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Objective. To describe the time trends of mortality attributable to malnutrition in Colombia in the period 2005-2019, overall and disaggregated by age and sex. Methods. Ecological study based on secondary data on mortality due to undernutrition as the underlying cause of death according to vital statistics. Crude, age- and sex-specific, and age-standardized annual mortality rates per 100 000 population were calculated. The direct method was used, and the reference population was that proposed by the World Health Organization for 2000-2025. A segmented linear regression or changepoint analysis was performed. Results. A total of 26 200 records of deaths due to undernutrition were analyzed for the study period, which corresponds to 0.84% of the total number of deaths in Colombia. The mortality rate in the 0-to-4-year age group was 9.9 per 100 000 population; in the 85-and-older age group, it reached 137 deaths per 100 000 population. All significant adjustments had a negative impact on the model trend, indicating a reduction in mortality rates. The annual percent change was significant for the period 2007-2017, when the mortality rate decreased 2.8% in men (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: -4.3, -1.3) and 3.2% in women (95%CI: -5.0, -1.4). Conclusions. The overall prevalence of mortality attributable to undernutrition in Colombia is low, increasing at the extremes of age, and has been following a downward trend, especially among younger age groups and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of event-triggered dynamic output feedback control for uncertain Markovian jump systems with partly unknown transition rates. An event-triggered dynamic output feedback control scheme is proposed to stabilize a class of uncertain networked Markovian jump systems with partly unknown transition rates, and a suitable Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional is then introduced to guarantee the asymptotical stability in mean-square sense of the closed-loop controlled system. It is shown that the proposed control scheme is relatively convenient to choose the control gain matrices by the use of the Matlab LMIs Toolbox, and thus it might be convenient to application in practice. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides new insight into the analysis on the relationship between uncertainty and misclassification of a classifier. We formulate the relationship explicitly by taking entropy as a measurement of uncertainty and by analyzing the misclassification rate based on the membership degree difference. Focusing on binary classification problems, this study theoretically and experimentally validates that the misclassification rate will definitely be upgrading with the increase of uncertainty if two conditions are satisfied: (1) the distributions of two classes based on membership degree difference are unimodal, and (2) these two distributions attain peaks when the membership degree difference is less and larger than zero, respectively. This work aims to provide some practical guidelines for improving classifier performance through clearly expressing and understanding the relationship between uncertainty and misclassification of a classifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the modelling of material behaviours in continuum physics by means of rate equations. The research has a twofold purpose. First, to review the structure of objective time derivatives, namely invariant derivatives within the set of Euclidean transformations; known derivatives occurring in the literature are shown to be particular cases of the whole family of objective time derivatives. Second, to investigate the thermodynamic consistency of some models involving objective time derivatives. In particular, two topics are developed. One is the improvement of the constitutive equation of viscous fluids. The other topic is a possible rate equation for the stress. The thermodynamic consistency is shown in connection with the co-rotational derivative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses such problem for simultaneous estimations of the actuator fault, output disturbance and sensor fault for a type of Markovian jump systems, which takes on time-varying generally uncertain transition rates. In order to perform estimations for faults, a new reduced-order observer is proposed, of which the gain matrix is designed to fully decouple the unknown input for the system. As for the solution to time-varying generally uncertain transition rates, an offline quantization mechanism is developed, which can help to prove, to a large extent, the observer error system to be stable. The proposed method is able to guarantee the exact estimations of the states and faults in spite of the existence of external disturbances and the time-varying stochastic switching. Furthermore, a numerical example is brought to testify the correctness of the designed fault estimation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the topic of dissipativity-based sampled-data control for fuzzy markovian jump systems with incomplete transition rates. First, by making full use of the information in the sampling interval, an appropriate closed-loop function dependent sampling interval is constructed. Then, with the addition of free-weighting matrices approach and improved integral inequality technique, sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure that the considered systems are stochastically stable and strictly(Q , S , R)- γ -dissipative stochastically, respectively. Furthermore, the corresponding mode-dependent sampled-data controller is also designed. Finally, a simulation example is offered to verify the feasibility of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a nonlocal evolution equation modeling the deformation of a bridge, either a footbridge or a suspension bridge. Contrarily to the previous literature we prove the asymptotic stability of the considered model with a minimum amount of damping which represents less cost of material. The result is also numerically proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A constructive tool of nonlinear control system design, the method of control Lyapunov functions (CLFs), has found numerous applications in stabilization problems for continuous-time, discrete-time, and hybrid systems. In this paper, we address the fundamental question: Given a CLF, corresponding to a continuous-time controller with some predefined (e.g., exponential) convergence rate, can the same convergence rate be provided by an event-triggered controller? Under certain assumptions, we give an affirmative answer to this question and show that the corresponding event-based controllers provide positive dwell times between consecutive events. Furthermore, we prove the existence of self-triggered and periodic event-triggered controllers, providing stabilization with a known convergence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study non-asymptotic convergence rate of the inverse probability weight estimator of covariance matrix when some values of the data are missing completely at random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From August 2013, we undertook a 1‐year trial of mitigation techniques at an electricity power line in the Mongolian steppe with a high avian electrocution rate. We examined 2 mitigation methods at phase‐1 conductors on the top of power poles (i.e., reconfiguration of the insulator mount and insulation covers on the conductor wire) and 3 mitigation methods at phase‐2 and 3 conductors on pole cross‐arms (i.e., perch deflector brushes, rotating‐mirror perch deterrents, and insulation covers on the conductor wires). The perch management techniques selected for the trial are currently widely adopted by power line managers in Mongolia. In comparison with the control, with no mitigation, electrocution rates were reduced both by the reconfiguration of insulator mounts and insulation of conductor wires at phase‐1, though the reduction was greater for the former—73% mean reduction for reconfigured mounts and 59% for insulation covers. Electrocution rates were reduced by the placement of rotating‐mirrors and insulation of conductor wires at phases 2 and 3, with the reduction being greater for the former—91% mean reduction for mirrors and 66% for insulation covers. Deployment of metal perch deflector brushes at phases 2 and 3 had no effect on electrocution rates and should not be used as mitigation. Most electrocutions occurred at phase 1 on the top of the pole, indicating that mitigation should be prioritized at this phase. In terms of cost and efficacy, reconfigured mounts represented the best option as a permanent fix at phase 1. At phases on cross‐arms, the relative merits of mirrors and insulation covers need to be assessed over a longer period, and these temporary mitigation measures should be compared with alternative permanent fixes. © 2019 The Wildlife Society. We examined the efficacy of different mitigation methods aimed at reducing raptor electrocution rates at a power distribution poles in Mongolia. Cover‐up insulation on live conductors, reconfiguration of pin‐insulator mounts at the top of the pole and rotating mirror perch deterrents all reduced electrocution rates, whereas metal brush perch deflectors on the crossarm did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper is concerned with the security control problem for a class of Markov jump systems subject to false data injection attack and incomplete transition rates. An on-line estimation strategy is provided for the time-variant and unknown cyber-attack modes. And then, an adaptive sliding mode controller is synthesized with different robust terms for different modes to guarantee the reachability of the specified sliding surface. Moreover, the sufficient conditions for the stability of the closed-loop systems are derived. Finally, it is shown from simulation results that the effect of both false data injection attack and incomplete TRs can be effectively attenuated by the present adaptive SMC method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A stochastic multigroup SIQR epidemic model with standard incidence rates is studied. • We establish sufficient conditions for the existence of a stationary distribution to the model. • We establish sufficient conditions for extinction of the diseases. • A stationary distribution implies stochastic weak stability of the system. Abstract In this paper, we consider a stochastic multigroup SIQR epidemic model with standard incidence rates. By using the stochastic Lyapunov function method, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of a stationary distribution of the positive solutions to the model. Then we establish sufficient conditions for extinction of the diseases. A stationary distribution means that all the individuals can be coexistent and persistent in the long term. Finally, some examples and numerical simulations are introduced to illustrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that credit card issuers are increasingly punishing card users who fail various standards. Introductory or `teaser' rates; Penalties imposed by card companies; Late fees; Less tolerance toward customers; Vanishing fee-free cards. INSET: What to do if you're hit.

The article discusses, the March 2021 American Rescue Plan sloshed $1.9 trillion into mostly governmental areas, where unionization rates are high. It included an $86 billion unconditional bailout for multi-employer pension funds, a Big Labor wish-list item that had zero to do with the bill's stated purpose of COVID-19 relief.

Discusses how credit card issuers are pitching new rebates and low interest rates as they scramble for business. How battle heated up with the entrance of nonbank companies into the market, most notably General Motors with a no-annual-fee MasterCard that offers a 5% rebate toward a car or truck; Flood of creative plastic that won't be stanched anytime soon; How perks differ from those of past years; Examples of offerings. INSET: Got a spotty credit record? (secured cards), by M.M..

The article discusses the causes of the continued longevity of the legal hourly rate and the need to develop an approach that can guide both inside and outside counsel. Topics covered include the need for an alternative fee arrangement (AFA) to the hourly rate, the concept of value and its application to the legal service, and the need for AFAs to encourage law firms to review their structures and practices in order to eliminate inefficiencies.

The article discusses that the standard approach to distributing a routine vaccine is based on the assumption that there will be plenty of doses available. It mentions that everyone will then follow their doctors' reconunendations when it comes to being immunized against the germ in question; and the next-best vaccination outcome is the inoculation of enough people so that, together with those who are immune after being infected.

The article offers a regulatory proposal called "shadow rates" as a mechanism to help finance clean energy initiatives at the utility commission level in the U.S. It emphasizes the need for any regulatory proposal to have a legal basis, policy support and political backing to gain traction and be successfully implemented. The politics of clean energy is explored.

Investigations were carried out in the experimental ields of Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture in 2009-2010. Soil--calcaric epihypogleyic luvisol of sandy loam on light loam soil IDg8-k (Calc(ar)i--Epihypogleyc Luvisols--LVg-p-w-cc). Arable layer was 20-25 cm in thickness. Carrot cultivar 'Svalia' F1 was grown in furrowed surface. Sowing scheme 62 + 8 cm. There was investigated the influence of Naturcomplet®--G fertilizer rates on carrot yield and quality. Applying fertilizer Naturcomplet®-- G (rate--70 kg ha-1 ) there was obtained the biggest density and total yield of carrot crop. Naturcomplet®--G fertilizer rates didn't inluenced more signiicantly the average carrot root-crop diameter and weight, but applying 80 kg ha-1 of Naturcomplet®--G carrot root-crops were on the average 1.9 mm longer then this of not fertilized ones. The biggest addition of marketable yield and the output of marketable yield were obtained fertilizing carrots with 80 kg ha of Naturcomplet®--G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous option pricing research typically assumes that the risk-free rate or the short rate is constant during the life of the option. In this study, we incorporate the stochastic nature of the short rate in our option valuation model and derive explicit formulas for European call and put options on a stock when the short rate follows the Merton model. Using our option model as a benchmark, our numerical analysis indicates that, in general, the Black–Scholes model overvalues out-of-the-money calls, moderately overvalues at-the-money calls, and slightly overvalues in-the-money calls. Our analysis is directly extensible to American calls on non-dividend-paying stocks and to European puts by virtue of put-call parity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Investigations were carried out at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture, in calcaric epihypogleyic luvisol of sandy loam on light loam soil (IDg8-k / Calc(ar)i- Epihypogleyc Luvisols - LVg-p-w-cc), in 2005-2007. Ploughing layer of the soil was 20-25 cm in thickness. Onion cv. 'Babtų didieji' was grown on flat surface. Sowing scheme - 62 + 8 cm. There was investigated the influence of humistar applied before sowing rates on onion productivity and its indices, humus quality changes in the soil and there was evaluated the interaction and the influence of environmental factors on these factors. The biggest onion total (24.2 t ha-1) and standard (19.2 t ha-1) yield was obtained fertilizing with humistar rate of 20 l ha-1. Standard yield output was 79.7 %. Applying this humistar rate there was the biggest crop density, turnip weight and its diameter, and the relation of humic acids in onion crop was 0.29. The increase of crop density (r = 0.64; 23 %), precipitation amount during vegetation in the investigation period (r = 0.48; 18 %), turnip weight (r = 0.34; 12 %) and the amount of humic acids in the soil (r = 0.30; 11 %) increased onion standard yield. The influence of the increase of fulvic acids (r = - 0.34; 12 %) and temperature (r = - 0.48; 18 %) was weak, but negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In many cities, the inconsistency between water supply and water demand has become a critical problem because of deteriorating water shortage and increasing water demand. Uniform price of residential water cannot promote the efficient water allocation. In China, block water price will be put into practice in the future, but the outcome of such regulation measure is unpredictable without theory support. In this paper, the residential water is classified by the volume of water usage based on economic rules and block water is considered as different kinds of goods. A model based on extended linear expenditure system (ELES) is constructed to simulate the relationship between block water price and water demand, which provide theoretical support for the decision-makers. Finally, the proposed model is used to simulate residential water demand under block rate pricing in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Almost sure conditional complete convergence of bootstrap means is considered with inside and outside rates of the type of Spitzer and of Baum and Katz. As complete analogues of Gut and Spa˘taru's theorems for ordinary means, precise asymptotic behavior is determined for bootstrap sample sizes that are the integer parts of any fixed power of the original sample sizes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Deals with energy prices in the U.S. as of December 2001. Crude oil; Motor gasoline; Natural gas; Electricity.

Offers consumer advice about long-distance telephone billing plans available in Australia. Explanation of testing methods; How to choose a phone plan; Assessment of phone plans and service providers; Recommended plans for various types of users.

Presents information on the travel rate of several package tours around the world. Details on several travel packages in the Middle East; Tour programs in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Eco-tour services offered in Australia.

Evaluates mobile phones plans and offers advice for consumers on how to find the right plan for their individual needs. Advantages and disadvantages of prepaid call plans; Deciding how the phone will be used; Costs of different plans; Costs of extra features such as voice mail; Percentage of people who experience problems with their phone plans. INSETS: What kind of user are you?;Good-value plans;If your phone is stolen or broken.

Focuses on the effect of fluctuations in exchange rates of pound sterling and euro in Great Britain. Comparison of pound sterling performance to Deutschmark and French franc; Application of detrended fluctuation analysis; Reflection of exchange rate to economic health.

Focuses on allegations made by Goldie Johnson that she was swindled when she refinanced her mortgage. Claims made by mortgage broker Mark Diamond when he offered the deal to Johnson, that he could save her up to $8,000 in cash and help cut back her debt; How mortgage payments wound up costing Johnson nearly 80 percent of her monthly fixed income; State of the housing market in the United States.

The article presents COVID round-up, which includes the fact that new cases continue to increase at a substantial rate, it must be remembered that these estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 two to three weeks ago, due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare, while the daily infection rates are current.

The taboo rate is first defined, which satisfies with the Chapman–Kolmogorov equation. Then the differentials of hitting time distribution are expressed by many different taboo rates, which deeply reveal the intrinsic relationship between the transition rate matrix and the hitting time distribution in continuous-time reversible Markov chains. As an example, the explicit expressions of the differentials of the hitting time distribution at a single state are provided for the birth and death chain, hence the transition rate matrix can be identified. Such differentials improve the theory of statistical identification of continuous-time reversible Markov chains. • Taboo rate is defined to deeply reveal the properties of hitting time distribution. • Differentials of hitting time distribution are expressed by different taboo rates. • Such differential expressions are powerful to inverse problems of Markov chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the f -ergodicity and its exponential convergence rate for continuous-time Markov chain. Assume f is square integrable, for reversible Markov chain, it is proved that the exponential convergence of f -ergodicity holds if and only if the spectral gap of the generator is positive. Moreover, the convergence rate is equal to the spectral gap. For irreversible case, the positivity of spectral gap remains a sufficient condition of f -ergodicity. The effectiveness of these results are illustrated by some typical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on the electric power industry in the United States in December 1998. Total net generation of the industry in 1997; Information on the sales of electric utilities; Coal and petroleum consumption of electric utilities in October 1998.

Presents updates on tourism industry as of October 1999. Cost of round-trip travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands; Discounts given by cruise lines; Details on golf games in Illinois, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Reports on the efforts of families, in the United States, to fully utilize telecommunication services. Profiles of the Harrison's who have monthly bills for various telecommunication services totalling around $1,000; Number of telephones (regular and cellular) and pagers they have; Services they use which cut costs; Reasons why New York state has the most competitive local telecommunications market in the US; Effect the acquisition of MediaOne by AT&T Corp. will have on the industry.

Reports on developments related to the computer network industry as of October 21, 1997. Includes various countries' efforts to control the Internet; Rates of long distance calls between the United States and Europe; Computer network companies' search for corporate names; Impact of the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 on US telecommunications industry.

Looks at how the plentiful job market and the low interest rates are spurring the markets for the home buyer. A listing of the cost of homes in 100 cities across the United States; The opportunities for minorities; The competition; The tax breaks; The outlook from region to region. INSETS: Disaster strikes.;Home-price prospects for 100 cities..

The House Banking and Urban Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on consumer affairs earlier this year voted to prohibit credit card issuers from charging interest rates more than 8 percentage points above the yield of one-year Treasury Bills. If this legislation is enacted 15 million credit card holders could lose their cards, and all cardholders would face higher annual fees, lower credit limits and other costs. INSET: State credit card ceilings..

Examines the benefits of purchasing United States government securities for investment purposes. Placing a phone order; Lower minimum purchase amount; New inflation-indexed savings bonds; Tax benefits; Details about Treasury securities; Making direct purchases; Treasury Direct program.

The article discusses the teaching of ratios, rates, and percentages in mathematics education. Topics discussed include an example of U.S. automotive fatalities per vehicle miles traveled (VMT), an example dealing with the percent of women who choose a career in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field, and the differences between commensurate and non-commensurate ratios.

Presents experts' predictions of a bull market for bonds during the 1990s. Why bonds look strong; Impact of interest rates on a bond's return; Bonds to avoid.

The article informs that U.S. rates of foodborne illness are not improving and progress on controlling the health threats has stalled, a new study finds, and 2019 data from the agency's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or Food- Net, caused by eight foodborne pathogens in U.S. sites.

The article offers information on the refusal of communication companies to provide bargain voice and data rates to schools and to subsidize the cost of equipment and services.It states that AT&T Co.has charged some schools up to 325 percent more than it charged others in the same region for essentially the same services.Verizon charged a New York school district more than twice as much as it charged government and other schools.The companies say they comply with the rules of the E-rate program.