Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases in the world today, but early prevention remains the key to controlling it. Charles H. Chen shows that through a strict regime of diet, exercise, and other healthy lifestyle changes, you can increase your chances of keeping cancer from your doorstep.

Diagnosed with colon cancer in 1998, Chen decided to tackle the disease head on and was determined to learn the causes of cancer, the treatments, and prevention methods. Chen brings a unique perspective to this subject as both a medical doctor and a cancer survivor, breaking down the various aspects of this worldwide epidemic. Practical and concise, "An Intimate Relationship" covers topics such as: Screenings for men and women Benefits of early diagnosis Treatment options Prevention and healthy lifestyle choices

As a gynecologist, Chen also focuses on women's cancer issues, including breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy. He also provides tips to help you achieve good health through the consumption of organic foods, antioxidants, and nutritional supplements.

Don't become a statistic-increase your chances of avoiding cancer and improve your overall health with "An Intimate Relationship."

During the 1980s, and particularly since the market crash of 1987, corporations and entrepreneurs have been seeking new ways to finance the establishment and growth of new businesses. One of the outcomes of these efforts has been the hybrid security, generically called dequity because it is neither a bond nor a stock. In this work, Andrew Chen and John Kensinger examine the various forms of dequity, describing its characteristics, how it evolved, how it's being used, and what the future may hold for it.

In looking at the many financial innovations that blended the traits of debt and equity, Chen and Kensinger find three revolutionary changes that took place in the '80s: the use of debt to increase equity ownership by employees; the transfer of control over corporate resources from managers to lenders; and the shift from owning assets indirectly through corporate stock toward direct ownership of production assets by investors. They fully explore the increased specialization of roles that has resulted in employee control of companies, as well as detailing such practical issues as the tax advantage of leveraged ESOP, the value of organizational capital, innovative methods for reducing the cost of going public, and the benefits of R&D limited partnerships. This is the first book to fully analyze the development of dequity, and will be an important reference source for a variety of individuals, including investment bankers, corporate financial executives, institutional investors, and students of finance and banking.

The complex and multidisciplinary nature of environmental problems requires that they are dealt with in an integrated manner. Modeling and software have become key instruments used to promote sustainability and improve environmental decision processes, especially through systematic integration of various knowledge and data and their ability to foster learning and help make predictions. This book presents the current state-of-the-art in environmental modeling and software and identifies the future challenges in the field.
* State-of-the-art in environmental modeling and software theory and practice for integrated assessment and management serves as a starting point for researchers
* Identifies the areas of research and practice required for advancing the requisite knowledge base and tools, and their wider usage
* Best practices of environmental modeling enables the reader to select appropriate software and gives the reader tools to integrate natural system dynamics with human dimensions

This volume contains contributions on important topics in current finance research. Topics include the impact of recent reform in corporate governance, the stock price reactions to the joint venture announcements, the temperature, and the financial signals, the pricing of SPARQs, the incentive effects in project finance with government financial guarantees, the option pricing models with price limits and market liquidity, the benefits of financial competition and regulation, the banking theories on the required reserves and the impact of mid-loan bank lending, and the new tests PPP and the cointegration test of foreign exchange rates with regime shifts.

Since its first appearance in 1979, Research in Finance has been publishing papers that cover important and interesting issues in finance and economics. The topics found in the series span a wide range; previous volumes have included papers on corporate financial management policy, asset pricing and investment management, corporate control and governance, bank regulations and management, and the analysis of financial derivatives and their applications in risk management and in venture capital investment. These papers, among others, have made significant contributions to the literature.
In this volume, Bajaj, Vijh and Westerfield present evidence showing that ownership structure affects a firm's agency costs of cash flow, which, in turn, influences the market's reaction to changes in the firm's dividend policy. McNabb and Martin examine the relationship between managerial entrenchment and the effectiveness of internal governance mechanisms and the firm performances. In their paper, Kang, Karim and Rutledge apply a relative excess value ratio approach to empirically examine the association between the CEO compensations and the firms' performances. And Almisher, Buell and Kish, using accounting beta as a proxy for ex ante systematic risk of a firm, find a strong positive relationship between the firm's systematic risk and the subsequent degree of underpricing of its IPO.
Also in this volume, Kwan and Wilcox show the disparity between accounting and actual cost reductions in bank mergers, and point out the importance of avoiding the accounting bias in reporting the cost reduction in bank mergers. Gunther and Siems empirically find that a desire to hedge balance sheet positions andhaving a strong capital position are the key motivations for banks' involvement in derivatives activities. Shyu and Reichert examine the key financial and regulatory factors that determine the derivatives activities of both U.S. and foreign banks. In their paper, Yin, Wu and Chen explore the joint effects of the changes in capital regulation and deposit insurance system on banks' returns and risks in Taiwan.
Based upon the one-factor equilibrium term structure model of Cox-Ingersoll-Ross, Chen and Chaudhury examine the market values and dynamic interest rate risks of existing swap positions. Chang and Ho derive formula of duration for different bonds under the Heath-Jarrow-Morton model of term structure and compare the relative performances of dynamic and static immunization strategies. In their paper, Boyle, Byoun and Park use intraday transactions data to show that the S&P 500 index option market leads the cash index, and that the lead-lag relation has resulted in a significant bias of the implied volatility that confirms their theoretical conjecture. Finally, Bubna uses a moral hazard model to address issues in the formation of syndicates in venture capital industry and to present some useful policy implications.
May the contributions within this volume be of significant interest and usefulness to its readers. And may Research in Finance continue to publish papers of the highest caliber, to the benefit of academics and practitioners alike.

This is the 13th volume in a series on research in finance. This volume covers such topics as liquidity and market microstructure, predictability and time-varying risk in world equity markets and the structure of price discounts on private equity placements.

This volume contains contributions on a range of important issues in current financial research. Topics included are - the performance of fixed income mutual funds in different economic states, the determinants of long-term excess performance of the ADRs on the NYSE, the models for forecasting the Euro/US Dollar exchange rates and the U.S. mutual funds movements, the fragmentation in day and night markets, the market reactions of the U.S.-listed foreign banks to the passage of the GLB Act of 1999, the upper bounds for American options, the spread-based models for the valuation of credit derivatives, the empirical evidence on the evolution of corporate borrowers, the determinants of private debt source, and the underlying causes and resolution policies for the systematic banking crises. This is a valuable addition to the research of finance. It contains contributions from key figures the world of finance; and offers broad coverage.

This is the 15th volume in a series examining research in finance. It examines issues such as indirect financial distress and sales performance, stock market volatility and the business cycle, the behaviour of futures prices, and curved option pay-offs.

New knowledge and new thinking in human health, science, religion, and current affairs use questions and answers to many complex issues that are affecting peoples' lives all over the world. The new theory will unravel the old myths and inherited old wrong knowledge since ancient time. The topics such as: The origin of living things (plants and animals), Intelligent design/God theory vs. Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, How to lose weight without spending any money, The United States health care system, Middle East peace talks-new ideas and new thinking, How to solve terrorism, and the war problems, New role for the United Nations to play in twenty-first century, New role for CIA to play in each country. In each chapter, he raises the most important issues confronting human life around the world, and then gives the direct and practical answers. Sixty-One Questions and Answers for New Knowledge and New Thinking in the Twenty-First Century covers many diverse and interesting subjects. You will gain new knowledge and learn many new ideas. These new ideas are very practical and offer direct answers to all the unrealistic concepts and misinformation spread in the past thousand years.

Since its first appearance in 1979, Research in Finance has been publishing papers that cover important and interesting issues in finance and economics. The topics found in the series span a wide range; previous volumes have included papers on corporate financial management policy, asset pricing and investment management, corporate control and governance, bank regulations and management, and the analysis of financial derivatives and their applications in risk management and in venture capital investment. These papers, among others, have made significant contributions to the literature.
In this volume, Bajaj, Vijh and Westerfield present evidence showing that ownership structure affects a firm's agency costs of cash flow, which, in turn, influences the market's reaction to changes in the firm's dividend policy. McNabb and Martin examine the relationship between managerial entrenchment and the effectiveness of internal governance mechanisms and the firm performances. In their paper, Kang, Karim and Rutledge apply a relative excess value ratio approach to empirically examine the association between the CEO compensations and the firms' performances. And Almisher, Buell and Kish, using accounting beta as a proxy for ex ante systematic risk of a firm, find a strong positive relationship between the firm's systematic risk and the subsequent degree of underpricing of its IPO.
Also in this volume, Kwan and Wilcox show the disparity between accounting and actual cost reductions in bank mergers, and point out the importance of avoiding the accounting bias in reporting the cost reduction in bank mergers. Gunther and Siems empirically find that a desire to hedge balance sheet positions andhaving a strong capital position are the key motivations for banks' involvement in derivatives activities. Shyu and Reichert examine the key financial and regulatory factors that determine the derivatives activities of both U.S. and foreign banks. In their paper, Yin, Wu and Chen explore the joint effects of the changes in capital regulation and deposit insurance system on banks' returns and risks in Taiwan.
Based upon the one-factor equilibrium term structure model of Cox-Ingersoll-Ross, Chen and Chaudhury examine the market values and dynamic interest rate risks of existing swap positions. Chang and Ho derive formula of duration for different bonds under the Heath-Jarrow-Morton model of term structure and compare the relative performances of dynamic and static immunization strategies. In their paper, Boyle, Byoun and Park use intraday transactions data to show that the S&P 500 index option market leads the cash index, and that the lead-lag relation has resulted in a significant bias of the implied volatility that confirms their theoretical conjecture. Finally, Bubna uses a moral hazard model to address issues in the formation of syndicates in venture capital industry and to present some useful policy implications.
May the contributions within this volume be of significant interest and usefulness to its readers. And may Research in Finance continue to publish papers of the highest caliber, to the benefit of academics and practitioners alike.

Approximately fifty million people in the United States have no health insurance. Dr. Charles Chen, an obstetrician and gynecologist for almost thirty years, agrees with many people in this country that health insurance should cover every citizen, not just those who can afford to pay the rates.

"A Plan for a Single Payer Health Care System" takes an in-depth look at every aspect of our current health care system and provides a strategic plan, along with innovative solutions for reforming the system.

In an easy-to-understand format, Dr. Chen provides clear definitions and the pros and cons of utilizing three potential health care systems. Dr. Chen presents the results from his research on several international health care systems and then proposes the best solution for America. He recommends several concrete ideas, including establishing a Department of the National Health Care System, requesting the support of large corporations who pay high medical premiums for employees, and allowing uninsured citizens to purchase a low-cost health plan from the government.

The ability to receive medical treatment should be a basic human right. Dr. Chen's plan for improvement helps shine a bright light on a situation that has quickly become critical for this country. His plan will ultimately help ensure that all citizens have access to health insurance.

"A Plan for a Single-Payer Health Care System" takes an in-depth look at every aspect of our current health care system and provides a strategic plan, along with innovative solutions for reforming the system.

In an easy-to-understand format, Dr. Chen provides clear definitions and the pros and cons of utilizing three potential health care systems. Dr. Chen presents the results from his research on several international health care systems and then proposes the best solution for America. He recommends several concrete ideas, including establishing a Department of the National Health Care System, requesting the support of large corporations who pay high medical premiums for employees, and allowing uninsured citizens to purchase a low-cost health plan from the government.

The ability to receive medical treatment should be a basic human right. Dr. Chen's plan for improvement helps shine a bright light on a situation that has quickly become critical for this country. His plan will ultimately help ensure that all citizens have access to health insurance.

This volume consists of original research articles examining timely issues in financial services, asset pricing, and hedging. The articles in the first part of the volume deal with methods for assessing the safety and soundness of banks, rationales for and economic consequences of bank mergers, valuation effects of lender environmental liability, option-theoretic explanations of the closed-end mutual fund discount, and contingent-claims analysis of price-matching refunds. Articles in the second part of the volume study consumption smoothing and the equity premium puzzle, the yield spread of tax-deductible preferred stock, fitting a jump-diffusion model of currency futures options, duration effects on hedge ratios of currency futures, and dynamics between foreign exchange and stock markets in Southeast Asian economies.

The first section in Volume 1 describes the fundamentals of nutrition and aging which include research strategies for the study of nutrition and aging. The nutritional modulation of the aging process which has provided a major breakthrough in the field of nutrition and longevity is also discussed. These include biomedical influences, and social and psychological aspects. Section 3 includes dietary characteristics of the elderly population and methods for the assessment of nutritional status. The nutritional status of the elderly with respect to individual nutrients as determined by dietary survey and by biochemical methods is described in Section 4. Section 4 also includes discussion on nutrient metabolism, requirements, nutritional imbalances, and deficiencies of nutrients. Energy metabolism and obesity as a factor in pathogenesis of diseases are also discussed.

In the first section of Volume 2, toxicological factors affecting nutritional status are discussed. Medications and alcohol may affect nutritional status. Section 2 provides a discussion of nutrition-related diseases which occur more frequently among the elderly. Cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are the leading causes of death in the U.S. The relative importance of cardiovascular diseases, in terms of all deaths for the given age group, rises steadily with age. The death rate from these diseases is 28% for the middle age group (35 to 44) and is 69% for the old age group (age 75 and above. This reflects the continued progression of artherosclerosis with aging. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. The death rate from cancer also rises steadily with age. The death rate from diabetes mellitus increases progressively with age and more rapidly after the age of 45. The incidence of diabetes mellitus is 0.23% under age 25 and 6.2% over 45.

This volume contains contributions on a range of important issues in current research in finance and economics. Topics include the design of a country's financial safety nets, the effective policies of acquiring failed banks in reducing moral hazard problems, the voluntary disclosure of real options by corporate managers, and the interrelationship between the housing and general economic activities. Some important topics such as the choice between stock and options as compensation vehicles in the presence of bankruptcy risk, the NUA tax benefits in asset allocation in the retirement accounts, the heuristic approach of using ri/stdi to select securities in forming efficient portfolio, and the arbitrage opportunity in index options at the initial stage are also included in this volume. Finally, the contributions to this volume also address some problems that include the explanations of risk premiums on futures contracts, the optimal hedging decision in futures markets, and the pricing of Asian options subject to credit risk.

This volume covers such topics as financial distress and capital structure choice; optimal capital structure and valuation of the firm in multiperiod context; regression tests of the present value model of stock prices; and, intra-industry information transfers and stock repurchases.

Providing a complete review of existing work in music emotion developed in psychology and engineering, Music Emotion Recognition explains how to account for the subjective nature of emotion perception in the development of automatic music emotion recognition (MER) systems. Among the first publications dedicated to automatic MER, it begins with a comprehensive introduction to the essential aspects of MER-including background, key techniques, and applications. This ground-breaking reference examines emotion from a dimensional perspective. It defines emotions in music as points in a 2D plane in terms of two of the most fundamental emotion dimensions according to psychologists-valence and arousal. The authors present a computational framework that generalizes emotion recognition from the categorical domain to real-valued 2D space. They also: Introduce novel emotion-based music retrieval and organization methods Describe a ranking-base emotion annotation and model training method Present methods that integrate information extracted from lyrics, chord sequence, and genre metadata for improved accuracy Consider an emotion-based music retrieval system that is particularly useful for mobile devices The book details techniques for addressing the issues related to: the ambiguity and granularity of emotion description, heavy cognitive load of emotion annotation, subjectivity of emotion perception, and the semantic gap between low-level audio signal and high-level emotion perception. Complete with more than 360 useful references, 12 example MATLAB (R) codes, and a listing of key abbreviations and acronyms, this cutting-edge guide supplies the technical understanding and tools needed to develop your own automatic MER system based on the automatic recognition model.

A total of eleven papers in this volume represent recent research on important topics in finance. The contributions include analyses of issues relating to asset prices, the behavior of stock returns, and capital-raising activities. Hodges, et al. employ stochastic dominance arguments to show that the efficiency of time diversification depends on the degree of autocorrelation in security returns. In their study of the announcement effects of ninety-three minority equity investments, Chan, et. al. find a neutral stock price response on average for acquiring firms but a significantly positive response for selling firms. Nguyen, et al. provide evidence on the returns structure of U.S. information technology stocks surrounding the bursting of the internet bubble in early 2000. In a study of the informational effects of auditor reputation, Godby and Mahar, Jr. find that implied volatilities for firms audited by Andersen have increased relative to those for firms audited by other Big Five firms. Charaput and Chang find that the usage of installment receipts enhances liquidity in Canadian secondary equity offerings.

The contributions to this volume also examine important issues in international finance and financial institutions. Brailsford, et al. use a VECM technique to examine Purchasing Power Parity and causality between the yen and the dollar. Sarmas studies the impact of Hong Kong's fixed exchange rate system and Singapore's floating exchange rate system on the correlation between the US and the two respective countries' stock markets. Povel develops a theoretical model to explain multiple banking as a commitment device. Baer, et al. develop a model and empirically examine how thecreation of a futures clearinghouse can reduce the need for margin in bilateral and multilateral settings. Roberts and Siddiqi provide an empirical analysis of the link between collateralization and the number of lenders in private debt contracts. Finally, Tripp et al. empirically examine the relative efficiency of single versus multiple common bond credit unions.

This is the 17th volume in a series examining research in finance.

Exciting work in the past decade has revealed commonalities and differences among individual cell fusion events. In Cell Fusion: Overviews and Methods, a team of leading experts provide a collection of overviews that outline our current understanding of cell fusion and methods that present classic and state-of-the-art experimental approaches in a variety of systems. Divided into two convenient parts, the volume begins with nine overviews which describe different cell fusion events in models from yeast to mammals, and it continues with thirteen chapters illustrating commonly used methods to assay cell fusion in particular systems. As a part of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series, these methods chapters compile step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols with lists of the necessary materials and reagents, along with tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and user-friendly, Cell Fusion: Overviews and Methods serves as a comprehensive resource for anyone, expert or novice, interested in the fascinating biological process of cell fusion.

Addressing two cornerstone areas in the field of water sustainability, management and technology, this two-volume set provides the most comprehensive coverage of the topic available. It presents best practices as a foundation and stresses emerging technologies and strategies that facilitate water sustainability for future generations. Timely water topics like unconventional oil and gas development, global warming with changing precipitation patterns, integration of water and energy sustainability, and green manufacturing are discussed. The first volume covers strategy and management issues, such as water resource planning, water resource supply systems and use patterns, policy making, and implementation of proper regulations as an integrated part of the solution or approach toward water sustainability. It discusses best management practices for water resource allocation, groundwater protection, and water quality assurance, especially for rural, arid, and underdeveloped regions of the world. The second volume covers cost-effective water treatment and reclamation technologies. Emphasis is placed on emerging nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology applications as well as sustainable processes and products to protect the environment and human health, save water and energy, and minimize material use.

While the world's population continues to grow, the availability of water remains constant. Facing the looming water crisis, society needs to tackle strategic management issues as an integrated part of the solution toward water sustainability. The first volume in the two-volume set Sustainable Water Management and Technologies offers readers a practical and comprehensive look at such key water management topics as water resource planning and governance, water infrastructure planning and adaption, proper regulations, and water scarcity and inequality. It discusses best management practices for water resource allocation, ground water protection, and water quality assurance, especially for rural, arid, and underdeveloped regions of the world. Timely topics such as drought, ecosystem sustainability, climate change, and water management for shale oil and gas development are presented. Discusses best practices for water resource allocation, ground water protection, and water quality assurance. Offers chapters on urban, rural, arid, and underdeveloped regions of the world. Describes timely topics such as drought, ecosystem sustainability, climate change, and water management for shale oil and gas development. Covers water resource planning and governance, water infrastructure planning and adaptation, proper regulations, and water scarcity and inequality Discusses water resource monitoring, efficiency, and quality management.

Development of advanced technologies is a critical component in overcoming the looming water crisis. Stressing emerging technologies and strategies that facilitate water sustainability for future generations, the second volume in the two-volume set Sustainable Water Management and Technologies provides current and forthcoming technologies research, development, and applications to help ensure availability of water for all. The book emphasizes emerging nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology applications as well as sustainable processes and products to protect the environment and human health, save water and energy, and minimize material use. It also discusses such topics as groundwater transport, protection, and remediation, industrial and wastewater treatment, reuse, and disposal, membrane technology for water purification and desalination, treatment and disposal in unconventional oil and gas development, biodegradation, and bioremediation for soil and water. Stresses emerging technologies and strategies that facilitate water sustainability. Covers a wide array of topics including drinking water, wastewater, and groundwater treatment, protection, and remediation. Discusses oil and gas drilling impacts and pollution prevention, membrane technology for water desalination and purification, biodegradation, and bioremediation for soil and water. Details emerging nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology applications, as well as sustainable processes and products.

This volume contains contributions on a range of important issues in current research in finance and economics. Topics include the IPO underwriting spreads, the moral hazard problems in bank regulation as well as in the cost of deposit insurance, the loan yield spreads, and the aggregate bank performance at the state-level. The topics in global investments such as diversification benefits, overreaction and seasonality among international stock markets are also included in this volume. The contributions to this volume also address the appropriate asset allocation of hedge funds, the effects of partial hedging in incentive stocks and options, the relation between board size and firm performance, the impact of higher oil prices on stock market returns, and the futures hedging effectiveness with alternative settlement specifications in the contracts. This volume contains articles contributed by leading experts in finance and economics. It includes articles on the hot topics of oil-prices and hedge-funds.

Eleven papers in this volume present some current interesting and important research in finance. Based upon the CAPM, Chen and Kane show that double taxation and differential tax rates on a personal and capital-gains income, affect corporate stock values and financial policies in nonneutral ways. Sengupta shows tax evasion decisions of a monopolist in a price-ceiling regulatory environment. In their paper, Osterberg and Thomson empirically examine the impact of state-level deposit preference laws on resolution type and costs for all operating FDIC-BIF insured commercial banks that were closed, or required FDIC financial assistance, from January 1986 through December 1992. Peek and Wilcox show that during periods of international financial crises, or of domestic economic stress, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are well suited to stabilize mortgage markets. In their paper, Chen, Robinson and Siems empirically show the association between banks' subordinated debt and their loan sales activities and its implications in the transmission mechanism of monetary policy.

Also in this volume, Lin et al. use the Granger causality test to examine the linkage between the euro exchange rate and the money supply and GDP in the euro community, as well as its impact on the UK exchange rate and the London stock exchange market index. In their paper, Kane and Muzere extend the Diamond-Dybvig model of bank runs to an open market economy and show that adding the central banks and the IMF, guarantees will reduce, but not eliminate the banking as well as currency crises. The paper by Chung et al. empirically shows the presence of a long memory, property in currency, future markets, anddiscusses its hedging implications. In their paper, Lee, Lee and Yu develop a valuation model for the pension benefit guarantees that incorporates the plan termination conditions as well as a stochastic interest rate. In a case study, Hung et al. empirically show that the specially designed dividends (SDD) have positive signals in the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Finally, in their paper, Guerard and Mark show that the use of an R&D quadratic term enhances the mean-variance efficient portfolios and stockholder returns.