Term life insurance News

Casualty insurance policies are written to cover losses that are the direct result of an unforeseen accident(s). It may include Auto liability insurance for car accidents, Marine insurance for shipwrecks or losses at sea, and etc. Life, health and property insurance are typically excluded from the definition. Loosely used to describe an area of insurance not particularly or directly concerned with life insurance, fire insurance or automobile insurance. Most frequently it refers to liability, crime and plate glass insurance but may include surety as well.

Segments

It also includes other insurance coverages such as:

• liability insurance
• political risk insurance
• terrorism insurance
• fidelity and surety bonds.
• earthquake
• cyber liability

See also

• Property insurance
• List of finance topics (Insurance)

A propelling nozzle is a component of a jet engine that is part of the tailpipe and operates to ensure that the exhaust gas’s energy is maximised in the reaction throughout the engine so that the maximum thrust is achieved.

On non-afterburning engines the nozzle is a fixed size because the differing atmospheric pressure over the operating altitudes makes little difference to the engine aerodynamics and variable nozzle use is expensive. However the great range of mass flow rates an afterburning engine generates requires the use of variable nozzle diameters and shapes. Depending on the amount of afterburning, the variable nozzle may be simple or complex.

Engines capable of supersonic flight have convergent-divergent duct features that generate supersonic flow.

Engines that are required to generate thrust quickly, from idle, use a variable area propelling nozzle in its open configuration to keep thrust to a minimum while maintaining high engine rpm. When thrust is needed, initiating a go-around for example, it is simple and quick to close the nozzle to the high-thrust position.

See also

• De Laval nozzle
• Rocket engine nozzles

Boiler insurance is a type of property insurance that pays accidental losses to machinery and equipment. Although it is called boiler insurance it can actually cover just about any device that uses, transmits or generates mechanical or electrical power; of course certain exclusions apply.

Standard property insurance policies normally exclude coverage for losses caused by mechanical breakdown, artificially generated electrical current, and explosions of high pressure steam boilers. Boiler insurance provides a way to buy coverage for those types of losses.

Boiler insurance can cover:

• specific objects - “A specific boiler identified by year and/or serial number”
• blanket objects - “blanket all electric motors”
• comprehensive - “all objects unless specifically excluded”

In the United States, companies providing boiler insurance will generally perform jurisdictionally required boiler inspections as a “free service” and require a passing inspection as a condition of coverage. Twenty percent of a Boiler and Machinery policy is dedicated to boiler inspection.

Boiler insurance may alternatively be referred to as “equipment breakdown insurance”, “machinery and equipment insurance” or any other such name.

The Ucluelet Aquarium is a seasonal public aquarium in Ucluelet, a village on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The aquarium exhibits marine animal and plant life native to the west coast. All of the exhibits have been collected from the nearby Pacific Ocean and released once the summer season is over. After a two year pilot project phase concluded in September 2005, enough support was gained for a permanent aquarium. The permanent facility is set to open in summer 2007 or 2008.

External links

• Aquarium website

A cutaway, in the industrial sense, refers to the display of a manufactured product, (an engine, a pump, a regulator, etc. . .) where a portion of the exterior housing has been removed to reveal the internal components, (pistons, bearings, seals, etc. . .) and their relationship to the functionality of the product. To see examples of various product cutaways, you can visit the websites of cutaway specialty companies, such as CalCo Cutaways.

Cutaways are typically used in product training, trade show environments, museum displays and for many additional applications. Cutaways are produced using a variety of methods by the manufacturer, by a cutaway service company, as mentioned above, or by an experienced machine shop.

While 3D modeling and CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) programs continue to improve and bring us more features and benefits, the cutaway will continue to show the product as it appears in the real world, using actual parts and components to show relationships and functionality.

Pacific Life Insurance Company provides life insurance products, annuities, and mutual funds, and offers to individuals, businesses, and pension plans a variety of investment products and services. A Fortune 500 company, Pacific Life counts more than half of the 50 largest U.S. companies as clients. It is also a member of the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), whose membership promotes high ethical standards for the sale of individual life insurance and annuities.

A liquidity constraint in economic theory is a form of imperfection in the capital market. It causes difficulties for models based on intertemporal consumption.

Many economic models require individuals to save or borrow money from time to time.

A liquidity constraint is an arbitrary limit on the amount an individual can borrow, or an arbitrary alteration in the interest rate they pay. By raising the costs of borrowing, they prevent individuals from fully optimising their behaviour over time.

Actually existing liquidity constraints are mainly due to risk-based behaviour by lenders such as banks.

Mortgage lending is the cheapest way of an individual borrowing money, but is only available to people with enough savings to buy property. Because the loan is secured on a house or other property, it is only accessible to particular individuals (those who have enough savings to put down a deposit).
Other forms of credit, like unsecured loans, credit cards and loan sharks, have progressively higher interest rates, and are used more by poorer people.

The Young Ottomans (Turkish: Yeni Osmanlilar) were a group of Ottoman nationalist intellectuals formed in 1865, influenced by such Western thinkers as Montesquieu and Rousseau and the French Revolution. They developed the concept of Ottomanism, aligned with these thinkers. They advocated a constitutional, parliamentary government.

The Young Ottomans were bureaucrats resulting from the Tanzimat reforms who were unsatisfied with its bureaucratic absolutism and sought a more democratic solution.

The failure of the “Young Ottoman” policies (Ottomanism) in reverting the path to Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the thinkers under Ottoman Empire searched other means. One of these groups was Young Turks, which pull the empire to Second Constitutional Era (Ottoman Empire) and then to WWI, with the policies developed under Three Pashas.

See also

• Young Turks

Target rate of return pricing is a pricing method used almost exclusively by market leaders or monopolists. You start with a rate of return objective, like 5% of invested capital, or 10% of sales revenue. Then you arrange your price structure so as to achieve these target rates of return.

For example, assume a firm invests $100 million in order to produce and market designer snowflakes, and they estimate that with demand for designer snowflakes being what it is, they can sell 2 million flakes per year. Further, from preliminary production data they know that at that level of output their average total cost (ATC) is $50 per flake. Total annual costs would be $100 million (2 million units at $50 each). Next, management decides they want a 20% return on investment (ROI). That works out to be $20 million (20% of a $100 million investment). Profit margin will need to be $10 dollars per flake ($20 million return over 2 million units). So the price must be set at $60 per designer flake ($50 costs plus $10 profit margin). Similar calculations will determine price based on rate of return to sales revenue.

An unusual consequence of this pricing model is that to keep the target rate of return constant, the firm will have to continuously be changing its price as the level of demand changes. This can be seen in the diagram below. Based on market demand expectations, the firm estimates it will be operating at 70% capacity. Given its production function and cost structure, it knows its average total costs at that output level will be represented as point A . If its predetermined rate of return requirement is amount A, B, then it will set its price at P*. Because profit is equal to (P-ATC)*Q, then their total profit will be defined by area P*, B, A, P70%.

Rate of Return Pricing with Changes in Demand

If demand increases such that the firm is now operating at 90% capacity and facing a reduced average total cost of C, then margin will increase to C,D and profit will be P*,D,C,P90%. If demand were to decrease so the firm was operating at 40% capacity, margins would be reduced to E,F and the firm would have to increase prices to maintain their desired margin. This is a questionable decision. It is seldom a good strategy to increase prices in the face of falling demand. The net result is usually further reductions in demand. That explains why this strategy is used only by market leaders and monopolists.

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd. (三井住友海上火災保険株式会社, Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijō Kasai Hoken Kabushiki-Gaisha) is a Japanese insurance company. It is a member of the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group.

History

The company was formed in 2000 as a result of the equal-partner merger of The Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. and Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

External links

• Company website (in Japanese)
• Company website (in English)

Apart from the 42 Polytechnics in the state of West Bengal, India, Polytechnic Institute at Narsingarh in the state of Tripura, India is also affiliated to the West Bengal State Council of Technical Education. The Council has also been entrusted with the responsibilities for conduct of Short Term Vocational Training Programme in different centres and affiliate institutes offering Vocational Courses. The Polytechnics offers 3 year Diploma courses in Engineering / Technology (Pharmacy - 2 year and Marine Engineering - 4 year) along with 1½ year Post Diploma Courses and 4 year Part-time Evening Diploma Courses. Admission to all Polytechnics is conducted through the Joint Entrance Exam.

External links

• http://wbtet.nic.in/

The Great Bison Belt is a tract of rich grassland that ran from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico around 9000 B.C.E. The Great Bison Belt was supported by spring and early summer rainfall that allowed short grasses to grow. These grasses retain their moisture at the roots which allowed for grazing ungulates such as bison to find high-quality nutritious food in autumn. These grasses are what allowed the bison population to thrive, as they were able to receive all of their nutrients from the short grasses, unlike other Ice Age animals which expanded in the postglacial period. This area was important to the Plains Paleo-Indians, who around 8500 B.C.E. turned to bison hunting instead of hunting a broader range of food.

References

Fagan, Brian. 2005. Ancient North America. Thames & Hudson, Ltd.: London

In the shacharit service, the short yishtabach (ישתבח) prayer is the final portion of the Pesukei D’Zimrah (”verses of praise”), recited before the second kaddish leading to the Shema. The theme of fifteen plays a pivotal role in the blessing; there are fifteen expressions conveying praise in the beginning half of the paragraph and fifteen words after the concluding ‘ברוך אתה ה. The number fifteen is an allusion both to the Divine Name יה (with a Gematria of fifteen) and to the fifteen Song of Ascents composed by King David.

In business, a white knight may be a corporation, a private company, or a person that intends to help another firm. There are many types of white knights. Alternatively, a gray knight is an acquiring company that enters a bid for a hostile takeover in addition to the target firm and first bidder, perceived as more favorable than the black knight (unfriendly bidder), but less favorable than the white knight (friendly bidder).

The first type refers to the friendly acquirer of a target firm in a hostile takeover attempt by another firm. The intention of the acquisition is to circumvent the takeover of the object of interest by a third, unfriendly entity, which is perceived to be less favorable. The knight might defeat the undesirable entity by offering a higher and more enticing bid, or strike a favorable deal with the management of the object of acquisition.

In short, if Company T (target) is going to be acquired by Company H (hostile firm), but Company A (acquirer) can acquire ownership of Company T, then Company A would be acting as the white knight.

The second type refers to the acquirer of a struggling firm that may not necessarily be under threat by a hostile firm. The financial standing of the struggling firm could prevent any other entity being interested in an acquisition. The firm may already have huge debts to pay to its creditors, or worse, may already be bankrupt. In such a case, the knight, under huge risk, acquires the firm that is in crisis. After acquisition, the knight then rebuilds the firm, or integrates it into itself.

White Squire

A white squire is similar to a white knight, except that it only exercises a significant minority stake, as opposed to a majority stake. A white squire doesn’t have the intent to take over a company, but rather serves as a figurehead to a defense to a hostile takeover. The white squire may often also get special voting rights for their equity stake. An example of a white squire might be Warren Buffett.

Examples of white knights

• 1953 - United Paramount Theaters buys nearly bankrupt ABC
• 1982 - Allied Corporation buys Bendix Corporation in a situation involving the “Pac-Man defense”. Allied is drafted in when the company that Bendix tries a hostile takeover on fights back by buying up Bendix stock in attempt to create a reverse hostile takeover.
• 1986 - George Soros’s Harken Energy buying George W. Bush’s Spectrum 7
• 1998 - Compaq merging with financially weak DEC
• 2001 - Dynegy attempts to merge with Enron to cover Enron’s massive debts (the merger failed as it became obvious that Enron had been committing fraud, resulting in the Enron scandal.)
• 2003 - SAP was seen by analysts as the most likely to help defeat Oracle’s hostile for PeopleSoft, however it came to nothing.
• 2006 - Severstal almost acted as a white knight to Arcelor as the merger negotiations were in place between Arcelor and Mittal Steel
• 2007 - Nissin launching a friendly 37bn yen ($314m; £166m) bid for Myojo Foods after US hedge fund Steel Partners offered 29bn yen to buy the firm.Cup Noodle white knight ups bid

References

See also

• Economics
• Takeover
• Microeconomics
• Industrial organization

Bibster is a Java-based system which assists researchers in managing, searching, and sharing bibliographic metadata (e.g. from BibTeX files) in a peer-to-peer network.

The advantage of the system is it provides the possibility to search on a distributed peer-to-peer network using Semantic Web technologies. It provides an easy way to share data with other researchers.

Objectives

In the everyday life of researchers, one has to search for publications or their correct bibliographic metadata. Currently, people search with engines like Google and CiteSeer, via university libraries. Another method is by simply asking other people that are likely to know how to obtain the desired information.

At the moment bibliographic data has to be handled manually and as a result it is not always possible to have an overview over these data masses. It is a time consuming business to search for special topics or publications, be it locally or on several bibliographic databases.

Bibster targets a decentralized knowledge sharing environment that allows researchers to

• easily share bibliographic data
• save work in trying to finding this data
• avoid re-typing this data by hand

Bibster builds on the fact that many researchers keep lists of bibliographic data that they must laboriously maintain manually, for which they do not have an easy overview and that has varying data quality. At the same time many researchers are willing to share these resources if they do not have to invest work in doing so.

A centralized solution does not exist – and in this case cannot exist. The generation and usage of bibliographic data seems to be determined to a great extent by the overlapping user communities that already exist and there is no resource that covers all communities.

Bibster provides capabilities to search and to share bibliographic data using peer-to-peer technologies. The Bibster client on its own (e.g. disconnected from the P2P network) provides added value to users via overview and search facilities of local bibliography data. Bibster users do not need to invest further work beyond installing the system.

See also

• Semantic Web
• JXTA

External links

• Official web site

A kicker, also called a side card, is a card in a poker hand that does not itself take part in determining the rank of the hand, but that may be used to break ties between hands of the same rank. For example, the hand Q-Q-10-5-2 is ranked as a pair of queens. The 10, 5, and 2 are kickers. This hand would defeat any hand with no pair, or with a lower-ranking pair, and lose to any higher-ranking hand. But the kickers can be used to break ties between other hands that also have a pair of queens. For example, Q-Q-K-3-2 would win (because its K kicker outranks the 10), but Q-Q-10-4-3 would lose (because its 4 is outranked by the 5).

Kickers in Draw Poker

The term is also used in draw poker to denote an unmatched card (often an ace) retained by a player during the draw in the hope that either it will be paired on the draw, or else play as a kicker (in the first sense) on the showdown. A kicker may also be retained in order to deceive an opponent, for example, to represent a three-of-a-kind when the player has only a pair.

Kickers in Texas hold ‘em

Kickers take on special importance in Texas hold ‘em, because a common winning hand is one card in a player’s hand matched with a card on the board, while the player’s second card acts as a kicker. For example, if one player holds A-Q, a second player holds A-10, and the board is
A-J-8-5-3, the player with the Q kicker wins because A-A-Q-J-8 defeats A-A-J-10-8. If the board, however, were A-K-5-9-5, the players would tie, because both would play the hand A-A-5-5-K; in this case it is said that the players’ kickers “don’t play”, or that the “kicker on the board plays”. In this case, there would be a split pot.

The Griffin Book is a listing of known or suspected gambling cheaters and advantage players published by Griffin Investigations, a firm that monitors casinos. Those listed may be anyone perceived as a threat to the casino’s profits, including card counters, people who mark cards and those who try to cheat slot machines. The book keeps pictures either obtained from a photo of the individual when caught or from surveillance photos.

See also

• Black Book

In measurement and statistics, disattenuation of a correlation between two sets of parameters or measures is the estimation of the correlation in a manner that accounts for measurement error contained within the estimates of those parameters.

Background

Correlations between parameters are diluted or weakened by measurement error. Disattenuation provides for a more accurate estimate of the correlation between the parameters by accounting for this effect.

Let <math>\beta_n</math> and <math>\theta_n</math> be the measures of two attributes of person n and let <math>\hat{\beta_n}</math> be a maximum likelihood estimate of <math>\beta_n</math> derived from application of a measurement model, such as the Rasch model. Also, let:

<math>

\hat{\beta_n} = \beta_n + \epsilon_n
</math>

where <math>\epsilon_n</math> is the measurement error associated with the estimate <math>\hat{\beta_n}</math>, as per Fisher information theory. Specifically, the variance of the maximum likelihood estimate of a person parameter is given by the negative of the reciprocal of the second derivative of the log-likelihood function with respect to the parameter. The person parameter represents the theoretical measure of the person for the relevant attribute or trait.

Derivation of the formula

The correlation between two sets of estimates is

<math>

\mbox{corr}(\hat{\beta_n},\hat{\theta_n})= \frac{\mbox{cov}(\hat{\beta_n},\hat{\theta_n})}{\sqrt{\mbox{var}[\hat{\beta}]\mbox{var}[\hat{\theta}}]}
</math>

<math>

=\frac{\mbox{cov}(\beta_n+\epsilon_1 , \theta_n+\epsilon_2)}{\sqrt{\mbox{var}[\beta_n+\epsilon_1]\mbox{var}[\theta_n+\epsilon_2]}},
</math>

which, assuming the errors are uncorrelated with each other and with the estimates, gives

<math>

\mbox{corr}(\hat{\beta_n},\hat{\theta_n})= \frac{\mbox{cov}(\beta_n,\theta_n)}{\sqrt{(\mbox{var}[\beta_n]+\mbox{var}[\epsilon_1])(\mbox{var}[\theta_n]+\mbox{var}[\epsilon_2])}}
</math>

<math>

=\frac{\mbox{cov}(\beta_n,\theta_n)}{\sqrt{(\mbox{var}[\beta_n]\mbox{var}[\theta_n])}}.\frac{\sqrt{\mbox{var}[\beta]\mbox{var}[\theta]}}{\sqrt{(\mbox{var}[\beta_n]+\mbox{var}[\epsilon_1])(\mbox{var}[\theta_n]+\mbox{var}[\epsilon_2])}}
</math>

<math>

=\rho \sqrt{R_\beta R_\theta},
</math>

where <math>R_\beta</math> is the separation index of the set of estimates of <math>\beta_n</math> , <math>n = 1,…,N</math>, which is analogous to Cronbach’s alpha; this is, in terms of Classical test theory, <math>R_\beta</math> is analogous to a reliability coefficient. Specifically, the separation index is given as follows:

<math>

R_\beta=\frac{\mbox{var}[\beta]}{\mbox{var}[\beta]+\mbox{var}[\epsilon_1]}=\frac{\mbox{var}[\hat{\beta}]-\mbox{var}[\epsilon_1]}{\mbox{var}[\hat{\beta}]},
</math>

where the mean squared standard error of person estimate gives an estimate of the variance of the errors, <math>\epsilon_n</math>, across persons. The standard errors are normally produced as a by-product of the estimation process (see Rasch model estimation).

The disattenuated estimate of the correlation between two sets of parameters or measures is therefore

<math>

\rho = \frac{\mbox{corr}(\hat{\beta_n},\hat{\theta_n})}{\sqrt{R_\beta R_\theta}}.
</math>

That is, the disattenuated correlation is obtained by dividing the correlation between the estimates by the square root of the product of the separation indices of the two sets of estimates. Expressed in terms of Classical test theory, the correlation is divided by the square root of the product of the reliability coefficients of two tests.

See also

• Regression dilution

External links

• Disattenuating correlations

• Disattenuation of correlation and regression coefficients: Jason W. Osborne

Endowment Insurance is one type of permanent life insurance. It is designed to pay out the death benefit when the insured dies during the term of the policy or survives at the end of the policy term. It combines insurance protection with a savings plan for the policy-owner. Endowment Policies usually have a fixed maturity date. Typical maturities are ten, fifteen, twenty years up to a certain age limit.

The term replacement cost or replacement value refers to the amount that an entity would have to pay, at the present time, to replace any one of its assets.

In the insurance industry, “replacement cost” is a method of computing the value of an item insured. Replacement cost is not market value, but is instead the cost to replace an item or structure at its pre-loss condition.

See also

• Actual cash value
• holding gains

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management is one of the three graduate schools of Brandeis University.

The School was founded in 1959 as the University’s first professional school. The Heller school offers the degrees of M.A. in Sustainable International Development, M.S. in International Health Policy, M.B.A. in Mission-Driven Management, M.P.P. in Social Policy, and Ph.D. in Social Policy with different focuses. The majority of the student body are international students.

External link

• Official Web Site

Dissaving is negative saving. If spending is greater than income, dissaving is taking place. This spending is financed by already accumulated savings. In the situation of a household, the money can come from personal savings such as money in a savings account, or it can be borrowed.

See also

• Debt
• Autonomous consumption

In insurance, the term Mid Term Adjustment (or just MTA) refers to a change to an insurance policy.

The change to the policy may cause a change in the premium: an increase is often called AP (for additional premium) whereas a decrease is often called RP (reduction in premium).

An additional transaction may also be payable to cover e.g. costs for revised insurance documents. Some insurers also use this fee to discourage changes, although few are willing to admit this openly.

A cancellation is often treated as a special-case MTA, where the cover gets decreased to zero. Such transactions may attract special fees too.

Wigan was a rural district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. It consisted of six parishes near Wigan - Dalton, Haigh, Parbold, Shevington, Worthington and Wrightington.

It was created by the Local Government Act 1894, and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. Its territory was split between the new districts of Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, and West Lancashire, with the parishes of Haigh, Shevington, and Worthington going to the former, and the others going to the latter.

References

• http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10027044&c_id=10001043
• The English Non-metropolitan Districts Order 1972

Half-breed is a term used to describe anyone who is half of one race and half of another. The term was once widely used to describe people of mixed Native American (especially North American) and white European parentage. The term is considered an impolite and offensive slur by many, though the term “mutt” is considered much more offensive for it is referring to them as a dog.

See

also

• Half-caste
• Blood purity (Harry Potter)
• Mixed Race Day
• Half-Breeds

Murhu block is one of the twenty administrative blocks of Ranchi district, Jharkhand state, India.

List of villages under Murhu Block

• Kitahatu
• Pirihatu
• Eteke
• Rugripiri
• Burju

For Gold Based Internet Currency (GBIC), see digital gold currency

A gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a standard for transceivers, commonly used with Gigabit Ethernet and fibre channel. By offering a standard, hot swappable electrical interface, one gigabit ethernet port can support a wide range of physical media, from copper to long-wave single-mode optical fiber, at lengths of hundreds of kilometers.

The appeal of the GBIC standard in networking equipment, as opposed to fixed physical interface configurations, is its flexibility. Where multiple different optical technologies are in use, an administrator can purchase GBICs as needed, not in advance, and they can be the specific type needed for each link. This lowers the cost of the base system and gives the administrator far more flexibility. On the other hand if it is known that a switch will mostly have one port type (especially if that port type is copper) purchasing a switch with that port type built in will probably be cheaper and take up less space per port.

The GBIC standard is non-proprietary and is defined by the SFF Committee in document # SFF-8053.

See also: 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, 1000BASE-CX

External links

• Finisar GBIC data sheet

See also

• SFP
• XFP

KELA, or Kansaneläkelaitos (in Finnish), also FPA or Folkpensionsanstalten (in Swedish) Social Insurance Institute (SII in English), is a Finnish government agency in charge of payment for the national social security programs. It was founded in 1937 to handle retirement pay, but in the 1980s and 1990s its role was expanded to handle other fields like child benefits, unemployment benefits, sickness benefits and health insurance.

Despite the use of the word “insurance” in the English translation, KELA is funded directly from taxation, not from insurance premiums. Coverage under the scheme is given to all permanent residents of Finland.

External link

• [1] - Official site
  

In plants, the transpiration stream is the uninterrupted stream of water which is taken up by the roots and, via the xylem vessels, transported to the leaves where it will eventually evaporate at the air/apoplast-interface of the substomatal cavity. It is driven in part by root pressure and capillary action. However, the most important cause is the difference in water potential between the soil and the substomatal cavity. This difference occurs as a result of transpiration, which in turn can be regulated through stomatal closure or opening. It allows for plants to efficiently transport water up to their highest body organs, regulate the temperature of stem and leaves during heat-generating photosynthesis and it allows for upstream signalling such as the dispersal of an apoplastic alkalinization during local oxidative stress.

References

• Felle HH, Herrmann A, Hückelhoven R, Kogel K-H (2005) Root-to-shoot signalling: apoplastic alkalinization, a general stress response and defence factor in barley (Hordeum vulgare). Protoplasma 227, 17 - 24.
• Salibury F, Ross C (1991) Plant Physiology. Brooks Cole, pp 682, ISBN 0-534-15162-0.

Nissan Mutual Life Insurance Company (日産生命保険相互会社) was a Japanese company that went bankrupt on April 25, 1997. It was the first time since the postwar period that a life insurer went bankrupt.

Aoba Life Insurance took over all its insurance contracts in October 1997. Aoba was a company established in June by the Life Insurance Association of Japan, the trustee appointed by the Ministry of Finance to handle the assets and liabilities of Nissan Mutual Life Insurance. On November 30, 1999 Aoba was sold to Artemis, a French holding controlled by Francois Pinault.

See also

• economy of Japan
• Japan
• list of Japanese companies

The GMC B-Series was a class 7, medium duty chassis-cowl produced by General Motors (GM) for the school bus industry. While GM was responsible for only the design, production, and engineering of the truck chassis itself, a variety of body manufacturers were responsible to design, fabricate, and install school bus bodies upon it.

Engineering history

For the vast majority of the B-series’ life span, GM’s medium duty conventional trucks were based heavily upon the design of their full-sized pickup trucks. While the chassis underneath would be completely different from a typical pickup, a vast majority of the cab and outer body would be carry-over. The B-series, as a result, closely resembled GM’s pickup trucks from the 1950s, up until the mid-1960s.

In 1966, while Chevrolet continued to manufacture the B-Series on a medium duty design based upon their full-sized pickups, GMC moved their B-Series truck to the H/J series line. This design of truck would also spawn the GMC Brigadier and Chevrolet Bruin in 1978. The entire front fascia was fabricated out of steel, and featured butterfly-access panels for servicing. This generation of B-Series offered GMC’s gasoline V-6, diesel V-6, and gasoline inline-6 engines.

When GMC’s medium duty line moved back from the H/J line to a modified variant of their full-sized pickup truck in 1969, so too did the B-Series, albeit in 1971. The only external change to the chassis was a different front clip, which also mandated a different dashboard design. Engine options consisted of the 5.7L, 6.0L, and 7.0L gasoline V8. Later, the Detroit Diesel 8.2L V8 was offered, as well as a turbocharged variant. Transmissions were almost always 4 or 5 speed manuals, although the Allison AT545 4-speed automatic transmission was also offered.

While this series of medium duty trucks were superseded in 1973, the B-series continued to be based upon the previous generation of medium duty conventionals. In fact, this continued to be the case until 1984, when GM finally updated the B-Series to match. Little, if any, change occurred to the powertrain options for this generation.

In 1992, the GMT 530 chassis was adapted to become the next-generation B-Series. This chassis was introduced in 1989 under the GMC TopKick and Chevrolet Kodiak names.

However, in a move that crippled GM’s marketshare of the schoolbus market, GM signed an exclusive agreement with BlueBird, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Bluebird would be the only body manufacturer allowed to build on the new B-Series chassis, and would also be responsible for all distribution and service. The resulting model was named the CV200, and while the GM B-7 chassis was standard, Navistar-International or Freightliner chassis were optional.

Both gasoline and diesel engines were offered on this generation of B-Series. A 6.0L V8 gasoline engine was offered, allowing potential LPG or CNG conversion. Caterpillar 3116 turbocharged six-cylinder diesels were offered as well. Transmissions were always Allison automatics.

When GM replaced the GMT 530 series of medium duty conventionals with the GMT 560 series in 2003, no replacement for the B-Series was offered. GM has, however, offered cutaway cabs on their Class 4 and Class 5 models, allowing for body builders to add bus bodies in the same manner (and design) as they would on the full-size van cutaways.

While rumours circulate that GM is interested in re-entering the Class 7 bus chassis market, no product has materialized to date.

Mutual insurance is a type of insurance where those protected by the insurance (policyholders) also have certain “ownership” rights in the organization. These “ownership” rights typically consist of the ability to elect the management of the organization and to participate in a distribution of any net assets or surplus should the organization cease doing business. Historically, insurance began in the USA through a mutual (or cooperative) structure. Recently, some insurance companies have gone through demutualization and become public companies in an effort, among other things, to improve their ability to acquire capital.

The global cooperative union for the industry, the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation, claims 142 members in 70 countries, in turn representing 400 insurers.ICMIF: Members list. Retrieved on December 11, 2006.

List of mutual insurance companies

Japan

• Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Company
• The Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company
• Nippon Life Insurance Company
• Sumitomo Life Insurance Company

United States

• American Family Insurance
• Amica
• Boston Mutual
• CUNA Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Guardian Life
• Illinois Mutual
• Liberty Mutual
• Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Mutual of America
• Mutual of Omaha
• Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• New York Life
• North Carolina Mutual
• Northwestern Mutual Life
• Penn Mutual Life
• Physicians Mutual
• SBLI USA Mutual Life
• Security Mutual of NY
• Sentry Insurance
• Shelter Insurance
• State Farm Insurance
• Western & Southern

United Kingdom

• The Equitable Life Assurance Society
• NFU Mutual
• Royal London Mutual Insurance
• engage Mutual Assurance

List of demutualized insurance companies

Japan

• Daido Life Insurance Company
• The Kyoei Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd.
• Mitsui Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
• Taiyo Life Insurance Company
• Yamato Life Insurance Company

South Africa

• Old Mutual

United Kingdom

• Friends Provident
• Scottish Widows
• Standard Life

United States

• John Hancock Mutual Life
• Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
• MONY (was Mutual of New York)
• Principal Financial Group
• Prudential Insurance

List of defunct mutual insurance companies

Japan

• Chiyoda Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Daihyaku Life Insurance Company
• Daiichi Mutual Fire & Marine Insurance Company
• Nissan Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Toho Mutual Life Insurance company
• Tokyo Mutual Life Insurance Company

References

External links

• ICMIF – International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation
• Reorganization Status of Mutual Life Insurance Companies (USA)

Face value is the value of a coin, stamp or paper money, as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the minting authority. While the face value usually refers to the true value of the coin, stamp or bill in question (as with circulation coins) it can sometimes be largely symbolic, as is often the case with bullion coins. For example, a one troy ounce (31 g) American Gold Eagle bullion coin is worth and sells for about $670 USD at current market prices (as of July 17, 2006) and yet has a face value of only $50 USD.

The face value of bonds usually represents the principal or redemption value. Interest payments are expressed as a percentage of face value. Before maturity, the actual value of a bond may be greater or less than face value, depending on the interest rate payable and the perceived risk of default. As bonds approach maturity, actual value approaches face value.

In the case of stock certificates, face value is the par value of the stock. In the case of common stock, par value is largely symbolic. In the case of preferred stock, dividends may be expressed as a percentage of par value.

The face value of a life insurance policy is the death benefit. In the case of so-called "double indemnity" life insurance policies, the beneficiary receives double the face value in case of accidental death.

The face value of property, casualty or health insurance policies is the maximum amount payable, as stated on the policy’s face or declarations page.

Face value can be used to refer to the apparent value of something other than a financial instrument, such as a concept or plan. In this context, “face value” refers to the apparent merits of the idea, before the concept or plan has been tested.

Taking someone at face value is assuming another person’s suggestion, offer, or proposal is sincere, rather than a bargaining ploy. As an example, a professional athlete may demand of team management, “Play me or trade me.” In many cases, the athlete simply feels unappreciated, and small signs of appreciation, ranging from praise to a modest raise, will make him happy again. If the team management takes his demand at face value, they believe that the player truly wants to spend less time on the bench, and if they aren’t in a position to use him more, they may trade him to a team that can.

See also

• Melt value
• Par value (finance)

In telecommunication, performance measurement period is the period during which performance parameters are measured.

A performance measurement period is determined by required confidence limits and may vary as a function of the observed parameter values. User time is divided into consecutive performance measurement periods to enable measurement of user information transfer reliability.

A deposit premium is a type of insurance premium where the insured deposits money with the insurer to obtain perpetual insurance against the risk of a loss. Deposit premiums are unique from regular insurance premiums, because they are refundable should either the insured or the insurer chose to terminate the perpetual insurance.

Mamba is a hypercoaster at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1998, it is often compared to its sister roller coasters Steel Force at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and Wild Thing at Valleyfair!.

Ride Elements

• 205 foot 1st hill
• 184 foot 2nd hill
• 580° helix at speeds over 60 mph
• 5 Camelback hills
• Rare “double-up” bump

Records

• 4th longest steel roller coaster in North America (tied with Steel Force)
• 7th longest overall roller coaster in North America (tied with Steel Force)
• 9th longest steel roller coaster in the world (tied with Steel Force)
• 11th fastest overall roller coaster in North America (tied with Steel Force and Storm Runner)

Awards

External links

• World’s of Fun page for Mamba
• Mamba at the Roller Coaster DataBase

Juvenile may refer to:

• A juvenile (organism) is an individual organism after birth (hatching, germination, etc.), but has not yet reached its adult form, maturity or size.
• juvenile (law), a legal term referring to a minor
• Juvenile fiction, a term referring to children’s literature. The term juvenile is considered obsolete by many, who prefer the term Young adult literature
• Juvenile (rapper), a rap artist.
• Juvenile (film), a Japanese science-fiction movie directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
• “The Juvenile”, a song by Jonas “Joker” Berggren.

The master-feeder structure allows asset managers to capture the efficiencies of larger pools of assets, see economies of scale although fashioning investment funds to separate market niches.

One or more investment vehicles pool their portfolio within another vehicle — i.e. there are several smaller feeders and one master to which they contribute.

Sometimes, especially when the feeders are hedge funds, this is a way of complying with the distinct legal systems of distinct jurisdictions. In other words, there will be an onshore feeder and an offshore feeder to the same master portfolio.

This is also sometimes called the hub and spoke structure.

Tax Concerns

For a U.S. taxable invester, the ownership of shares in what is known as a “passive foreign investment company” or PFIC can prove a very expensive proposition. The offshore feeder fund will almost always meet the definition of a PFIC, but the master fund will not, so the transaction is set up so that the master fund is a partnership for U.S. tax purposes, which makes it an effective insulation between the US based investor and that PFIC feeder.

External Source

• http://www.greencompany.com/HedgeFunds/OffDocMasterFeeder.shtml
• http://www.hedgefundworld.com/forming_a_hedge_fund.htm

Sentai can mean:

• is a Japanese language word which may be literally translated as “task force” or “regiment”. It is perhaps best known as the term used during World War II for an Imperial Japanese Army Air Service unit made up of two or more squadrons. A sentai was equivalent to a group or wing in other air forces. The term sentai was also used, to a lesser degree, in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Three or four chutai or buntai made up a sentai.
• More recently, in the title of Super Sentai, a series of tokusatsu television programs, which is reconfigured for English-speaking audiences as Power Rangers.
• Lego Exo-Force is set on “Sentai Mountain”.

A laundry room (also called a utility room) is a room where clothes are washed. In a modern home, a laundry room would be equipped with an automatic washing machine and clothes dryer,and often a large basin, called a laundry tub, for hand-washing delicate articles of clothing such as sweaters, and an ironing board. A typical laundry room is located in the basement of older homes, but in many modern homes, the laundry room might be found on the main floor near the kitchen or upstairs near the bedrooms.

Another typical location is adjacent to the garage and the laundry room serves as a mudroom for the entrance from the garage. As the garage is often at a different elevation (or grade) than the rest of the house, the laundry room that serves as an entrance from the garage that may be sunken from the rest of the house. This avoids or minimizes the need for stairs between the garage and the house.

See also

• Tvättstuga - Laundry room in Swedish housing cooperatives.

The year 1889 in architecture involved some significant events.

Buildings

• March 31 - Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed by Gustave Eiffel, is inaugurated.
• August 10 - At the Vienna Hofburg, the grand opening ceremony is held for the Imperial Natural History Museum (German: K.k. Naturhistorisches Hofmuseum), begun in 1871; from August 13, 1889 to the end of December 1889, the museum counted 175,000 visitors.

• Palau Güell in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí is completed.
• Auditorium Building, Chicago designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler.
• Mole Antonelliana in Turin, Italy is completed.
• Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia is completed.

Awards

• Royal Gold Medal - Charles Thomas Newton.
• Grand Prix de Rome, architecture: (unknown).

Births

• June 24 - Charles Cowles-Voysey (died 1981)

Deaths

Lon McEachern (pronounced “Ma-CAIR-en”) is a poker analyst who provides play-by-play commentary on The World Series of Poker. McEachern, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is also the host of FOX network’s On the Pole. He has been appearing on ESPN’s poker coverage since the late 1990s.

McEachern has been teamed with sportswriter Norman Chad since 2003 on ESPN’s poker coverage. McEachern tends to serve as the play-by-play and stooge to Chad’s semi-serious poker analyst. As noted on the show, an interesting anagram of his name is, “He cancel Norm”.

In the past, McEachern has also hosted ESPN’s K-1 kickboxing, martial arts, Scrabble and billiards coverage, among other sports. McEachern tends to cover “fringe” sports.http://bios.espn.com/talent/lon_mceachern

Notes

Free agency can be:

• In Latter-day Saint theology, free agency is the name of the human capacity to make choices for themselves and to choose between right and wrong. Most anti-mormons assume the Church uses this term. The Church encourages the use of the term “agency”.
• A sports term, free agent.
• The Free Agency is also a small Booking Agency for independent bands based in Olympia, Washington.

Calculus of voting refers to any mathematical model which predicts voting behaviour by an electorate, including such features as participation rate. A calculus of voting represents an hypothesized decision-making process.

Use in political science

These models are used in political science in an attempt to capture the relative importance of various factors influencing an elector to vote (or not vote) in a particular way.

Example

One such model was proposed by Anthony Downs (1957) and is adapted by William H. Riker and Peter Ordeshook, in “A Theory of the Calculus of Voting” (Riker and Ordeshook 1968)

R = pB − C + D

where

R = the reward gained from voting in a given election (R, then, is a proxy for the probabilty that the voter will turn out)

p = probability of vote “mattering”

B = “utility” benefit of voting–differential benefit of one candidate winning over the other

C = costs of voting (time/effort spent)

D = citizen duty, goodwill feeling, psychological and civic benefit of voting (this term is not included in Downs’s original model)

A political science model based on rational choice used to explain why citizens do or do not vote .

Problems with approach

People do not tend to act according to any model absolutely, but rather act upon impulse.

References

Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper & Row.

Riker, William and Peter Ordeshook. 1968. “A Theory of the Calculus of Voting.” American Political Science Review 62(1): 25-42.

The AXOD was a 4-speed automatic transaxle for transverse front wheel drive automobiles from the Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in the 1986 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable (with the 3.0 L Vulcan V6). The AXOD and its successors are built in Ford’s Van Dyke Transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Production of the final member of the family, the AX4N, ended in November 2006.

This has a code letter of “T” on the data plate.

Applications:

• 1986–1990 Ford Taurus
• 1986–1990 Mercury Sable
• 1988–1991 Lincoln Continental

AXOD-E

The AXOD was updated with electronic controls in 1991 as the AXOD-E. The electronic shifting and torque converter controls were integrated with the Taurus’s electronic control module for smoother shifts.

This had a data plate code of “T” for 1991 and 1992 models, and “L” for 1993.

Applications:

• 1991–1993 Ford Taurus
• 1991–1993 Mercury Sable
• 1991–2004 Lincoln Continental

AX4S

The AXOD-E was renamed AX4S in 1994. In addition to the name change, improvements in the lubrication of the gearset and capacity upgrades were made. A centrifugal piston assembly was implemented in the intermediate clutch position to improve 1st-2nd and 2nd-1st shift quality and an increase in the clutch’s durability was made on some models. High energy friction materials were also introduced. A new twin piston torque converter clutch (TCC) was introduced with the AX4S and the AX4N on some models.

The data plate code for this transmission is “L.”

Applications:

• 1994 Lincoln Continental
• 1994–2003 Ford Taurus
• 1994–2003 Mercury Sable
• 1995–2000 Ford Windstar

AX4N

The AX4N is an improved version of the basic AXOD, and is more reliable. This transaxle shifts non-synchronously (as indicated by the “N” in AX4N) resulting in improved shift quality over the previous AX4S. It was originally used in the Taurus SHO, but found its way into some 1994 and newer Vulcan-powered models. It was standard on Duratec-powered models. It became standard with both engines in 2003.
Applications:

• 1993–1999 Ford Taurus SHO
• 1994–2007 Ford Taurus
• 1995–2000 Lincoln Continental
• 1994–2005 Mercury Sable
• 2001–2003 Ford Windstar
• 2004–2007 Ford Freestar
• 2004–2007 Mercury Monterey

The data plate code is “X.”

Reliability issues

Early AXOD and AXOD-E models were known for poor reliability due to internal lubrication problems, and these were mostly smoothed out by 1995. These transmissions require fluid changes every 30,000 miles to maximize service life.

Intermediate clutch failures resulting in poor 1-2 shifts or slipping are also common on all AX family members.

Failure of the “Neutral to Drive Accumulator” causes hard shifts into a drive gear (R, OD, D, 1). from “N” or “P”. Can become quite violent, shakes the whole car very hard.

Reason for this part’s failure: Piston stuck, seals or springs—damaged, missing

Correction for this problem: Check for damage. Replace as required (located inside the transmission, recommended that a transmission shop do the repair, but a full rebuild of the transmission is NOT required).

See also

• List of Ford transmissions

External links

• Taurus/Sable Encyclopedia: AXOD-E/AX4S

• Center for Auto Safety: Poor AXOD/AX4S/AX4N Automatic transmission reliability

The Interior Savings Centre is a 6,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the Kamloops Blazers Ice hockey team.

The Arena is located on Mark Recchi Way, named after the NHL player whose hometown and home team (Blazers) is in Kamloops.

The Interior Savings Centre was constructed to replace the Kamloops Memorial Arena, built in 1948 and now a historical landmark. Interior Savings Centre opened as the Riverside Coliseum in 1992. The arena was later renamed Sport Mart Place due to a sponsorship deal with Sport Mart. The deal between Sport Mart and the City of Kamloops expired during the summer of 2005 and a new sponsorship deal resulted in the renamed Interior Savings Centre.

In summer/fall of 2005, The Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club, City of Kamloops, and several corporate sponsors constructed new private box seats, upping the capacity by hundreds of seats.

External links

• Interior Savings Centre

TIBCO Rendezvous is a software product that provides a message bus for enterprise application integration (EAI).

TIBCO provides messaging APIs in C, [[C++]], Java, Visual BASIC , Perl and .NET to receive data feeds on MS Excel spreadsheets and other applications of choice.

The basic message passing is conceptually simple:

• A message has a single subject composed of elements separated by periods. A message is sent to a single Rendezvous Daemon (though it may end up being broadcast onto Daemons).
• A listener announces its subjects of interest to a Daemon (with a basic wildcard facility) and messages with matching subjects are delivered to it if the two daemons are ‘connected’ to each other (or indeed the same daemon).

Considerable “Enterprise” functionality is layered onto this if desired with Fault Tolerance / Reliable or Certified options possible all implemented through the underlying basic messages.

The messages themselves can be viewed as typed name-value fields and/or number-value fields (the two identification mechanisms within a message can mix and match with certain restrictions). A message can itself contain sub-messages which themselves may contain sub-messages, and so on.

The quality of the respective API’s implementation varies considerably. The C++ library is simply a wrapper providing an OO view over the C implementation. Likewise the Java and .NET implementations wrap the C++ implementation. This has led to memory management issues with the .NET implementation (though not with the COM Interop version which is considerably more cumbersome).

External links

• TIBCO Rendezvous (Official site)

is a Japanese life insurance company.

History

• January 1, 2004. Meiji Mutual Life Insurance Company and Yasuda Mutual Life Insurance Company merge to create Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company.

External links

• Company website (in Japanese)
• Company website (in English)

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) is a campus based, student activist non-profit organization based in Ontario, Canada.

OPIRG is broken into eleven distinct chapters, and serves as a hub organization, allowing the organizing committees of the local chapters to exchange ideas, better educate themselves and co-ordinate plans and undertakings. The public interest research group’s main areas of interest are in the encouragement of diversity and issues of social or environmental concern.

Local chapters are:

• Brock
• Carleton
• Guelph
• Kingston
• McMaster
• Ottawa
• Peterborough
• Toronto
• Waterloo
• Windsor
• York

The Laurier Students Public Interest Research Group is also a PIRG based in Ontario, however it is not a member of the OPIRG network.

Same goes for The University of Western Ontario Public Interest Research Group.

Reference

• Ontario Public Interest Research Group Accessed December 16, 2005

External links

• OPIRG-Brock
• OPIRG-Carleton
• OPIRG-Guelph
• OPIRG-Kingston
• OPIRG-McMaster
• OPIRG-Ottawa
• OPIRG-Peterborough
• OPIRG-Toronto
• Waterloo PIRG
• OPIRG-Windsor
• OPIRG-York
• LSPIRG - Wilfrid Laurier University
• UWO PIRG - London

In mathematics, a topological half-exact functor F is a functor from a fixed topological category (for example CW complexes or pointed spaces) to an abelian category (most frequently in applications, category of abelian groups or category of modules over a fixed ring) that has a following property: for each sequence of the form:

X → Y → C(f)

where C(f) denotes a mapping cone, a sequence:

F(X) → F(Y) → F(C(f))

is exact.

Examples include functors of homology.

After-hours trading or late trading refers to stock trading outside the traditional trading hours of the major exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market. Since 1985 the regular trading hours have been from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.NYSE.com, NYSE: About Us: History, accessed April 11, 2007

According to the Securities Exchange Commission, trading outside these regular hours is not a new phenomenon.SEC.gov After-Hours Trading, accessed April 11, 2007 But it has generally been limited to high net-worth investors and institutional investors, such as mutual funds. The emergence of private trading systems, known as Electronic Communications Networks, or ECNs, has allowed individual investors to participate in after-hours trading.SEC.gov After-Hours Trading: Understanding the Risks, accessed April 11, 2007

In the mutual fund context, late trading involves placing orders for mutual fund shares after the close of the stock market (4:00 p.m for the New York Stock Exchange), but still getting that day’s closing price, rather than the next day’s closing price (the price of mutual funds is usually set only once per day, so intra-day prices are not applicable). In the United States this practice is illegal under SEC rules but many mutual fund managers appear to have allowed exceptions for certain hedge funds and other favored investors who were able to obtain that day’s price, notwithstanding that their orders were received after-hours.

See also

• Mutual-fund scandal (2003)

Notes

External links

• Securities Exchange Commission on Late Day Trading
• www.invest-faq.com on Late Day Trading
• Late Day Trading in Mutual Fund Shares

Zero coupon bonds are bonds that pay no periodic interest payments, or so-called “coupons”. Zero coupon bonds are purchased at a discount from their value at maturity. The holder of a zero coupon bond is entitled to receive a single payment, usually of a specified sum of money at a specified time in the future. Investors earn interest via the difference between the discounted price of the bond and its par (or redemption) value.

Some zero coupon bonds are inflation indexed, so the amount of money that will be paid to the bond holder is calculated to have a set amount of purchasing power rather than a set amount of money, but the majority of zero coupon bonds pay a set amount of money known as the face value of the bond.

In contrast, an investor who has a regular bond receives income from coupon payments, which are usually made semi-annually. The investor also receives the principal or face value of the investment when the bond matures.

Zero coupon bonds may be long or short term investments. Long-term zero coupon maturity dates typically start at ten to fifteen years. The bonds can be held until maturity or sold on secondary bond markets.

Short term zero coupon bonds generally have maturities of less than one year and are called bills. The U.S. Treasury bill market is the most active and liquid debt market in the world.

Strip bonds

Zero coupon bonds have a duration equal to the bond’s time to maturity, which makes them sensitive to any changes in the interest rates. Investment bankers or dealers may separate the coupons from the bond principal, which is known as the residue, so that different investors may receive the principal and each of the coupon payments. This creates a supply of new zero coupon bonds.

The coupons and residue are sold separately to investors. Each of these investments then pays a single lump sum. This method of creating zero coupon bonds is known as stripping and the contracts are known as strip bonds. “STRIPS” stands for Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal Securities.

Dealers normally purchase a block of high-quality and non-callable bonds—often government issues—to create strip bonds. A strip bond has no reinvestment risk because the payment to the investor only occurs at maturity.

The impact of interest rate fluctuations on strip bonds, known as the bond duration, is higher than for a coupon bond. A zero coupon bond always has a duration equal to its maturity, a coupon bond always has a lower duration. Strip bonds are normally available from investment dealers maturing at terms up to 30 years. For some Canadian bonds the maturity may be over 90 years.

In Canada, investors may purchase packages of strip bonds, so that the cash flows are tailored to meet their needs in a single security. These packages may consist of a combination of interest (coupon) and/or principal strips.

In New Zealand, bonds are stripped first into two pieces—the coupons and the principal. The coupons may be traded as a unit or further subdivided into the individual payment dates.

In most countries, strip bonds are primarily administered by a central bank or central securities depository. An alternative form is to use a custodian bank or trust company to hold the underlying security and a transfer agent/registrar to track ownership in the strip bonds and to administer the program. Physically created strip bonds (where the coupons are physically clipped and then traded separately) were created in the early days of stripping in Canada and the U.S., but have virtually disappeared due to the high costs and risks associated with them.

Uses

Pension funds and insurance companies like to own long maturity zero coupon bonds because of the bonds’ high duration. This high duration means that these bonds’ prices are particularly sensitive to changes in the interest rate, and therefore offset, or immunize the interest rate risk of these firms’ long-term liabilities.

Yield curve traders and academics use zero coupon bonds to precisely analyze the yield curve. This is because any fixed income security can be broken down into individual cashflows and viewed as a portfolio of equivalent portfolio of zero coupon bonds. Analysts can then price fixed income securities by discounting each individual cash flow by the appropriate discount rate implied by zero coupon bonds.

Taxes

In the United States, the holder may be liable for imputed income (sometimes called phantom income), even though these bonds don’t pay periodic interest [1]. Because of this, zero coupon bonds subject to U.S. taxation should generally be held in tax-deferred retirement accounts, to avoid paying taxes on future income. Alternatively, when purchasing a zero coupon bond issued by a U.S. state or local government entity, the imputed interest is free of U.S. federal taxes, and in most cases, state and local taxes, too.

Zero coupon bonds were first introduced in 1960s, but they did not become popular until the 1980s. The use of these instruments was aided by an anomaly in the US tax system, which allowed for deduction of the discount on bonds relative to their par value. This rule ignored the compounding of interest, and lead to significant tax-savings when the interest is high or the security has long maturity. Although the tax loopholes were closed quickly, the bonds themselves are desirable because of their simplicity.

Computer years refers to the assumption that computers age around ten to fifteen years (depending on breed or vendor) for every calendar year. It is said a computer of five years old is still useful but approaching retirement. Like Moore’s law there is no mathematical foundation; it is simply a rule of thumb.

Unlike light years computer years are a measurement of time. They are more akin to dog years.

Block design is a subtest on many intelligence tests that tests visuospatial and motor skills. The testee is required to take blocks that have all white sides, all red sides, and red and white sides and arrange them according to a pattern. They are timed on this task and compared to a normative sample.

The Block Design test is also a relatively accurate measure of spatial ability used in daily life (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=10833749&ordinalpos=40&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Additionally, performance on the Block Design test has been suggested as a predictive measure for performance in fields such as engineering and physics. Accordingly Felder at North Carolina State University has developed a learning style questionnaire that attempts to assess spatial ability in an educational context (http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html). The Block Design test is considered one of the best measures of spatial ability, although it is subject to certain problems of administration, such as testee anxiety or over-cautious responding. Linda Kreger Silverman has proposed the block design subtest as the best putative measure of spatial ability among the Wechsler subtests (http://www.visualspatial.org/Articles/idvsls.pdf).

Uta Frith, in her book Autism: Explaining the Enigma, addresses the superior performance of autistic individuals on the block design
test. This was also addressed in this earlier paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=8294523&ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum. A particularly interesting article demonstrates the differences in construction time in the performance of the block design task by Asperger’s individuals and non-Asperger’s individuals. An essential point here is that in an unsegmented version of the task, Asperger’s individuals performed dramatically faster than non-Asperger’s individuals: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/awl072v1 (see Fig 3, page 5).

Recent research has demonstrated a connection between spatial ability and math and science proficiency at the highest levels. Of particular interest, a recent study in the Lancet (2002) demonstrated that high spatial ability was related to the performance of surgery (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11812562&ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum). Additionally, although this is somewhat speculative, Baron-Cohen has shown the grandfathers and fathers of autistics were more likely to be engineers, and since it is known that autistics have an ability peak in block design, it is possible that an inherited ability for block design performance may be responsible for the increased number of engineers and scientists among the relatives of autistic individuals (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11706868&ordinalpos=55&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum).

A lock up period is a predetermined amount of time following an initial public offering during which employees and close associates of the company who are given shares are not allowed to sell those shares. Generally, a lock in period is a condition of exercising an employee stock option.

A lock up period may also be referred to as a lock in, locked in, lock out, locked out, or locked up period. Any one of these variations may be hyphenated, such as “lock-up period”, and variations with out or up may also be joined to form one word, such as “lockout period”.

Maurice B. Foley (born 1960 in Illinois) is a judge of the United States Tax Court.

Foley received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College, a Juris Doctor from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters of Law in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to the appointment to the Court, he was an attorney for the Legislation and Regulations Division of the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Finance, and Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Judge, United States Tax Court, on April 9, 1995, for a term ending April 8, 2010. Foley was the first African-American appointed to the United States Tax Court. Foley is also an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado School of Law.

Note

Material on this page was copied from the website of the United States Tax Court[1], which is published by a United States government agency, and is therefore in the public domain.

This is a list of German sail frigates:

• Mohrian (ex-Swedish)
• Kurprinz
• Deutschland 36
• Eckernförde 48 (ex-Danish Gefion, captured 1849) - BU 1891
• Thetis (ex-British (c. 1846), purchased 1855) - BU 1895
• Niobe (ex-British, purchased 1862)

Protein toxicity with proteinuria can result in those with preexisting kidney disease, or those who have lost kidney function due to advanced age. For otherwise healthy people, consuming over 2.0 g/kg/d, the extra protein can become a stressful stimulus for the kidney.[1]

Those with kidney disease are advised to avoid consumption of protein if possible, as consuming them accelerates the problems (see Chronic renal failure#Signs and symptoms). Most of the problems stem from the accumulation of toxins and wastes from protein metabolism that aren’t getting filtered out.

It must be noted that kidney function (along with everything else) naturally declines with age due to the gradual loss of nephrons (filters) in the kidney. Therefore, a 90 year old cannot safely consume the same amount of protein as a 20 year old.

The first sign of kidney problems begins with microalbuminuria.

Severe illness including death can occur with chronic renal failure.

Common causes of kidney disease include diabetes, heart disease and long term untreated high blood pressure, as well as abuse of aspirin.

Jihad: The Islamic Doctrine Of Permanent War is a book written by Indian historian and author Suhas Majumdar.

The book documents the Islamic docrtines of Jihad of permanent war against the non-Muslims as applied historically.

See also

• Jihad : The Islamic doctrine Of permanent war online

A combination tone, also called a sum tone or a difference tone, can be any of at least three similar psychoacoustic phenomena. When two tones are played simultaneously, a listener can sometimes perceive an additional tone whose frequency is a sum or difference of the two frequencies. The discovery of one of these phenomena is credited to the violinist Giuseppe Tartini, and so the tones are also called Tartini tones.

One way a difference tone can be heard is when two tones with fairly complete sets of harmonics make a just fifth. This can be explained as an example of the missing fundamental phenomena (Beament 2001). If <math>f</math> is the missing fundamental frequency, then <math>2f</math> would be the frequency of the lower tone, and its harmonics would be <math>4f, 6f, 8f,</math> etc. Since a fifth corresponds to a frequency ratio of 2:3, the higher tone and its harmonics would then be <math>3f, 6f, 9f,</math> etc. When both tones are sounded, there are components with frequencies of <math>2f, 3f, 4f, 6f, 8f, 9f,</math> etc. The missing fundamental is heard because so many of these components refer to it.

The specific phenomenon that Tartini discovered was physical. Sum and difference tones are thought to be caused sometimes by the non-linearity of the inner ear. This causes intermodulation distortion of the various frequencies which enter the ear. They are combined linearly, generating relatively faint components with frequencies equal to the sums and differences of whole multiples of the original frequencies. Any components which are heard are usually lower, with the most commonly heard frequency being just the difference tone, <math>f_2-f_1</math>, though this may be a consequence of the other phenomena. Although much less common, the following frequencies may also be heard:

<math>2f_1 - f_2, 3f_1 - 2f_2, …, f_1 - k(f_2 - f_1)</math>

External links

• Sum and Difference Tones
• Titchener Difference Tones Training
• Difference tones on the harmonica

References

Beament, James. How We Hear Music, The Boydell Press, 2001. ISBN 0-85115-813-7

For the alternative rock band, see Odds (band).

In probability theory and statistics the odds in favour of an event or a proposition are the quantity p / (1 − p) , where p is the probability of the event or proposition. In other words, an event with m to n odds would have probability m/(m + n). For example, if you chose a random day of the week, then the odds that you would choose a Sunday would be 1/6, not 1/7. These ‘odds’ are actually relative probabilities. Generally, ‘odds’ are not quoted to the general public in this format because of the natural confusion with the chance of an event occuring being expressed fractionally as a probability. Thus, the probability of choosing Sunday at random from the days of the week is ‘one-seventh’ (1/7), and although a bookmaker may (for his own purposes) use ‘odds’ of ‘one-sixth’ the overwhelming everyday use by most people is odds of the form 6 to 1, 6/1 or 6-1 (all read as ’six-to-one’) where the first figure represents the number of ways of failing to achieve the outcome and the second figure is the number of ways of achieving a favourable outcome. This is also the most convenient way for a person to understand how much winnings will be paid if the selection is successful: the person will be paid ’six’ of whatever stake unit was bet for each ‘one’ of the stake unit wagered.
For example, a £15 winning bet at 6/1 will win ‘6 x £15 = £90′ with the original £15 stake also being returned.

Taking an event with a 1 in 5 probability of occurring (i.e. a probability of 1/5, 0.2 or 20%), then the odds are 0.2 / (1 − 0.2) = 0.2 / 0.8 = 0.25. This figure (0.25) represents the stake necessary for a person to win one unit on a successful wager. This may be scaled up by any convenient factor to give whole number values. E.g. If a stake of 0.25 wins 1 unit, then scaling by a factor of four means a stake of 1 wins 4 units. If you bet 1 at these odds and the event occurred, you would receive back 4 plus your original 1 stake. This would be presented in fractional odds of 4 to 1 against (written as 4/1 or 4-1), in decimal odds as 5.0 to include the returned stake, in craps payout as 5 for 1, and in moneyline odds as +400 representing the gain from a 100 stake.

By contrast, for an event with a 4 in 5 probability of occurring (i.e. a probability of 4/5, 0.8 or 80%), then the odds are 0.8 / (1 − 0.8) = 4. If you bet 4 at these odds and the event occurred, you would receive back 1 plus your original 4 stake. This would be presented in fractional odds of 4 to 1 on (written as 1/4 or 1-4), in decimal odds as 1.25 to include the returned stake, in craps as 5 for 4, and in moneyline odds as −400 representing the stake necessary to gain 100.

Gambling odds versus probabilities

In gambling, the odds on display do not represent the true chances that the event will occur, but are the amounts that the bookmaker will pay out on winning bets. In formulating his odds to display the bookmaker will have included a profit margin which effectively means that the payout to a successful punter is less than that represented by the true chance of the event occurring. This profit is known as the ‘over-round’ on the ‘book’ (the ‘book’ relates to the old-fashioned ledger that wagers were recorded in and thus gives us the term ‘bookmaker’) and relates to the sum of the ‘odds’ in the following way: