations contingent on the precision of their inflation forecasts. We show that such contracts enable central bankers to influence inflation expectations more effectively, thus facilitating more successful stabilization of current inflation. Inflation forecast contracts improve the accuracy of inflation forecasts, but have adverse consequences for output. On balanc...

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for the maintenance of and work on tertiary buildings at CERN, and operation of their installations

CERN Document Server

2005-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for maintenance of and work on tertiary (i.e. non-accelerator) buildings and operation of their installations. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium CEGELEC CENTRE EST (FR) â?" CEGELEC (CH) â?" G.T.M. (FR), the lowest bidder complying with the specification, for the provision of the maintenance of and work on tertiary buildings at CERN, and operation of their installations, for three years for a total amount not exceeding 9 346 650 euros (14 379 454 Swiss francs), not subject to revision until 1st January 2009, with options for additional services for an amount not exceeding 457 600 euros (704 000 Swiss francs), not subject to revision until 1st January 2009, bringing the total to an amount not exceeding 9 804 250 euros (15 083 454 Swiss francs), not subject to revision until 1st January 2009. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Proposal for the award of an industrial service contract for stores operations and relatedlogistics, in-house mail distribution and transport services on the CERN site

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of an industrial support contract for stores operations and related logistics, in-house mail distribution and transport services on the CERN site. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium ISS (CH) - ISS (ES), for stores operations and related logistics, in-house mail distribution and transport services on the CERN site for a period of three years for a total amount not exceeding 10 312 028 Swiss francs not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Reflections on drafting of civil liability clauses and solving of disputes in supply contracts throughout the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virole, jean.

1977-01-01

The lengthy duration and diversity of the stages of the fuel cycle and the geographical distribution of the nuclear industries give the contracts for carrying out the different operations such flexibility that in order to settle disputes concerning notably but not exclusively liability, reference may be made to different legal systems according to whether the regulations of international public or private law can be applied. The options provided for co-contractors in view of the flexibility of the contracts lead to adoption of varying clauses for settling disputes according to the different industrial achievements envisaged. (NEA) [fr

New types of contracts. Part 1. Too high prices on the spot market for electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Gelder, J.W.

1999-01-01

In two articles, the state of the art of new types of contract such as swaps, futures and spot contracts is covered. What is the situation of the Dutch deregulating market in this respect? In this first article the focus is on the spot market for electricity, while the second article in the next month's issue will deal with the gas market. Four foreign brokers are active in the Dutch electricity market in addition to Amsterdam Power Exchange (APX). The four major power producing companies, being subject to a Protocol, are not allowed to trade their power directly on the APX. That's why most of the power traded through the APX comes from outside the Netherlands. Thus, the foreign brokers complement the service package of the APX

Suburothelial Bladder Contraction Detection with Implanted Pressure Sensor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steve J A Majerus

Full Text Available Managing bladder pressure in patients with neurogenic bladders is needed to improve rehabilitation options, avoid upper tract damage, incontinence, and their associated co-morbidities and mortality. Current methods of determining bladder contractions are not amenable to chronic or ambulatory settings. In this study we evaluated detection of bladder contractions using a novel piezoelectric catheter-free pressure sensor placed in a suburothelial bladder location in animals.Wired prototypes of the pressure monitor were implanted into 2 nonsurvival (feline and canine and one 13-day survival (canine animal. Vesical pressures were obtained from the device in both suburothelial and intraluminal locations and simultaneously from a pressure sensing catheter in the bladder. Intravesical pressure was monitored in the survival animal over 10 days from the suburothelial location and necropsy was performed to assess migration and erosion.In the nonsurvival animals, the average correlation between device and reference catheter data was high during both electrically stimulated bladder contractions and manual compressions (r = 0.93±0.03, r = 0.89±0.03. Measured pressures correlated strongly (r = 0.98±0.02 when the device was placed in the bladder lumen. The survival animal initially recorded physiologic data, but later this deteriorated. However, endstage intraluminal device recordings correlated (r = 0.85±0.13 with the pressure catheter. Significant erosion of the implant through the detrusor was found.This study confirms correlation between suburothelial pressure readings and intravesical bladder pressures. Due to device erosion during ambulatory studies, a wireless implant is recommended for clinical rehabilitation applications.

Fluid resuscitation for major burn patients with the TMMU protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Gaoxing; Peng, Yizhi; Yuan, Zhiqiang; Cheng, Wenguang; Wu, Jun; Tang, Jin; Huang, Yuesheng; Fitzgerald, Mark

2009-12-01

Fluid resuscitation is one of the critical treatments for the major burn patient in the early phases after injury. We evaluated the practice of fluid resuscitation for severely burned patients with the Third Military Medical University (TMMU) protocol, which is most widely used in many regions of China. Patients with major burns (>30% total body surface area (TBSA)) presenting to Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, between January 2005 and October 2007, were included in this study. Fluid resuscitation was initiated by the TMMU protocol. A total of 71 patients were (46 adults and 25 children) included in this study. All patients survived the first 48 h after injury smoothly and none developed abdominal compartment syndrome or other recognised complications associated with fluid resuscitation. The average quantity of fluid infused was 3.3-61.33% more than that calculated based on the TMMU protocol in both adult and paediatric groups. The average urine output during the first 24h after injury was about 1.2 ml per kg body weight per hour in the two groups, but reached 1.2 ml and 1.7 ml during the second 24h in adult and pediatric groups, respectively. This study indicates that the TMMU protocol for fluid resuscitation is a feasible option for burn patients. Individualised resuscitation - guided by the physiological response to fluid administration - is still important as in other protocols.

Reconciling Contracts and Relational Governance through Strategic Contracting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bent; Østergaard, Kim

2018-01-01

on contract types, such as strategic versus conventional, may reconcile the enduring research controversy between the substitution and complements perspectives. Practical implications: Today, formal contracts with foreign distributors tend to resemble “prenuptial agreements”. The opportunity for relational...

The Contract Management Body of Knowledge: A Comparison of Contracting Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-01

and supply chain management policies in an effort to deliver higher returns for their companies ( KPMG , 2012). As purchasing becomes increasingly more...conservation, hazardous materials , and ozone-depleting substances (NCMA, 2011). Contract Structures (1.5) has to do with identifying specific contract types...discusses time and material contracts as well as cost, performance, and delivery incentives. Incentive and award-fee contracts pertaining to fixed-price

HARMONIZATION OF THE CONSUMER CONTRACT DISPOSITIONS WITH THE GENERAL CONTRACT RULES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru MATEESCU

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This work contains and mainly tackles the contract of consumption, its differences and similitudes to a general contract, manners of applying it, and the way in which the former can be better coordinated and correlated to the general contracting terms, established by the civil law. Along the years, the consumption contract has undergone several addenda and it has come to represent an instrument of both refference and regulation for the socio-economical relations between two parties who have a commercial agreement. The general law frame has had a great influence in the development of the consumption contract, as well as on its applicability conditions and its manner of deployment. Through the development of the judicial law concerning the contract of concumption, this type of agreement has influenced, through its human and social nature, both the general contract, and the specific frame it relates to. The relationship between the two types of contract is one of interdependence, which is determined by the need of judicial regulation in the Romanian and European economy. The ceaselees development of interhuman relations pushes society towards maintaining a continuous study of the advancement of specific legislation and judicial regulation. The main purpose of this work is analyzing the general judicial frame and the way in which the differences between the general contract and the consumption one may represent a benefic and mutual influence on protecting the citizens’ rights, which in the case of the consumption contract encompasses the protection of consumers’ rights. Also, it will analyze the aspects that determine the manner of application and the the differences that can be surmounted in order to achieve a better cohesion between these types of contracts.

48 CFR 227.7009-3 - Additional clauses-contracts except running royalty contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...-contracts except running royalty contracts. 227.7009-3 Section 227.7009-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations...—contracts except running royalty contracts. The following clauses are examples for use in patent release and settlement agreements, and license agreements not providing for payment by the Government of a running...

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for the handling of the organization?s mail

CERN Document Server

1999-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Support contract for the handling of the Organization?s mail. Following a market survey carried out among 37 firms in nine Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2402/AS/Revised) was sent on 10 August 1999 to three firms and three consortia, in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received five tenders from firms and consortia in four Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium ISS GEBÄUDESERVICE (DE) - ISS SERVISYSTEM (CH), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years starting on 1st April 2000, for a total amount of 2 050 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 31 March 2001. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Indicators and protocols for monitoring impacts of formal and informal trails in protected areas

Science.gov (United States)

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Leung, Yu-Fai

2011-01-01

Trails are a common recreation infrastructure in protected areas and their conditions affect the quality of natural resources and visitor experiences. Various trail impact indicators and assessment protocols have been developed in support of monitoring programs, which are often used for management decision-making or as part of visitor capacity management frameworks. This paper reviews common indicators and assessment protocols for three types of trails, surfaced formal trails, unsurfaced formal trails, and informal (visitor-created) trails. Monitoring methods and selected data from three U.S. National Park Service units are presented to illustrate some common trail impact indicators and assessment options.

SU-F-207-16: CT Protocols Optimization Using Model Observer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tseng, H; Fan, J; Kupinski, M

2015-01-01

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the performance of different CT protocols using task-based measures of image quality. This work studies the task of size and the contrast estimation of different iodine concentration rods inserted in head- and body-sized phantoms using different imaging protocols. These protocols are designed to have the same dose level (CTDIvol) but using different X-ray tube voltage settings (kVp). Methods: Different concentrations of iodine objects inserted in a head size phantom and a body size phantom are imaged on a 64-slice commercial CT scanner. Scanning protocols with various tube voltages (80, 100, and 120 kVp) and current settings are selected, which output the same absorbed dose level (CTDIvol). Because the phantom design (size of the iodine objects, the air gap between the inserted objects and the phantom) is not ideal for a model observer study, the acquired CT images are used to generate simulation images with four different sizes and five different contracts iodine objects. For each type of the objects, 500 images (100 x 100 pixels) are generated for the observer study. The observer selected in this study is the channelized scanning linear observer which could be applied to estimate the size and the contrast. The figure of merit used is the correct estimation ratio. The mean and the variance are estimated by the shuffle method. Results: The results indicate that the protocols with 100 kVp tube voltage setting provides the best performance for iodine insert size and contrast estimation for both head and body phantom cases. Conclusion: This work presents a practical and robust quantitative approach using channelized scanning linear observer to study contrast and size estimation performance from different CT protocols. Different protocols at same CTDIvol setting could Result in different image quality performance. The relationship between the absorbed dose and the diagnostic image quality is not linear

SU-F-207-16: CT Protocols Optimization Using Model Observer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tseng, H [University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Fan, J [CT Systems Engineering, GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wisconsin (United States); Kupinski, M [Univ Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the performance of different CT protocols using task-based measures of image quality. This work studies the task of size and the contrast estimation of different iodine concentration rods inserted in head- and body-sized phantoms using different imaging protocols. These protocols are designed to have the same dose level (CTDIvol) but using different X-ray tube voltage settings (kVp). Methods: Different concentrations of iodine objects inserted in a head size phantom and a body size phantom are imaged on a 64-slice commercial CT scanner. Scanning protocols with various tube voltages (80, 100, and 120 kVp) and current settings are selected, which output the same absorbed dose level (CTDIvol). Because the phantom design (size of the iodine objects, the air gap between the inserted objects and the phantom) is not ideal for a model observer study, the acquired CT images are used to generate simulation images with four different sizes and five different contracts iodine objects. For each type of the objects, 500 images (100 x 100 pixels) are generated for the observer study. The observer selected in this study is the channelized scanning linear observer which could be applied to estimate the size and the contrast. The figure of merit used is the correct estimation ratio. The mean and the variance are estimated by the shuffle method. Results: The results indicate that the protocols with 100 kVp tube voltage setting provides the best performance for iodine insert size and contrast estimation for both head and body phantom cases. Conclusion: This work presents a practical and robust quantitative approach using channelized scanning linear observer to study contrast and size estimation performance from different CT protocols. Different protocols at same CTDIvol setting could Result in different image quality performance. The relationship between the absorbed dose and the diagnostic image quality is not linear.

Drilling contract issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davison, G.B.; Worden, D.R.; Borbridge, G.K.D.

1997-01-01

Some selected issues which are facing both operators and contractors in drilling for oil and gas, such as the allocation of risk by contract and by statute and the implementation of new technologies, were discussed. There are three varieties of written drilling contracts used in Canada: (1) day work and meterage contracts, (2) master drilling agreements, and (3) contracts that are used in construction projects that do not specifically relate to drilling. Issues relevant to the contractual allocation of risk, to implementing new drilling technologies, to reconciling contract and statute liability, and the formation of strategic alliances for mutual benefit, and the factors contributing to the success of such alliances were explored. 12 refs

Development of a neuromuscular electrical stimulation protocol for sprint training.

Science.gov (United States)

Russ, David W; Clark, Brian C; Krause, Jodi; Hagerman, Fredrick C

2012-09-01

Sprint training is associated with several beneficial adaptations in skeletal muscle, including an enhancement of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release. Unfortunately, several patient populations (e.g., the elderly, those with cardiac dysfunction) that might derive great benefit from sprint exercise are unlikely to tolerate it. The purpose of this report was to describe the development of a tolerable neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) protocol that induces skeletal muscle adaptations similar to those observed with sprint training. Our NMES protocol was modeled after a published sprint exercise protocol and used a novel electrode configuration and stimulation sequence to provide adequate training stimulus while maintaining subject tolerance. Nine young, healthy subjects (four men) began and completed the training protocol of the knee extensor muscles. All subjects completed the protocol, with ratings of discomfort far less than those reported in studies of traditional NMES. Training induced significant increases in SR Ca(2+) release and citrate synthase activity (~16% and 32%, respectively), but SR Ca(2+) uptake did not change. The percentage of myosin heavy chain IIx isoform was decreased significantly after training. At the whole muscle level, neither central activation nor maximum voluntary isometric contraction force were significantly altered, although isometric force did exhibit a trend toward an increase (~3%, P = 0.055). Surprisingly, the NMES training produced a significant increase in muscle cross-sectional area (~3%, P = 0.04). It seems that an appropriately designed NMES protocol can mimic many of the benefits of sprint exercise training, with a low overall time commitment and training volume. These findings suggest that NMES has the potential to bring the benefits of sprint exercise to individuals who are unable to tolerate traditional sprint training.

Application of low-dose radiation protocols in survey CT scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Qiang; Liu Ting; Lu Tao; Xu Ke; Zhang Lin

2009-01-01

Objective: To characterize the protocols with low-dose radiation in survey CT scans for localization. Methods: Eighty standard adult patients, head and body phantoms were recruited. Default protocols provided by operator's manual setting were that all the tube voltage for head, chest, abdomen and lumbar was 120 kV; the tube currents were 20,10,20 and 40 mA, respectively. Values of kV and mA in the low-dose experiments were optimized according to the device options. For chest and abdomen, the tube position were compared between default (0 degree) and 180 degree. Phantoms were scanned with above protocols, and the radiation doses were measured respectively. Paired t-test were used for comparisons of standard deviation in CT value, noise and exposure surface dose (ESD) between group with default protocols and group with optimized protocols. Results: The optimized protocols in low-dose CT survey scans were 80 kV, 10 mA for head, 80 kV, 10 mA for chest, 80 kV, 10 mA for abdomen and 100 kV, 10 mA for lumbar. The values of ESD for phantom scan in default and optimized protocols were 0.38 mGy/0.16 mGy in head, 0.30 mGy/0.20 mGy in chest, 0.74 mGy/0.30 mGy in abdomen and 0.81 mGy/0.44 mGy in lumbar, respectively. Compared with default protocols, the optimized protocols reduced the radiation doses 59%, 33%, 59% and 46% in head, chest, abdomen and lumbar. When tube position changed from 0 degree to 180 degree, the ESD were 0.24 mGy/0.20 mGy for chest; 0.37 mGy/0.30 mGy for abdomen, and the radiation doses were reduced 20% and 17%. Conclusion: A certain amount of image noise is increased in low-dose protocols, but image quality is still acceptable without problem in CT localization. The reduction of radiation dose and the radiation harm to patients are the superiority. (authors)

Investment with incomplete markets for risk: The need for long-term contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maere d’Aertrycke, Gauthier de; Ehrenmann, Andreas; Smeers, Yves

2017-01-01

Barring subsidies, investment in the power generation sector has come to an almost complete halt in the restructured European power sector. Market and regulatory failures such as the well known missing money (see )) but also normal market features such as risk, possibly also affected by market failures like market incompleteness are mentioned as common causes for the situation. This paper discusses incomplete risk trading and its impact on investment. The analysis applies computable stochastic equilibrium models on a simple market model of the Energy Only type. The paper first compares the cases of complete and fully incomplete markets (full risk trading and no risk trading). It continues by testing the impact of different risk trading contracts on both welfare and investment. We successively consider Contracts for Difference, Reliability Options with and without physical back up that we add to our Energy Only market model. We test the impact of market liquidity on the results. Finally, we compare these methods to a Forward Capacity Market that we also add to the energy only model. We complete the paper by interpretation of these results in terms of hurdle rate implied by these risk-trading situations. - Highlights: • Electricity market designs are discussed based on simulations reflecting risk aversion. • If financial markets are liquid then forward contracts can improve welfare substantially. • If markets cannot provide liquidity, then the welfare improvement is strongly diminished. • Capacity markets can serve as an alternative to contracts.

Importance of contraction history on muscle force of porcine urinary bladder smooth muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, Robin; Böl, Markus; Siebert, Tobias

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive dataset of porcine urinary bladder smooth muscle properties. Particularly, the history dependence of force production, namely force depression (FD) following shortening and force enhancement (FE) following stretch, was analysed. During active micturition, the circumference of the urinary bladder changes enormously. Thus, FD might be an important phenomenon during smooth muscle contraction. Electrically stimulated, intact urinary bladder strips from pigs (n = 10) were suspended in an aerated-filled organ bath, and different isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic contraction protocols were performed to determine the force-length and the force-velocity relation. FD and FE were assessed in concentric and eccentric contractions with different ramp lengths and ramp velocities. Bladder smooth muscles exhibit considerable amounts of FD and FE. The amount of FD increased significantly with ramp length, while FE did not change. However, FE and FD were independent of ramp velocity. The results imply that smooth muscle bladder strips exhibit similar muscle properties and history-dependent behaviour compared to striated muscles. The provided dataset of muscle properties is important for bladder modelling as well as for the analyses and interpretation of dynamic bladder filling and voiding.

Performance Analysis of Routing Protocols in Ad-hoc and Sensor Networking Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Gavrilovska

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Ad-hoc and sensor networks are becoming an increasingly popular wireless networking concepts lately. This paper analyzes and compares prominent routing schemes in these networking environments. The knowledge obtained can serve users to better understand short range wireless network solutions thus leading to options for implementation in various scenarios. In addition, it should aid researchers develop protocol improvements reliable for the technologies of interest.

Negotiation and Contracting in Collaborative Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Ana Inês; Camarinha-Matos, Luis M.

Due to the increasing market turbulence, companies, organizations and individuals need to tune their actuation forms so that they can prevail. It is particularly essential to create alliances and partnerships for collaborative problem solving when responding to new businesses or collaborative opportunities. In all types of alliances it is necessary to establish agreements that represent the rights and duties of all involved parts in a given collaboration opportunity. Therefore, it is important to deeply understand the structures and requirements of these alliances, i.e. what kind of members does the alliance have, what kind of protocols may be implied, how conflicts may possibly be resolved, etc. Moreover to these requirements, also the required support tools and mechanisms have to be identified. For that, this paper presents a research work that is being carried in the negotiation and contracting field, in order to promote agility in collaborative networks.

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for maintenance of fire and gas detection and evacuation alarm systems

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for maintenance of fire and gas detection and evacuation alarm systems. Following a market survey carried out among 48 firms in fourteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2818/ST) was sent on 15 December 2000 to four firms and three consortia, each consisting of two firms, in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from one firm and three consortia in four Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium SCHRACK SECONET (AT) - SOTEB (FR), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 October 2001 for an amount not exceeding 5 800 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: AT-50%, FR-50%.

Exotic Options: a Chooser Option and its Pricing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raimonda Martinkutė-Kaulienė

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Financial instruments traded in the markets and investors’ situation in such markets are getting more and more complex. This leads to more complex derivative structures used for hedging that are harder to analyze and which risk is harder managed. Because of the complexity of these instruments, the basic characteristics of many exotic options may sometimes be not clearly understood. Most scientific studies have been focused on developing models for pricing various types of exotic options, but it is important to study their unique characteristics and to understand them correctly in order to use them in proper market situations. The paper examines main aspects of options, emphasizing the variety of exotic options and their place in financial markets and risk management process. As the exact valuation of exotic options is quite difficult, the article deals with the theoretical and practical aspects of pricing of chooser options that suggest a broad range of usage and application in different market conditions. The calculations made in the article showed that the price of the chooser is closely correlated with the choice time and low correlated with its strike price. So the first mentioned factor should be taken into consideration when making appropriate hedging and investing decisions.

Unfair contract terms in B2C contracts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hesselink, M.W.; Loos, M.B.M.

2012-01-01

Because of its textual similarity to the Unfair Terms Directive 1993, Chapter 8 of the proposed CESL, on ‘Unfair contract terms’, can benefit from two decades of interpretative experience which is likely to provide a comparably high degree of instant legal certainty to contracting parties.

Proposal to endorse the award of a contract for the supply of a juniper T320 network router

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for the supply of a JUNIPER T320 Network Router. The Finance Committee is invited to endorse the CERN Management's decision to negotiate a contract with QWEST COMMUNICATION (USA) for the supply of a JUNIPER T320 Network Router for a total amount not exceeding 265 000 US dollars (350 000 Swiss francs). The Finance Committee is also requested to approve the negotiation of a maintenance contract for a value not exceeding 50 000 US dollars (66 000 Swiss francs) for three years and the option to purchase additional network interfaces for a value not exceeding 100 000 US dollars (132 000 Swiss francs) bringing the total amount to 415 000 US dollars (548 000 Swiss francs), not subject to revision. CERN's contribution will not exceed 90 000 Swiss francs. The amounts in Swiss francs have been calculated using the present rate of exchange. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: CA - 100%.

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for installation and removal of cables for CERN accelerators

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for installation and removal of cables for CERN accelerators. Following a market survey carried out among 128 firms in sixteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2760/ST) was sent on 2 June 2000 to eight firms and six consortia, four consisting of two firms, one consisting of three firms and one of four firms, in nine Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from one firm and six consortia, in nine Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium FABRICOM (BE) - AMSE (FR), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 July 2001 for a total amount of 18 000 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: PL-40%, FR-35%, BE-2...

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for civil engineering superstructure and internal construction building work

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for civil engineering superstructure and internal construction building work. Following a market survey carried out among 112 firms in fifteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2546/ST/Rev.) was sent on 12 April 2001 to eleven consortia, four consisting of four firms, three consisting of three firms and four consisting of two firms, in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from eight consortia in six Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium SPIE CITRA SUD-EST(FR)-ANTIRUST TECHNOLOGY (GR), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 January 2002 for an amount not exceeding 15 375 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this ...

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for operation of the hostels, apartments and ancillary premises

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for operation of the hostels, apartments and ancillary premises run by the CERN Housing Service. Following a market survey carried out among 32 firms in ten Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2404/AS/Rev.) was sent on 5 April 2000 to one firm and three consortia in four Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from the firm and the three consortia. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (AT) - SEREG (CH), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of five years, to enter into force on 1 January 2001, for a total amount of 6 871 850 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 31 December 2001. The contract will include an option for two one-year extensions beyond the initial five-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudication proposal: CH-60%, AT-...

Teaching about Contracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Froman, Michael; Kosnoff, Kathy

1978-01-01

Presents teaching strategies for introducing high school students to contract law. Offers as a case study a contract agreement between pro football players and team owners. Stresses basic elements of contracts (offer, acceptance, consideration, and understanding the bargaining process). Journal available from the American Bar Association, 1155…

Effective dose comparison between stitched and single FOV in CBCT protocols for complete dental arcade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Maria Rosangela; Batista, Wilson Otto; Antonio, Patricia Lara de; Caldas, Linda V.E.; Maia, Ana F.

2015-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess and compare protocols with a single field of view and multiple stitched field of view with a similar clinical purpose by means of effective dose value. Materials and methods: Measurements of absorbed dose were performed with thermoluminescent dosemeters inserted in the position of organs/tissues of a female anthropomorphic phantom and from these values the effective dose was calculated, utilizing weighting factor tissue-ICRP 103 (2007). Results: The results obtained in this study for effective dose are within the range of 43.1 µSv and 111.5 µSv for equipment using protocols with single FOV and in the range of 44.5 µSv and 236.2 µSv for equipments that using protocols with stitched field of view. Conclusions: In terms of the value of effective dose, stitched FOV protocols do not have any advantage over the single field of view protocols. This results suggest the necessity for knowledge of the exposure parameters and effective dose values associated with each image protocol. - Highlights: • The study relies on the comparison of two protocols with similar goals of CBCT: stitched protocols and single protocols. • The stitched FOV protocol is more specific and it is good option when want imaging only of some dental units. • In relation the effective dose, single FOV protocols presents advantage over the stitched FOV protocols. • Know the exposure parameters and effective dose values associated with each image protocol is necessity for request the best CBCT tomographic image

New options to integrate care and financing for persons dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Katherine Jett; Thorpe, Jane Hyatt

2012-01-01

This paper reviews barriers to clinical and financial integration in services for dual eligibles prior to passage of the ACA, identifies models used by states to integrate care through contract and waiver authorities available to CMS prior to passage of the ACA, describes two new demonstrations proposed by CMS through the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office and Innovation Center, and discusses several new models available for consideration by federal and state policymakers. These options draw on experience from existing programs and waivers to provide suggested changes to existing programs, as well as a permanent state plan option for a fully integrated, capitated care model. This model could be made available to states prior to the completion of the demonstration process begun by the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office and Innovation Center.

Criteria for Evaluating Alternative Network and Link Layer Protocols for the NASA Constellation Program Communication Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Benbenek, Daniel; Soloff, Jason; Lieb, Erica

2010-01-01

Selecting a communications and network architecture for future manned space flight requires an evaluation of the varying goals and objectives of the program, development of communications and network architecture evaluation criteria, and assessment of critical architecture trades. This paper uses Cx Program proposed exploration activities as a guideline; lunar sortie, outpost, Mars, and flexible path options are described. A set of proposed communications network architecture criteria are proposed and described. They include: interoperability, security, reliability, and ease of automating topology changes. Finally a key set of architecture options are traded including (1) multiplexing data at a common network layer vs. at the data link layer, (2) implementing multiple network layers vs. a single network layer, and (3) the use of a particular network layer protocol, primarily IPv6 vs. Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). In summary, the protocol options are evaluated against the proposed exploration activities and their relative performance with respect to the criteria are assessed. An architectural approach which includes (a) the capability of multiplexing at both the network layer and the data link layer and (b) a single network layer for operations at each program phase, as these solutions are best suited to respond to the widest array of program needs and meet each of the evaluation criteria.

The effects of hospitals' governance on optimal contracts: bargaining vs. contracting.

Science.gov (United States)

Galizzi, Matteo M; Miraldo, Marisa

2011-03-01

We propose a two-stage model to study the impact of different hospitals' governance frameworks on the optimal contracts designed by third-party payers when patients' disease severity is the private information of the hospital. In the second stage, doctors and managers interact within either a bargaining or a contracting scenario. In the contracting scenario, managers offer a contract that determines the payment to doctors, and doctors decide how many patients to treat. In the bargaining scenario, doctors and managers strategically negotiate on both the payment to doctors and the number of patients to treat. We derive the equilibrium doctors' payments and number of treated patients under both scenarios. We then derive the optimal contract offered by the government to the hospital in the first stage. Results show that when the cost of capital is sufficiently low, the informational rent is lower, and the social welfare is higher, in the contracting scenario. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Outcomes of Protocol-Driven Care of Critically Ill Severely Anemic Patients for Whom Blood Transfusion Is Not an Option.

Science.gov (United States)

Shander, Aryeh; Javidroozi, Mazyar; Gianatiempo, Carmine; Gandhi, Nisha; Lui, John; Califano, Frank; Kaufman, Margit; Naqvi, Sajjad; Syed, Faraz; Aregbeyen, Oshuare

2016-06-01

To compare the outcomes of severely anemic critically ill patients for whom transfusion is not an option ("bloodless" patients) with transfused patients. Cohort study with propensity score matching. ICU of a referral center. One hundred seventy-eight bloodless and 441 transfused consecutive severely anemic, critically ill patients, admitted between May 1996 and April 2011, and having at least one hemoglobin level less than or equal to 8 g/dL within 24 hours of ICU admission. Patients with diagnosis of brain injury, acute myocardial infarction, or status postcardiac surgery were excluded. Allogeneic RBC transfusion during ICU stay. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Other outcomes were ICU mortality, readmission to ICU, new electrocardiographic or cardiac enzyme changes suggestive of cardiac ischemia or injury, and new positive blood culture result. Transfused patients were older, had higher hemoglobin level at admission, and had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. Hospital mortality rates were 24.7% in bloodless and 24.5% in transfused patients (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.68-1.52; p = 0.95). Adjusted odds ratio of hospital mortality was 1.52 (95% CI, 0.95-2.43; p = 0.08). No significant difference in ICU readmission or positive blood culture results was observed. Analysis of propensity score-matched cohorts provided similar results. Overall risk of mortality in severely anemic critically ill bloodless patients appeared to be comparable with transfused patients, albeit the latter group had older age and higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. Use of a protocol to manage anemia in these patients in a center with established patient blood management and bloodless medicine and surgery programs is feasible and likely to contribute to improved outcome, whereas more studies are needed to better delineate the impact of such programs.

Proposal for the award of a contract for the provision of cooling water treatment services

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for cabling and minor mechanical work on components of CERN accelerators and experiments. Following a market survey carried out among 62 firms in fifteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-3214/EST/A) was sent on 1 August 2003 to three firms and two consortia in four Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received four tenders from four consortia in four Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium AMEC SPIE (FR) - CEGELEC (FR) - AMEC SPIE (NL), the lowest bidder, for cabling and minor mechanical work on components of CERN accelerators and experiments for a total amount not exceeding 1 040 968 euros (1 608 915 Swiss francs), covering an initial period of three years starting on 1 January 2004, not subject to revision. The rate of exchange used is that stipulated in the tender. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium ...

User's guide to PROTOCOL, a numerical simulator for the dissolution reactions of inorganic solids in aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickrell, G.; Jackson, D.D.

1984-10-01

This report provides a user's manual for PROTOCOL, a comprehensive coupled kinetic/equilibrium computer program for analyzing the dissolution reactions of solids with aqueous solutions, specifically applied to the potential corrosion of vitrified nuclear waste by groundwater. The capabilities and available options are summarized as well as instructions for setting up and running problems. Also described in this report and included in the PROTOCOL software package are MASTER, a master file of species thermodynamic data, MANEQL, a preprocessor program and POSTP, a postprocessor. POSTP provides offline plotting using the CRAY-1 DISSPLA 9.0 graphics library. PROTOCOL is operational on the CDC-7600 and CRAY-1 computers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 7 references, 10 figures, 2 tables

Market price of risk implied by Asian-style electricity options and futures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weron, Rafal

2008-01-01

In this paper we propose a jump-diffusion type model which recovers the main characteristics of electricity spot price dynamics in the Nordic market, including seasonality, mean-reversion and spiky behavior. We show how the calibration of the market price of risk to actively traded futures contracts allows for efficient valuation of Nord Pool's Asian-style options written on the spot electricity price. Furthermore, we study the evolution of the market price of risk (and the risk premium) over a three year time period and compare the obtained results with those reported in the literature. (author)

Market price of risk implied by Asian-style electricity options and futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weron, Rafal [Hugo Steinhaus Center for Stochastic Methods, Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, Wroclaw University of Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland)

2008-05-15

In this paper we propose a jump-diffusion type model which recovers the main characteristics of electricity spot price dynamics in the Nordic market, including seasonality, mean-reversion and spiky behavior. We show how the calibration of the market price of risk to actively traded futures contracts allows for efficient valuation of Nord Pool's Asian-style options written on the spot electricity price. Furthermore, we study the evolution of the market price of risk (and the risk premium) over a three year time period and compare the obtained results with those reported in the literature. (author)

The Relationship between the Employment Contract and other Civil Contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Răzvan Radu Popescu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The employment relationship is a contractual one and as such must have all the basic elements of an enforceable contract to make it legally binding. In strict contractual terms, the offer is made by the employer and formally accepted by the employee. Once the acceptance has taken place, there is a legally binding agreement and an action will lie against the party who breaches that agreement, even though it may only just have come into existence. An employment contract, however, is unlike most other contracts. Although the parties will have negotiated the main terms, we shall see that a large number of terms will be implied into the agreement from all sorts of different sources and will not have been individually negotiated by the parties at all. This is what makes an employment contract so different from other contracts. We think this article is an important step in the disclosure of the problem eraised by these two concepts.

Australian Asian Options

OpenAIRE

Manuel Moreno; Javier F. Navas

2003-01-01

We study European options on the ratio of the stock price to its average and viceversa. Some of these options are traded in the Australian Stock Exchange since 1992, thus we call them Australian Asian options. For geometric averages, we obtain closed-form expressions for option prices. For arithmetic means, we use different approximations that produce very similar results.

Negotiating Efficient PPP Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvarnø, Christina D.

. An opportunity the member states should consider using when procuring a PPP. This paper looks at the negotiation and contracting of a PPP in an economic theoretical and EU public procurement perspective and discusses how to establish an efficient PPP contract under a strong public law doctrine. Governments......This paper concerns Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts in concern to the coming new 2014/24IEU public procurement directive. The new EU public procurement directive gives the public authority the opportunity to negotiate PPPs much more when they are implemented in national law...... procurement law. Furthermore, the paper seeks to establish a connection between public law, private law and the efficient PPP contract by drawing upon economic theory and empirical contract data from UK, US and Danish partnering contracts from the construction industry and the aim of contracting joint utility...

Duration in Production Contracts

OpenAIRE

MacDonald, James M.; Korb, Penelope J.

2006-01-01

We use 2003 and 2004 ARMS data to analyze variations in contract duration among growers of broilers who hold production contracts. Most contracts cover just a single flock, but many extend for 1-2 years, and a significant minority of broiler contracts specify lengths of 5, 10, and even 15 years. We find that grower debt and production volume are inversely related to the choice of a short term (a year or less) contract, while lengthy prior experience with the contractor promotes short term con...

Real Options in Capital Budgeting. Pricing the Option to Delay and the Option to Abandon a Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicoleta Vintila

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Traditional discounted cash-flows method for assessing projects assumes that investment decision is an irreversible one, which is not correct. Managers can and must reconsider their initial decision as the new information arises during the project life. This is managerial flexibility and it creates strategic value for a project, only if management takes advantage of the opportunities associated with an analyzed project. Real options represent a new approach in capital budgeting, using the theory of pricing financial options for investments in real assets. In this paper, we emphasize the characteristics and valuation methodologies of real options. The objective in the last section is pricing the option to delay and the option to abandon a project in construction materials field.

Stata 8 Graphics: Options, sub-options and sub-sub-options

OpenAIRE

Tim Collier

2005-01-01

Stata 8 graphics have changed out of all recognition from that available in earlier versions. It was not just that a whole new array of options and sub-options were introduced, but the graph syntax itself completely changed. Just trying to produce a simple plot of x against y using Stata 7 syntax (graph x y) produced bewildering error messages e.g. xgraph_g.new y: class member function not found r(4023) and the like. If you did succeed in working out the new syntax (graph twoway scatter x y) ...

Experiments on supply chain contracting: effects of contract type and fairness concerns

OpenAIRE

Arabacı, Özge; Arabaci, Ozge

2013-01-01

In this thesis, we conduct experiments with human decision makers on supply chain contracting. We consider a simple manufacturer-retailer supply chain scenario where the retailer faces the newsvendor problem. Building on Sahin and Kaya (2011), we compare the experimental performance of three contract types (wholesale price, buyback and revenue sharing contracts) between the firms with theoretical predictions, and among each other. We are interested in the manufacturer’s contract parameter dec...

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for the operation and maintenance of liquid helium cryogenic plants

CERN Document Server

2000-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for the operation and maintenance of liquid helium cryogenic plants. Following a market survey carried out among 54 firms in twelve Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2719/LHC) was sent on 18 August 2000 to two firms and four consortia, two consisting of two firms and two consisting of three firms, in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from one firm and three consortia, in four Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium AIR LIQUIDE (FR) - LINDE KRYOTECHNIK (CH) - SERCO (DE), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of four years from 17 July 2001 for a total amount of 19 804 400 Swiss francs, not subject to revision until 16 July 2005. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial four-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this adjudi...

Proposal for the award of a contract for provision of mechanical design and draughting services off the CERN site

CERN Document Server

2004-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for the provision of mechanical design and draughting services off the CERN site. Following a market survey carried out among 62 firms in fifteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-3213/EST) was sent on 19 January 2004 to eight firms, in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received eight tenders from eight firms in seven Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with ACROTECNA (FR), the lowest bidder, for the provision of mechanical design and draughting services off the CERN site for an amount of 489 373 euros (771 882 Swiss francs) for an initial period of three years starting on 1 July 2004, subject to revision for inflation from 1 July 2007. The rate of exchange used is that stipulated in the tender. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The firm has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by thi...

Defense Contract Management: DOD's Lack of Adherence to Key Contracting Principles on Iraq Oil Contract Put Government Interests at Risk

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hutton, John P; Ahearn, Marie; Augustine, Penny B; Campbell, Greg; James, Jr., Arthur; Lesonsky, Eric; Lord, Stephen; McDonough-Hughes, Anne; McKelvey, Janet; Patton, Kenneth

2007-01-01

.... The contract was also used to ensure adequate fuel supplies inside Iraq. RIO I was a cost-plus-award-fee type contract that provided for payment of the contractor's costs, a fixed fee determined at inception of the contract, and a potential award fee...

Building a protocol expressway: the case of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Science.gov (United States)

McJoynt, Terre A; Hirzallah, Muhanad A; Satele, Daniel V; Pitzen, Jason H; Alberts, Steven R; Rajkumar, S Vincent

2009-08-10

Inconsistencies and errors resulting from nonstandard processes, together with redundancies, rework, and excess workload, lead to extended time frames for clinical trial protocol development. This results in dissatisfaction among sponsors, investigators, and staff and restricts the availability of novel treatment options for patients. A team of experts from Mayo Clinic formed, including Protocol Development Unit staff and management from the three Mayo Clinic campuses (Florida, Minnesota, and Arizona), a systems and procedures analyst, a quality office analyst, and two physician members to address the identified deficiencies. The current-state process was intensively reviewed, and improvement steps were taken to accelerate the development and approval of cancer-related clinical trials. The primary goal was to decrease the time from receipt of a new protocol through submission to an approving authority, such as the National Cancer Institute or institutional review board. Using the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) framework infused with Lean waste-reduction methodologies, areas were identified for improvement, including enhancing first-time quality and processing new studies on a first-in/first-out basis. The project was successful in improving the mean turnaround time for internally authored protocols (P Lean methodologies is an effective tool to structure the definition, planning, analysis, and implementation of significant process changes.

Optimized workflow and imaging protocols for whole-body oncologic PET/MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Shirou; Hara, Takamitsu; Nanbu, Takeyuki; Suenaga, Hiroki; Sugawara, Shigeyasu; Kuroiwa, Daichi; Sekino, Hirofumi; Miyajima, Masayuki; Kubo, Hitoshi; Oriuchi, Noboru; Ito, Hiroshi

2016-11-01

Although PET/MRI has the advantages of a simultaneous acquisition of PET and MRI, high soft-tissue contrast of the MRI images, and reduction of radiation exposure, its low profitability and long acquisition time are significant problems in clinical settings. Thus, MRI protocols that meet oncological purposes need to be used in order to reduce examination time while securing detectability. Currently, half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo and 3D-T1 volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination may be the most commonly used sequences for whole-body imaging due to their shorter acquisition time and higher diagnostic accuracy. Although there have been several reports that adding diffusion weighted image (DWI) to PET/MRI protocol has had no effect on tumor detection to date, in cases of liver, kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer, the use of DWI may be beneficial in detecting lesions. Another possible option is to scan each region with different MRI sequences instead of scanning the whole body using one sequence continuously. We herein report a workflow and imaging protocols for whole-body oncologic PET/MRI using an integrated system in the clinical routine, designed for the detection, for example by cancer screening, of metastatic lesions, in order to help future users optimize their workflow and imaging protocols.

Intramuscular fatty acid metabolism in contracting and non-contracting human skeletal muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sacchetti, M; Saltin, B; Osada, T

2002-01-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the fate of blood-borne non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) entering contracting and non-contracting knee extensor muscles of healthy young individuals. [U-(13)C]-palmitate was infused into a forearm vein during 5 h of one-legged knee extensor exercis...... and degraded and that the metabolic fate of plasma NEFA entering the muscle is influenced by muscle contraction, so that a higher proportion is directed towards oxidation at the expense of storage in mTAG.......The present study was undertaken to investigate the fate of blood-borne non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) entering contracting and non-contracting knee extensor muscles of healthy young individuals. [U-(13)C]-palmitate was infused into a forearm vein during 5 h of one-legged knee extensor exercise.......05) in the contracting muscle, whereas it was unchanged in the non-contracting muscle. The uptake of plasma NEFA, as well as the proportion directed towards oxidation, was higher in the exercising compared to the non-exercising leg, whereas the rate of palmitate incorporation into mTAG was fourfold lower (0.70 +/- 0...

48 CFR 937.7040 - Contract clauses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contract clauses. 937.7040... CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Protective Services Contracting 937.7040 Contract clauses. The contracting... services” in all protective services solicitations and contracts involving DOE-owned facilities requiring...

MEDIATION CLAUSE IN COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS (THE ADVANTAGES OF MEDIATION CLAUSE IN COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudiu Florinel Augustin Ignat

2013-11-01

Full Text Available It often happens that the end of the contracts to be existing commercial relationships and a new contract has already intuitu personae character. But not always the case, that those who enter into legal commercial forcing consideration to the benefits and under commercial contracts, know the dealer or individual that established commercial relations. These traders resort to contractual conditions which states precisely the extent of the obligations assumed by each party, setting rules, deadlines, penalties and even ways of interpretation of contracts. Contracting Parties, namely traders aware that the law is the contract parties by special caluze invest ( to settle disputes concerning the interpretation or punishment for failure and even termination obligations tribunalule arbitration courts or the territorial and material .

Proposal for the award of a contract for the maintenance of industrial transport and handling equipment

CERN Document Server

European Organization for Nuclear Research

2002-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for the maintenance of industrial transport and handling equipment. Following a market survey carried out among 145 firms in sixteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-3049/ST) was sent on 8 May 2002 to two firms and four consortia, one consortium consisting of three firms and three consortia consisting of two firms, in three Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received six tenders from six consortia in three Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium CEGELEC (FR), SPIE-TRINDEL (FR), ELECTRON (NL) and FENWICK-LINDE (FR), the lowest bidder after alignment, for the maintenance of industrial transport and handling equipment for a total amount of 2 973 280 euros (4 346 900 Swiss francs), covering an initial period of three years starting on 1 October 2002, subject to revision for inflation from 1 October 2005. The contract will include an option for two further one-year extensions beyond t...

Proposal for the award of a contract to measure the geometry of the LHC cryo-magnets

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract to measure the geometry of the LHC cryo-magnets. Following a market survey carried out among 43 firms in eleven Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2989/EST/LHC) was sent on 10 March 2003 to one firm and three consortia, in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received three tenders from the three consortia in six Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium SETAT (FR), INTROTECH (NL) and MAP (CH), the lowest bidder, to measure the geometry of the LHC cryo-magnets, for an amount not exceeding 2 097 582 euros (3 173 347 Swiss francs) covering an initial period of three years starting on 1 October 2003, subject to revision for inflation from 1 October 2004. The rate of exchange used is that stipulated in the tender. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of th...

ACCOUNTING FOR OPTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF USE OF OPTION COMBINATION STRATEGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Derun

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The article deals with problems of accounting for options in Ukraine, namely: value expression of initial cost of options, their revaluation, accounting of premiums, financial assets and financial liabilities and variation margin. The paper offers ways of solution of these problems which based on harmonization with IAS 32, IAS 39, IFRS 7 and IFRS 9. The study considers option combination strategies (straddle, strangle, strap, strip and approaches of identification of possible financial results for investors which use these strategies. Examples of possible financial results are provided for buyers and sellers of options which use option combination strategies.

Integrated Portfolio Analysis: Return on Investment and Real Options Analysis of Intelligence Information Systems (Cryptologic Carry On Program)

Science.gov (United States)

2006-09-30

14 IV. Proof-of-Concept: USS Readiness Case Study 16 A. Background 17 B. Applying KVA Methodology 19 C. KVA Results 20 D. Real Options Analysis 23...technology assets. • Quantifying intangible human capital assets (i.e., training, skills, knowledge). The average large company spends the equivalent of...Portfolios/Motorola, Unilever • IT Infrastructure/Credit Suisse • Electricity/Peaker-Plants • Acquisitions/Seagate • Contracts/Syngenta, GM Although

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blanca Giorgiana GRAMA

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The psychological contract became known as a research paradigm within corporate research, providing a broad framework which explains the employee-company relations. Despite all this, there are still many debates on the concept and a series of criticism were expressed that led to the necessity of some more rigorous theoretical and empirical analysis. The psychological contract refers to the unwritten, implicit expectations that employees have from the company and vice versa; it is that which defines the things the employee expects from the employer. Consequently, each of the parties involved in the contract may have different perceptions on these commitments and obligations. Thus the psychological contract may be regarded as an exchange relation between the employer and the employee. Breaking the psychological contract affects the performance, the morale, and the motivation of the staff in a negative manner. The information presented in this paper is intended to contribute to the theoretical and methodological development of the concept.

Stochastic modeling of financial electricity contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benth, Fred Espen; Koekebakker, Steen

2008-01-01

We discuss the modeling of electricity contracts traded in many deregulated power markets. These forward/futures type contracts deliver (either physically or financially) electricity over a specified time period, and is frequently referred to as swaps since they in effect represent an exchange of fixed for floating electricity price. We propose to use the Heath-Jarrow-Morton approach to model swap prices since the notion of a spot price is not easily defined in these markets. For general stochastic dynamical models, we connect the spot price, the instantaneous-delivery forward price and the swap price, and analyze two different ways to apply the Heath-Jarrow-Morton approach to swap pricing: Either one specifies a dynamics for the non-existing instantaneous-delivery forwards and derives the implied swap dynamics, or one models directly on the swaps. The former is shown to lead to quite complicated stochastic models for the swap price, even when the forward dynamics is simple. The latter has some theoretical problems due to a no-arbitrage condition that has to be satisfied for swaps with overlapping delivery periods. To overcome this problem, a practical modeling approach is analyzed. The market is supposed only to consist of non-overlapping swaps, and these are modelled directly. A thorough empirical study is performed using data collected from Nord Pool. Our investigations demonstrate that it is possible to state reasonable models for the swap price dynamics which is analytically tractable for risk management and option pricing purposes, however, this is an area of further research. (author)

Financial Management: Reopening of Contracts in the Mechanization of Contract Administration Services System

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Granetto, Paul

2003-01-01

.... In anticipation of transitioning to the new contract payment system, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and the Defense Contract Management Agency were attempting to close out as many contracts as possible...

Valuation of Wind Energy Projects: A Real Options Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis M. Abadie

2014-05-01

Full Text Available We address the valuation of an operating wind farm and the finite-lived option to invest in it under different reward/support schemes: a constant feed-in tariff, a premium on top of the electricity market price (either a fixed premium or a variable subsidy such as a renewable obligation certificate or ROC, and a transitory subsidy, among others. Futures contracts on electricity with ever longer maturities enable market-based valuations to be undertaken. The model considers up to three sources of uncertainty: the electricity price, the level of wind generation, and the certificate (ROC price where appropriate. When analytical solutions are lacking, we resort to a trinomial lattice combined with Monte Carlo simulation; we also use a two-dimensional binomial lattice when uncertainty in the ROC price is considered. Our data set refers to the UK. The numerical results show the impact of several factors involved in the decision to invest: the subsidy per MWh generated, the initial lump-sum subsidy, the maturity of the investment option, and electricity price volatility. Different combinations of variables can help bring forward investments in wind generation. One-off policies, e.g., a transitory initial subsidy, seem to have a stronger effect than a fixed premium per MWh produced.

Practical guide on contract of technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Chiho

1991-12-01

This book gives descriptions of practical guide on contract of technology, which deals with basic of contract like meaning, function term, singing and sealing, contract and stamp tax, common things on contract of research like keeping secret and prevention and treat of dispute, compensation for damages, notice, expiration date of contract and measurement at end of contract, contract of joint research such as meaning and necessity, note at contract, check list at contract, and return of the research product.

Concept of contracting authority

OpenAIRE

Kasiliauskaitė, Vitalija

2016-01-01

Concept of Contracting Authority Law on Public Procurement the procurement concept implies the conclusion that public procurement be declared only such purchases are carried out by the contracting authority. The contracting authorities can be a subject of state and municipal management institutes, whose assignment authority is determined by a functional approach. Also, contracting authorities may be public and legal entities, but that the public interest and operates non-commercial activities...

Service quality in contracted facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Rabbani, Fauziah; Pradhan, Nousheen Akber; Zaidi, Shehla; Azam, Syed Iqbal; Yousuf, Farheen

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the readiness of contracted and non-contracted first-level healthcare facilities in Pakistan to deliver quality maternal and neonatal health (MNH) care. A balanced scorecard (BSC) was used as the assessment framework. Using a cross-sectional study design, two rural health centers (RHCs) contracted out to Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan were compared with four government managed RHCs. A BSC was designed to assess RHC readiness to deliver good quality MNH care. In total 20 indicators were developed, representing five BSC domains: health facility functionality, service provision, staff capacity, staff and patient satisfaction. Validated data collection tools were used to collect information. Pearson χ2, Fisher's Exact and the Mann-Whitney tests were applied as appropriate to detect significant service quality differences among the two facilities. Contracted facilities were generally found to be better than non-contracted facilities in all five BSC domains. Patients' inclination for facility-based delivery at contracted facilities was, however, significantly higher than non-contracted facilities (80 percent contracted vs 43 percent non-contracted, p=0.006). The study shows that contracting out initiatives have the potential to improve MNH care. This is the first study to compare MNH service delivery quality across contracted and non-contracted facilities using BSC as the assessment framework.

Analysis of Maintenance Service Contracts for Dump Trucks Used in Mining Industry with Simulation Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Dymasius, A.; Wangsaputra, R.; Iskandar, B. P.

2016-02-01

A mining company needs high availability of dump trucks used to haul mining materials. As a result, an effective maintenance action is required to keep the dump trucks in a good condition and hence reducing failure and downtime of the dump trucks. To carry out maintenance in-house requires a high intensive maintenance facility and high skilled maintenance specialists. Often, outsourcing maintenance is an economic option for the company. An external agent takes a proactive action with offering some maintenance contract options to the owner. The decision problem for the owner is to decide the best option and for the agent is to determine the optimal price for each option offered. A non-cooperative game-theory is used to formulate the decision problems for the owner and the agent. We consider that failure pattern of each truck follows a non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) and a queueing theory with multiple servers is used to estimate the downtime. As it involves high complexity to model downtime using a queueing theory, then in this paper we use a simulation method. Furthermore, we conduct experiment to seek for the best number of maintenance facilities (servers) which minimises maintenance and penalty costs incurred to the agent.

User-oriented end-to-end transport protocols for the real-time distribution of telemetry data from NASA spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Hooke, A. J.

1979-01-01

A set of standard telemetry protocols for downlink data flow facilitating the end-to-end transport of instrument data from the spacecraft to the user in real time is proposed. The direct switching of data by autonomous message 'packets' that are assembled by the source instrument on the spacecraft is discussed. The data system consists thus of a format on a message rather than word basis, and such packet telemetry would include standardized protocol headers. Standards are being developed within the NASA End-to-End Data System (NEEDS) program for the source packet and transport frame protocols. The source packet protocol contains identification of both the sequence number of the packet as it is generated by the source and the total length of the packet, while the transport frame protocol includes a sequence count defining the serial number of the frame as it is generated by the spacecraft data system, and a field specifying any 'options' selected in the format of the frame itself.

Industrial Services Contracts

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document gives an overview of Industrial Services contracts at CERN, including the probable expenditure in 2006 and the estimated expenditure for 2007. The Finance Committee is invited: - to take note of the revised amount in 2006 for Industrial Services contracts referred to in this document of 138.02 MCHF at 2006 prices compared to the previously anticipated amount of 122.67 MCHF at 2005 prices; - to take note that the estimated amount in 2007 for the contracts referred to in this document will be 112.54 MCHF at 2006 prices; - for the reasons set out in this document, the Finance Committee is also invited to approve the requests for the contracts presented and highlighted in the Annexes.

Use of a Microprocessor to Implement an ADCCP Protocol (Federal Standard 1003).

Science.gov (United States)

1980-07-01

results of other studies, to evaluate the operational and economic impact of incorporating various options in Federal Standard 1003. The effort...the LSI interface and the microprocessor; the LSI chip deposits bytes in its buffer as the producer, and the MPU reads this data as the consumer...on the interface between the MPU and the LSI protocol chip. This requires two main processes to be running at the same time--transmit and receive. The

Rehabilitation Options

Science.gov (United States)

... Speech Pathology Occupational Therapy Art Therapy Recreational therapy Neuropsychology Home Care Options Advanced Care Planning Palliative Care ... Speech Pathology Occupational Therapy Art Therapy Recreational therapy Neuropsychology Home Care Options Advanced Care Planning Palliative Care ...

Committing to coal and gas: Long-term contracts, regulation, and fuel switching in power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Michael

Fuel switching in the electricity sector has important economic and environmental consequences. In the United States, the increased supply of gas during the last decade has led to substantial switching in the short term. Fuel switching is constrained, however, by the existing infrastructure. The power generation infrastructure, in turn, represents commitments to specific sources of energy over the long term. This dissertation explores fuel contracts as the link between short-term price response and long-term plant investments. Contracting choices enable power plant investments that are relationship-specific, often regulated, and face uncertainty. Many power plants are subject to both hold-up in investment and cost-of-service regulation. I find that capital bias is robust when considering either irreversibility or hold-up due to the uncertain arrival of an outside option. For sunk capital, the rental rate is inappropriate for determining capital bias. Instead, capital bias depends on the regulated rate of return, discount rate, and depreciation schedule. If policies such as emissions regulations increase fuel-switching flexibility, this can lead to capital bias. Cost-of-service regulation can shorten the duration of a long-term contract. From the firm's perspective, the existing literature provides limited guidance when bargaining and writing contracts for fuel procurement. I develop a stochastic programming framework to optimize long-term contracting decisions under both endogenous and exogenous sources of hold-up risk. These typically include policy changes, price shocks, availability of fuel, and volatility in derived demand. For price risks, the optimal contract duration is the moment when the expected benefits of the contract are just outweighed by the expected opportunity costs of remaining in the contract. I prove that imposing early renegotiation costs decreases contract duration. Finally, I provide an empirical approach to show how coal contracts can limit

Making contracting work better and cost less: Report of the Contract Reform Team

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-02-01

In June 1993, Secretary of Energy Hazel O`Leary formed a Contract Reform Team, chaired by Deputy Secretary Bill White, to evaluate the contracting practices of the Department of Energy and to formulate specific proposals for improving those practices. This report summarizes the results of the work of the Contract Reform Team. It recommends actions for implementation that will significantly improve the Department`s contracting practices and will enable the Department to help create a government that -- in the words of Vice President Gore -- {open_quotes}works better and costs less.{close_quotes} These actions and the deadlines for their implementation are listed. Among other things, they recommend replacing the Department`s standard Management and Operating Contract with a new Performance-Based Management Contract and strengthening the Department`s systems for selecting and managing contractors.

Contract Renewal Information - all Contracts

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Housing and Urban Development — Multifamily Portfolio datasets (section 8 contracts) - The information has been compiled from multiple data sources within FHA or its contractors. HUD oversees more...

5 CFR 870.705 - Amount and election of Option B and Option C.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Amount and election of Option B and Option C. 870.705 Section 870.705 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED... Compensationers § 870.705 Amount and election of Option B and Option C. (a) The number of multiples of Option B...

Employee contract issues for dermatologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Christopher E; Indest, George F

2013-12-01

Employees and employers routinely face negotiating and preparing physician employment contracts. It is important for both sides to know and understand the basic information on what a comprehensive employment contract for a dermatologist should contain. There are various employment contract provisions from both the employee's perspective and the employer's perspective that must be considered when preparing physician employment contracts. This article provides basic advice and recommendations on requirements that should be included in such contracts. It suggests legal pitfalls that can be avoided through various contract clauses.

Bonneville Purchasing Instructions. Appendix 14A, Contracting Officer`s Technical Representatives` Guide for Services Contracts.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1993-07-01

This guide outlines the duties of BPA personnel designated as Contracting Officers Technical Representatives (COTRs). The BPA Administrator gives contracting officers (COs) in BPA responsibility and authority for awarding and administering contracts. COs are authorized to designate other BPA employees to act as their representatives for purposes of contract administration, from the time of contract award until final receipt and acceptance of the contracted services. COTRs are the individuals primarily relied upon to perform technical contract administration functions. Similar functions for supply and construction contracts are performed by engineering representatives, construction inspectors, and inspectors. Although this Guide is written primarily with the COTR in mind, the concept and operation of teamwork is essential throughout the entire process of contract administration. The CO administers the contract during performance, but rarely has expertise in all of the relevant technical areas. Therefore, CO decisions rely on input from a team. The COTR is an indispensable member of that team. The instructions in this Guide are designed to facilitate this essential CO-COTR cooperation. COTR duties are usually additional to those required of the COTR in his or her assigned line organization. The COTR is still accountable to the line supervisor for performance of regularly-assigned duties. These duties are to be reflected appropriately in performance appraisals and job descriptions. For contract administration duties, however, the COTR reports directly to, and is accountable only to, the CO. The COTR`s supervisor must allow sufficient time to ensure that the COTR can adequately monitor the contract for technical compliance. This Guide is designed for COTRs who are performing service contract (including intergovernmental contract) administration functions as an adjunct to their normal technical duties.

Acetyl group availability influences phosphocreatine degradation even during intense muscle contraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmons, James A; Constantin-Teodosiu, Dumitru; Poucher, Simon M; Greenhaff, Paul L

2004-12-15

We previously established that activation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) using dichloroacetate (DCA) reduced the reliance on substrate-level phosphorylation (SLP) at the onset of exercise, with normal and reduced blood flow. PDC activation also reduced fatigue development during contraction with reduced blood flow. Since these observations, several studies have re-evaluated our observations. One study demonstrated a performance benefit without a reduction in SLP, raising a question mark over PDC's role in the regulation of ATP regeneration and our interpretation of fatigue mechanisms. Using a model of muscle contraction similar to the conflicting study (i.e. tetanic rather than twitch stimulation), we re-examined this question. Using canine skeletal muscle, one group was infused with saline while the other was pretreated with 300 mg (kg body mass)(-1) DCA. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest, peak tension (1 min) and after 6 min of tetanic electrical stimulation (75 ms on-925 ms off per second) and blood flow was limited to 25% of normal values observed during contraction. DCA reduced phosphocreatine (PCr) degradation by 40% during the first minute of contraction, but did not prevent the almost complete depletion of PCr stores at 6 min, while muscle fatigue did not differ between the two groups. During intermittent tetanic stimulation PCr degradation was 75% greater than with our previous 3 Hz twitch contraction protocol, despite a similar rate of oxygen consumption at 6 min. Thus, in the present study enhanced acetyl group availability altered the time course of PCr utilization but did not prevent the decline towards depletion. Consistent with our earlier conclusions, DCA pretreatment reduces muscle fatigue only when SLP is attenuated. The present study and our met-analysis indicates that enhanced acetyl group availability results in a readily measurable reduction in SLP when the initial rate of PCr utilization is approximately 1 mmol (kg dry mass)(-1

Other enrichment related contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, J.C.

1978-01-01

In addition to long-term enrichment contracts, DOE has other types of contracts: (1) short-term, fixed-commitment enrichment contract; (2) emergency sales agreement for enriched uranium; (3) feed material lease agreement; (4) enriched uranium storage agreement; and (5) feed material usage agreement

Market completeness. How options affect hedging and investments in the electricity sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willems, Bert; Morbee, Joris

2010-01-01

The high volatility of electricity markets gives producers and retailers an incentive to hedge their exposure to electricity prices by buying and selling derivatives. This paper studies how welfare and investment incentives are affected when an increasing number of derivatives are introduced. It develops an equilibrium model of the electricity market with risk averse firms and a set of traded financial products, more specifically: a forward contract and an increasing number of options. We first show that aggregate welfare (the sum of individual firms' utility) increases with the number of derivatives offered, although most of the benefits are captured with one to three options. Secondly, power plant investments typically increase because additional derivatives enable better hedging of investments. However, the availability of derivatives sometimes leads to 'crowding-out' of physical investments because firms' limited risk-taking capabilities are being used to speculate on financial markets. Finally, we illustrate that players basing their investment decisions on risk-free probabilities inferred from market prices, may significantly overinvest when markets are not sufficiently complete. (author)

48 CFR 1316.406 - Contract clauses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contract clauses. 1316.406 Section 1316.406 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES TYPES OF CONTRACTS Incentive Contracts 1316.406 Contract clauses. Insert a clause...

48 CFR 716.406 - Contract clauses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01