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The present work aims to propose an approximation of the sample median distribution with a normal parent distribution. Although the mean is usually used as the central tendency measure for normal samples, the median has also been used in engineering, process control in particular. The proposed method approximates the normal sample median distribution only using the normal distribution function. It outperforms Castagliola’s method for small samples and serves as an alternative approximation for trading off accuracy against computational complexity for large samples.

ABSTRACTThis paper studies developers’ bidding strategy in Hong Kong’s land sale market where aggressive bidding is commonly seen. Given that the difference between the submitted bid and the estimated land value can be explained by the developer’s housing market outlook, the formation of house price expectation represents a tool to understand developers’ bidding strategy. Different economic expectation models are tested. While the rational expectation hypothesis (REH) is rejected, the proposed adaptive implicit expectation model best describes developers’ expectations. The findings in this paper provide land policymakers with insights on controlling the outcome of land sales as well as fill the gap of the house price expectation formation which remains little known.

AbstractData collected from the individual cases reported by the media were used to estimate the distribution of the incubation period of travelers to Hubei versus that of nontravelers. Because a longer and more volatile incubation period has been observed in travelers, the duration of quarantine should be extended to 3 weeks.

ABSTRACTIn response to the recent pandemic, vaccines have been developed for large-scale immunization. Despite safety and efficacy verified by health authorities, Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) remains a risk of unexpected adverse reactions. Since COVID-19-related GBS cases have largely been reported in Europe, vaccines involving viral genetic materials can potentially trigger GBS, as demonstrated in clinical trials in the Americas. Therefore, medical professionals should be aware of GBS as a potential adverse reaction in SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Consultation with a neurologist may be needed. Nevertheless, this is not to say that the use of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 should be suspended and that the association between GBS and the vaccine is confirmed or excluded. The benefits of vaccine still outweigh potential adverse effects.