The Department for Work and Pensions does not yet have enough evidence to demonstrate that its activities to reduce the cost of mistakes by customers have been value for money. Mistakes made by claimants in the information they provide to the Department, termed customer error, are difficult to detect, correct and prevent. The scale of overpayments and underpayments demonstrate a clear imperative for improvement. Mistakes made by customers are difficult for the Department to tackle because they often arise from a change in customers' circumstances, which customers may not realise they have to tell the Department about. Overpayments due to customer error, which are estimated at £1.1 billion in 2009-10, represent a substantial loss to the taxpayer. And underpayments, which were approximately £800 million in 2009-10, can cause hardship for the families affected. The establishment by the Department of the Fraud and Error Council shows a commitment to tackling fraud and error, but there is little evidence that sufficient attention has been paid to reducing losses due to customer mistakes. The Department launched a five year strategy for tackling error in January 2007 but there has been no discernible decrease between 2006-07 and 2009-10 in underpayments and overpayments due to customer error as a percentage of total benefits expenditure. The Department and its agencies do not yet have enough information to target initiatives effectively. Nor is there enough consistently measured data on the costs and benefits of interventions.

The dangers inherent in the financial system make understanding risk management essential for anyone working in, or planning to work in, the financial sector. A practical resource for financial professionals and students alike, Risk Management and Financial Institutions, Fourth Edition explains all aspects of financial risk as well as the way financial institutions are regulated, to help readers better understand financial markets and potential dangers. Fully revised and updated, this new edition features coverage of new regulatory issues, liquidity risk, and stress testing. In addition, end-of-chapter practice problems and a website featuring supplemental materials designed to provide a more comprehensive learning experience make this the ultimate learning resource. Written by acclaimed risk management expert, John Hull, Risk Management and Financial Institutions is the only book you need to understand—and respond to—financial risk. The new edition of the financial risk management bestseller Describes the activities of different types of financial institutions, explains how they are regulated, and covers market risk, credit risk, operational risk, liquidity risk, and model risk Features new coverage of new regulatory issues, liquidity risk, and stress testing Provides readers with access to a supplementary website offering software and unique learning aids Author John Hull is one of the most respected authorities on financial risk management A timely update to the definitive resource on risk in the financial system, Risk Management and Financial Institutions + Website, Fourth Edition is an indispensable resource from internationally renowned expert John Hull.

Parallel computer architectures are now going to real applications! This fact is demonstrated by the large number of application areas covered in this book (see section on applications of parallel computer architectures). The applications range from image analysis to quantum mechanics and data bases. Still, the use of parallel architectures poses serious problems and requires the development of new techniques and tools. This book is a collection of best papers presented at the first workshop on two major research activities at the Universitiit Erlangen-Niirnberg and Technis che Universitiit Miinchen. At both universities, more than 100 researchers are working in the field of multiprocessor systems and network configurations and methods and tools for parallel systems. Indeed, the German Science Founda tion (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) has been sponsoring the projects under grant numbers SFB 182 and SFB 342. Research grants in the form of a Sonder forschungsbereich are given to selected German Universities in portions of three years following a thoroughful reviewing process. The overall duration of such a research grant is restricted to 12 years. The initiative at Erlangen-Niirnberg was started in 1987 and has been headed since this time by Prof. Dr. H. Wedekind. Work at TU-Miinchen began in 1990, head of this initiative is Prof. Dr. A. Bode. The authors of this book are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for its continuing support in the field of research on parallel processing. The first section of the book is devoted to hardware aspects of parallel systems.

Short-term load forecasting (STLF) plays a key role in the formulation of economic, reliable, and secure operating strategies (planning, scheduling, maintenance, and control processes, among others) for a power system and will be significant in the future. However, there is still much to do in these research areas. The deployment of enabling technologies (e.g., smart meters) has made high-granularity data available for many customer segments and to approach many issues, for instance, to make forecasting tasks feasible at several demand aggregation levels. The first challenge is the improvement of STLF models and their performance at new aggregation levels. Moreover, the mix of renewables in the power system, and the necessity to include more flexibility through demand response initiatives have introduced greater uncertainties, which means new challenges for STLF in a more dynamic power system in the 2030–50 horizon. Many techniques have been proposed and applied for STLF, including traditional statistical models and AI techniques. Besides, distribution planning needs, as well as grid modernization, have initiated the development of hierarchical load forecasting. Analogously, the need to face new sources of uncertainty in the power system is giving more importance to probabilistic load forecasting. This Special Issue deals with both fundamental research and practical application research on STLF methodologies to face the challenges of a more distributed and customer-centered power system.

Thousands die or are injured each year in automobile crashes. Reducing the number of these tragedies requires reframing our approach to vehicle- and human-based transportation mobility and depends on whether the mobility industry and individual human drivers take a more aggressive approach to saving lives and preventing injuries. Bringing automated driving systems technologies into the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and connected vehicle space will help humans drive more safely and better prepare us for automated vehicles (AVs). Reducing Human Driver Error and Setting Realistic Expectations with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems discusses the recent Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety report which shows that ADAS can indeed work. The path forward requires combining ADAS and ADS implementation with infrastructure engineering, law enforcement, education, emergency response, and public policy, with the goal of reaching zero deaths and serious injuries. It also requires fully embracing the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System approach, backed by the addition of public policies that incorporate and expand ADAS’s role in achieving that safe system. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2023016

The Global Food Policy Report is IFPRI’s flagship publication. This year’s annual report examines major food policy issues, global and regional developments, and commitments made in 2015, and presents data on key food policy indicators. The report also proposes key policy options for 2016 and beyond to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the global community made major commitments on sustainable development and climate change. The global food system lies at the heart of these commitments—and we will only be able to meet the new goals if we work to transform our food system to be more inclusive, climate-smart, sustainable, efficient, nutrition- and health-driven, and business-friendly.