An autoregressive approach to house price modeling

A statistical model for predicting individual house prices and constructing a house price index is proposed utilizing information regarding sale price, time of sale and location (ZIP code). This model is composed of a fixed time effect and a random ZIP (postal) code effect combined with an autoregressive component. The former two components are applied to all home sales, while the latter is applied only to homes sold repeatedly. The time effect can be converted into a house price index. To evaluate the proposed model and the resulting index, single-family home sales for twenty US metropolitan areas from July 1985 through September 2004 are analyzed. The model is shown to have better predictive abilities than the benchmark S&P/Case--Shiller model, which is a repeat sales model, and a conventional mixed effects model. Finally, Los Angeles, CA, is used to illustrate a historical housing market downturn.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS380 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

ChemInform Abstract: Base‐Catalyzed Rearrangement of Terpinolene Oxide.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option

Dissipative Hyperbolic Geometric Flowon Modified Riemann Extensions

We study the properties of Modified Riemann extensions evolving under dissipative hyperbolic geometric flow with examples

Unusual occurrence of two species and rare occurrence of one sepceis of neritic squids off MangaIore coast

Cephalopods have a wide distribution in the seas around India, although only a few of them form a fishery at some centres. At Mangalore, cephalopods comprising mainly of Loligo duvaucelii (90%), Sepia aculeata and S. pharaonis constitute about 5-10%(962 tonnes in 1988) of the total trawl catch

Dissipative Hyperbolic Geometric Flow on Modified Riemann Extensions

We study the properties of Modified Riemann extensions evolving under dissipative hyperbolic geometric flow with examples

Reproductive Phenology and Pollination Biology of Madhuca Neriifolia in Wet Evergreen Forest of Western Ghats, South India

Pollination syndromes are suites of phenotypic traits hypothesized to reflect convergent adaptations of flowers for pollination by a specific type of animal. Madhuca neriifolia is an endangered plant species occurring in the Southern Western Ghats of India. The species is sub-annual with an event of two consequent flowering periods per year. The morphological traits of the flowers are evolved in such a way that it can support mixed type of pollination syndromes such as anemophily, entomophily, ornithophily, and chiropterophily. Flowers offer sugar rich nectar present in the flesh corolla and also provide pollen for the visiting pollinators as a pollination reward. The flowers are self-compatible, pollinates both self and cross. Highest mean percentage of fruit set was observed with manual hand cross pollination during November 2011. The high outcrossing index (=4) indicates the necessity of pollinator species for the cross pollination which is supported by the breeding results obtained with manual hand cross pollination. The paired t-test between controlled (open pollination) and the treatments (manual self and cross pollinations) were significantly different

Emerging small scale trap fishery for whelk, (Babylonia spirata) in Malpe, Southern Karnataka

Babylonia spirata is a commercially important edible gastropod found inhabiting the coastal waters with sandy bottom. Commonly known as whelks, they are landed as by-catch in shrimp trawlers in Kerala and Tamilnadu.There is an emerging fishery for whelks along the Malpe coast (13° 21’ N and 74°42’5” E) with the increase in export demand. Specially designed whelk traps are operated from traditional fishing crafts to collect whelks since January 2005

Mussel culture in mulky estuary, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka during 1997-'99

During 1997-'98 seasons, the mussel culture activities were carried out at Mulky estuary with the active participation of local fishermen and the growth rate was studied. Culture work was continued at two places in Mulky estuary during 1998-'99 seasons. The growth rate of mussels in Chitrapu area was higher than that observed in Mulky area. During 1998-'99 seasons, the meat content of the harvested mussel was low as they had spawned before the harvest. The culture works carried out at Mulky estuary reveal that mussel culture can be profitabily done during October-May months in Mulky estuary. The fishermen group can take up the culture activities as a part-time venture as the culture involves minimum labour only during the initial period and thereafter it needs little husbandry work. There is good demand for mussels in monsoon months when supply of marine fish is less due to ban on mechanized fishing. Mussels harvested in May can be processed and marketed for sale during the lean season, for which infrastructural facilities have to be developed. Once the marketing infrastructure is developed mussel culture activities can be taken up by more fishermen group in a profitable manner

A Retrospective Evaluation of Critical Care Blood Culture Yield – Do Support Services Contribute to the “Weekend Effect”?

Background The “weekend effect” describes an increase in adverse outcomes for patients admitted at the weekend. Critical care units have moved to higher intensity working patterns to address this with some improved outcomes. However, support services have persisted with traditional working patterns. Blood cultures are an essential diagnostic tool for patients with sepsis but yield is dependent on sampling technique and processing. We therefore used blood culture yield as a surrogate for the quality of support service provision. We hypothesized that blood culture yields would be lower over the weekend as a consequence of reduced support services. Methods We performed a retrospective observational study examining 1575 blood culture samples in a university hospital critical care unit over a one-year period. Results Patients with positive cultures had, on average, higher APACHE II scores (p = 0.015), longer durations of stay (p = 0.03), required more renal replacement therapy (p<0.001) and had higher mortality (p = 0.024). Blood culture yield decreased with repeated sampling with an increased proportion of contaminants. Blood cultures were 26.7% less likely to be positive if taken at the weekend (p = 0.0402). This effect size is the equivalent to the impact of sampling before and after antibiotic administration. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that blood culture yield is lower at the weekend. This is likely caused by delays or errors in incubation and processing, reflecting the reduced provision of support services at the weekend. Reorganization of services to address the “weekend effect” should acknowledge the interdependent nature of healthcare service delivery