The evolution of the probability distributions of Japan and US major market indices, NIKKEI 225 and NASDAQ composite index, and JPY /DEM and DEM/USD currency exchange rates is described by means of the Fokker-Planck equation (FPE). In order to distinguish and quantify the deterministic and random influences on these financial time series we perform a statistical analysis of their increments ∆x(...

The paper presents new results of a recent industry supported research and development study in which an efficient framework for evaluating practical and meaningful power system reliability and quality indices was applied. The system-wide integrated performance indices are capable of addressing and revealing areas of deficiencies and bottlenecks as well as redundancies in the composite generati...

We present a new reconstruction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF, B) for 1846–2012 with a full analysis of errors, based on the homogeneously constructed IDV(1d) composite of geomagnetic activity presented in Part 1 (Lockwood et al., 2013a). Analysis of the dependence of the commonly used geomagnetic indices on solar wind parameters is presented which helps explain why annual means of ...

Harmonics distortion is a crucial problem in microgrid. Harmonic sources can be categorized as two main factors: renewable energy integration and nonlinear loads. Both factors are investigated in this paper. For renewbale energy, photovoltaic (PV) power is one of the most effective solutions for energy crisis and it is showing great potential for serving customers in microgrid. A threephase PV ...

The problem of uncertainty propagation in composite laminate structures is studied. An approach based on the optimal design of composite structures to achieve a target reliability level is proposed. Using the uniform design method (UDM), a set of design points is generated over a domain centred at mean values of random variables, aimed at studying the space variability. The most critical Tsai n...

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in the general population. This study aimed to estimate the association between post-glucose load measures of insulin resistance and prognosis of nondiabetic patients with ischemic stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS Data were derived from the ACROSS-China (Abnormal Glucose Regulation in Patients with Acute St...

BACKGROUND Whey proteins have insulinogenic properties and the effect appears to originate from a specific postprandial plasma amino acid pattern. The insulinogenic effect can be mimicked by a specific mixture of the five amino acids iso, leu, lys, thr and val. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of pre-meal boluses of whey or soy protein with or without added amino acids on ...

BACKGROUND The Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ) evaluates the effectiveness of health education and self-management programs provided to people dealing with a wide range of conditions. Aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt and validate the Dutch translation of the heiQ and to compare the results with the English, German and French translations. METHODS A systematic ...

BACKGROUND Keratoconus, a non-inflammatory corneal ectasia, is reported to have bilateral involvement in over 90% of patients. The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent of asymmetry of disease at presentation to a regional corneal clinic. METHODS Eighty three patients diagnosed at presentation, using a combination of videokeratography, slit lamp examination, and refractive findings...

A theoretical model is described which conceptualizes school crime and disruption as a function of the congruence or fit between the personal characteristics of students and the social environments of the schools they attend. In a direct empirical test of the model, indices representing 10 distinct dimensions of student-school fit are related to three composite measures of school misconduct: sc...