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Endogenous Price Commitment, Sticky and Leadership Pricing: Evidence from the Italian Petrol Market
Andreoli-Versbach, Patrick
Franck, Jens-Uwe
Patrick Andreoli-Versbach
This article studies dynamic pricing strategies in the Italian gasoline market before and after the market leader unilaterally announced its commitment to adopt a sticky-pricing policy. Using daily Italian firm level prices and weekly average EU prices, we show that the effect of the new policy was twofold. First, it facilitated price alignment and coordination on price changes. After the policy change, the observed pricing pattern shifted from cost-based to sticky-leadership pricing. Second, using a dif-in-dif estimation and a synthetic control group, we show that the causal effect of the new policy was to significantly increase prices through sticky-leadership pricing. Our paper highlights the importance of price-commitment by a large firm in order to sustain (tacit) collusion.
Andreoli-Versbach, Patrick & Franck, Jens-Uwe, 2013. "Endogenous Price Commitment, Sticky and Leadership Pricing: Evidence from the Italian Petrol Market," Discussion Papers in Economics 16182, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
Handle: RePEc:lmu:muenec:16182
File URL: https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/16182/1/AndreoliVersbach_Franck_2013_1.pdf
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tacit collusion; leadership pricing; sticky pricing; endogenous commitment;
K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
L71 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction - - - Mining, Extraction, and Refining: Hydrocarbon Fuels
NEP-COM-2013-08-05 (Industrial Competition)
NEP-ENE-2013-08-05 (Energy Economics)
NEP-HME-2013-08-05 (Heterodox Microeconomics)
NEP-IND-2013-08-05 (Industrial Organization)
NEP-LAW-2013-08-05 (Law & Economics)
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Japanese IPhone App Debuts
By Peter Cohen
Codefromtokyo has announced Japanese 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. It's available for purchase and download from the App Store and costs US$19.99.
Designed as a Japanese language aid for those learning Japanese and those who need to speak it, Japanese features more than 127,000 entries. It works offline, and lets you browse through the vocabulary or search through an entry.
Entries are then displayed in their Japanese form along with a romanized transcription, to aid users who are not already familiar with Hiragana/Katakana. Verbs, adjectives and counters are displayed along with their conjoined forms. Entries are grouped into lists like "economics," "food" and "sport" to make them easy to find.
The software also features drawing animations for about 2,500 kanji characters--1945 "daily-use" kanji are included along with 555 kanji commonly used in Japanese names. Proverbs, common expressions and Hiragana/katakana charts are also included.
Japanese requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iPhone 2.0 software.
This story, "Japanese IPhone App Debuts" was originally published by Macworld.

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This is my first repository to learn coding
Don't have much to say at this point. Getting into the game late to learn coding but an old dog can always learn new tricks.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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FALLO ARANCIBIA CLAVEL PDF
Enrique Arancibia Clavel was a member of Chile's intel- ligence service .. See " Constitucionalistas apoyan el fallo de la Cámara",. December 22, (Publication Date: ) Cuarta compilación de fallos y resoluciones de la Justicia Hernán I. Schapirocomenta el fallo "Arancibia Clavel", en el que la Corte. Argentina' por la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos," Fallos .. [ National Supreme Court of Justice], 24/8/, "Arancibia Clavel, Enrique Lautaro s/.
Author: Gule Mikak
Uploader: Tekree
During the s, under the presidency of Carlos Menem in Argentina and Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle in Chile, they resolved almost all of their disputes and both countries began to work together both economically and militarily.
Beagle conflict – Wikipedia
We therefore believe that this is the necessary starting point for any analysis of compliance with IAHRS decisions within national contexts. Cherif Bassiouni, International Crimes: Parece un contrasentido concluir que los arts. Tribunales Militares y graves violaciones de derechos humanos. La mujer en las instituciones armadas y policiales.
For a long time after its first exploration by Europeans, the region of Patagonia and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago remained free from colonial settlements because of its inhospitable climate, harsh conditions and sparse local vegetation. En efecto, los textos mencionados expresamente en el art.
Los tribunales en tiempos de paz se conformaban por consejos permanentes y no permanentes. It can be observed that the State has begun to comply in some respects.
Beagle conflict
Not surprisingly, the Court resorted to similar arguments to solve the case. The second strategy adopted by the Court was one of harmonization of international and domestic rules.
Applying the methodology used in the study published last year, we can classify the measures demanded of the State into six categories: Snipe incident and List of incidents during the Beagle conflict. This brings us to reinforce the hypothesis presented in the previous section: In the Argentine government solicited Chile to define jointly which was the deepest arm of the Beagle channel in the zone in order to find the demarcation of the border.
Esta ley tuvo posteriormente diversas reglamentaciones. Direct negotiations between Chile and Argentina in — The ruling was especially relevant because the members of the Court did not fully agree with the judicial criteria employed by the IACHR Court, and they listed several critiques of the procedure that was undertaken in that international forum.
DESENHO E ANATOMIA VICTOR PERARD PDF
Surprisingly, the interpretation of this phrase presented some legal discrepancies, even though the intentions of the Constituent Assembly had been clear.
The Implementation of Decisions from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Argentina
En definitiva escapa a la vivencia falllo sus protagonistas y afectados. Perhaps the most relevant falll where a treaty was said to outrank the National Constitution can be found in In this paper I will explore the mechanisms by which the councils of war or military courts that were involved in the last military dictatorship in Argentina, acted on the border between legality and illegality within the framework of the legal repressive apparatus of that time.
He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Reading School of Law. Ver la ley The detention of alleged spies on both sides of the border, the following border closure by Argentina on 28 Apriland the Argentine repudiation of the General Treaty on the Judicial Aracnibia of Disputes in January maintained the danger of war.
Universidad de Buenos Aires. Second, it effectively converted all waters enclosed by the baselines into Chilean internal waters where navigational rights for Argentina would exist only through explicit agreements with Chile.
Crimen, castigo y cultura en la Argentina, — Gustavo Carranza Latrubesse was a first instance judge from the province of Chubut who had been removed from his position by the military government in This page was last edited on 17 Septemberat Los Consejos de Guerra en la Argentina. The clqvel was to examine the changes in doctrine undergone by the court, in order to understand its position with respect to the obligations emerging aranfibia the IAHRS.
I, II y IX. A somewhat similar incident occurred when Argentine militar aircraft warned and then buzzed a Chilean warship proceeding toward the Strait of Magellan from the Falklands islands, because of the lack of prior notification and refusal of the vessel to identify itself once discovered.
La cifra inicial fue de La deriva neopunitivista de organismos y activistas como causa arancibai desprestigio actual de los derechos humanos. Decisions made by fallk Argentine Junta regarding disputed islands, — Archived 25 April at the Wayback Machine. On 29 November Argentina and Chile signed a protocol of agreement to a treaty at Vatican City giving the islands to Chile but maritime rights to Argentina.
LIBRO DE STAUROFILA PDF
The claimants appealed this decision, and reached the Supreme Court. This was the most dangerous phase of the Beagle conflict; open warfare seemed a real possibility [2]: Journal of International Criminal Justice, 3, — Voices from Latin America and Spain pp.
Cuadernos de trabajo del Instituto de Estudios e Investigaciones. However, the operation was aborted within a few hours. Their appeals were in turn successively dismissed, and they decided to take the case to the Inter-American system.
Los Consejos De Guerra Durante La Última Dictadura Militar Argentina (–)
There was a controversy about the east end of the Straits of Magellan. The Court b also confirmed its traditional position regarding customary international law, now providing it with constitutional foundations. However, issues could not always be easily resolved when the Argentine legislation came into conflict with the international obligations assumed by the State.
The conflict began in with the first official Argentine claims over the islands that had always been under Chilean control. And third, iii international treaties were considered to have the same hierarchy as domestic laws9, their aranciibia being governed by principles such as lex specialis and lex posterioris When the case once again reached the Supreme Court, the tribunal dismissed it, holding that the Executive had no standing to bring the case.
Temas de derechos humanos. En particular, ha destacado que el art.
The jurisprudential history showed a marked tendency toward cavel protection of the principle of constitutional hierarchy, followed by the self-recognition of the CSJN as the highest court. The west end of the Straits of Magellan was also a cause of conflict.
BLOQUE DE CONSTITUCIONALIDAD RODRIGO UPRIMNY PDF
EL ANILLO DE GIGES LIBRO PDF
LA CURA TIBETANA DEL AJO PDF
AVENTURAS DE KALIMAN EN PDF
DESCARGAR GRATIS LA TEOGONIA EN PDF
CARTILLA DECLARACION DE RENTA 2013 DIAN PDF
HIJOS DE LA MALINCHE OCTAVIO PAZ PDF
FORMULARIO SAT 1101 PDF
EL CONCEPTO DE FICCION SAER PDF
ERIC HOBSBAWM BANDITS PDF


Near-zero rates have squeezed margins at small banks, but they may benefit even more than megabanks like Citigroup and JPMorgan when rates rise, a former Fed official says.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- While smaller banks have been hurt more than their larger peers by the Federal Reserve's near-zero rates, they may benefit more, proportionately, when rates eventually rise.
It all comes down to their relationships, according to Ted Peters, CEO and Chairman of Philadelphia-based Bluestone Financial Institutions Fund. Prior to joining the Philadelphia-based firm, Peters served as a board member of the Philadelphia Fed from 2009 through 2014 and as CEO of two community banks.
"Community banks have very strong what we call 'core deposits,'" said Peters. "They have great relationships with their clients and because of that, there's a lot of money that's not overly price sensitive. If rates go up 100 basis points, a lot of these community banks will only have to increase their deposit rates 30-40 basis points, so you'll get an increased spread."
While large and small banks alike have struggled with low rates, the effect is more acute at small banks that are unable to rely on other lines of business when times are tough. Small banks deal primarily in loans and deposits, while their larger counterparts like JPMorgan Chase (JPM - Get Report) , Bank of America (BAC - Get Report) and Citigroup (C - Get Report) rely on investment and trading businesses to bolster revenues.
"Loan rates have come down faster than deposit rates have," Peters said. "You're getting a natural squeezing effect on what we call our net interest margin. The profitability of all banks, especially community banks, has been affected by low interest rates."
The Fed lowered interest rates to nearly zero to spur economic activity after the financial crisis of 2008-09, and markets have anticipated a rate hike prior to the end of this year as economic data -- particularly employment numbers -- improve.
Confidence regarding a near-term rate hike has dwindled in the past month, however, amid concern that a slowdown in China would hurt the U.S. economy.
Still, Peters remains hopeful that the Fed will begin raising rates soon, and the fund he manages is betting that small banks will benefit significantly from the action.
Furthering the projected success of small banks is their agility. When rates rise, the effect will be seen first in the net interest margin, the spread between the interest earned on loans versus the interest paid on deposits. And, thanks to their community relationships, even as repricing occurs on deposits, small banks won't face as much pressure to increase the interest they pay.
"In general, small banks will remain asset-sensitive, meaning, they will reprice their loans faster than they will reprice their deposits," Peter said. "Small banks will do well when interest rates start to increase."
The megabanks, of course, stand to benefit, too. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in a presentation Thursday morning that the Charlotte, N.C.-based company's net interest income might rise as much as $3.9 billion over the next 12 months as interest rates climb.
The value of the bank's $1.15 trillion deposit base would become more visible, too, he said.


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2016 Standard-Times Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year: Nudge from Dad helped push Old Rochester's Avery Nugent in the right direction
By Bill AbramsonContributing Writer
MATTAPOISETT — Avery Nugent has only been running three years, but it was far from beginner's luck that enabled the Old Rochester Regional senior to claim the Standard-Times Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year honors.
Before her sophomore year began, Avery acted upon a suggestion from her dad, Matt.
"My dad ran cross country in high school in Syracuse, New York, and loved it," Avery said. "He thought I'd like it so I figured I would give it a try. After all, I was swimming in the winter so cross country would help me get in shape for swimming. Then, I could use swimming to get ready for spring track."
Swimming was part of Avery's life since she was 11. Her mom, Emily, was a swimmer at Nashua, N.H., High School and Avery took up the sport at the Wareham YMCA. When Old Rochester began its swimming program, Avery was part of the 200-yard freestyle and 200 medley relay teams and competed in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke.
"In the second year of the high school program, I was part of the first-ever relay team to go to states (200 freestyle). I was proud to represent my team going for the first time in the new sport in our school. It was kind of cool."
By then though, the young swimmer-runner was going through some tough decision making about which sport to concentrate on.
"I thought about this for months," she explained. "It was a tough decision. I didn't care how good a swimmer I was. I was happiest on the track. All my friends, my teammates, all run, but they're my friends because they run. Everyone is there to push each other and we all hang out together."
A year ago, Nugent was the fifth runner on the very powerful Bulldogs team, which graduated two of its top seven.
In order to improve, Nugent and junior Maddie Martin attended Coach Cindy Tilden's conditioning camp on summer evenings. They went to a running camp in the Berkshires where they ran various distances, but also learned how to eat right and sleep better with performance in mind.
The two are almost inseparable, especially on the course.
"Maddie beat me at the All-States," Nugent said. "We're both energetic people. At the Nationals (Northeast Regional at Bowdoin Park in Wappinger Falls, New York), we ran together so we could push each other. Our team finished last out of 27 teams."
Nugent won her race with Martin, finishing 130th in 21:07.9 to Martin's 132nd at 21:10.5.
"I'm a chaser," Nugent explained. "I try to get a good start, but I'm not trying to keep a fast pace in the beginning. I look at the next runner in front of me and try to rein people in. I usually pick up runners in the last half-mile."
Coach Tilden noticed the change in her returning senior.
"Avery has taken over a minute off her time from last year and has moved up from our number five from last season to our number one this season," Tilden said. "Her leadership, hard work and team dedication has earned her the role as captain this season."
Not afraid of new challenges, Nugent went to Stonehill College and took two classes in Project Contemporary Competitiveness during the summer.
"I chose forensics and marine biology, two different things," she pointed out. "I thought they'd be something that would interest me, but they didn't."
After two years on student government, Nugent decided to focus on her running and academics. She likes the sciences and psychology. She also likes doing projects, "collecting stuff and presenting it in an organized way."
"I'm so thankful for Cindy," Avery said. "She is such a positive influence and presents so many resources to work hard. Even if I have a bad race, it's one of the most positive things in my life. I can't think of not running."


Most people are searhing for the best diet. A diet that permits you to consume the entire yummy things you need and but still shed weight. Why does there need to be this kind of disparity in between an ideal diet regime and also a actual just one. The true ones are all determined by this restriction or that 1. No carbs, no fats or large calorie foods, your whole favourite stuff is off boundaries. As a substitute you might have to stay to fruits, green leafy veggies, large fiber stuff, and foodstuff with very low calories.
Here's a speedy study of some quickly weight loss diet plan so that you can familiarize oneself with them.
The Cabbage Soup food plan is legendary. This eating plan incorporates a several variation but at its foundation is you eat cabbage soup any time you are hungry and it'll fill you up so that you can continue to be around the diet plan. Even though you happen to be carrying out the cabbage soup diet regime things like oils and fats are off restrictions. This diet regime is simply the opposite side of a entire fast; it can be a very low calorie food plan and so you're able to shed many weight on it Different Diets.
The Sonoma eating plan is definitely the creation of Dr. Connie Gutterson. It can be higher in antioxidant loaded foods, vegatables and fruits, blueberries, spinach, entire grains. Heck you can also have a very very little purple wine with this particular one particular. It is also a really efficient eating plan and you also can eliminate plenty of body weight on it.
Trim Fast because the center piece of your diet regime also is effective. This also can certainly be a balanced, nutritional diet which will come comprehensive with calcium and protein. On this diet you eat Slim Fast 6 periods on a daily basis and you simply get to incorporate in fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, new veggies, meat, and nuts. This diet plan is one which having a tiny treatment it is possible to enjoy staying on; it even functions for adolescents.
Future could be the damaging calorie diet plan, truly it is actually more similar to a food plan helper. On this eating plan you consume foods that have less energy in comparison to the variety of energy it requires to digest them. They are large fiber items, meals with small body fat, fruits and veggies. Roughage is a significant component of the damaging calorie diet program. You can not support but shed pounds for the reason that it will take much more calories to digest than you're taking in by feeding on it.
All these meal plans get the job done but sad to say they aren't weight loss plans which you can stick to. Your whole body might be in complete insurrection if endeavor to stick to any of these too extensive, then your fat may possibly sling shot back the other way.


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Stripping the great saphenous vein is not without its limitations, Bergan noted. "Those who report results have not used the life table method which takes into consideration dropouts and early and mid-term failures." He also raised other vital considerations, such as the initial and ongoing costs of equipment and disposables, reimbursement and procedure time, the availability of experienced ultrasound equipment operators, and the practitioner's own level of expertise and comfort.
While agreeing that foam sclerotherapy is effective, Dr Jose I Almeida, Miami Vein Center and Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, asserted that other therapies still have a vital place among varicose vein treatment options. "As a single modality, limitations do exist; common examples are saphenous veins greater than 12mm in diameter, perforating veins greater than 4mm in diameter and huge chronic varicosities on the skin surface. Foam sclerotherapy is inadequate for these conditions as a stand-alone treatment. When thermal ablation and phlebectomy are used in combination with foam therapy, most superficial venous problems can be treated successfully with a single treatment session," Almeida said.
Almeida then went on to discuss the merits of using ultrasound mapping and laser therapy, most notably Laser Assisted Distal Stripping (LADS). This approach that directly treats the complex architecture of veins that run parallel to the great saphenous vein. Almeida and his team use LADS to deal with this specific anatomy. This hybrid technique combines ablation of the proximal thigh great saphenous vein using endovenous laser treatment (EVLT). EVLT works by heating the inside of the malfunctioning great saphenous vein at the point where it meets the superficial accessory saphenous vein by guiding a very thin fiber laser through an endovenous sheath. This painlessly seals the vein shut. The distal superficial accessory saphenous vein is then removed by invagination stripping.
"With the LADS procedure we remove a troublesome faulty vein adherent to the skin and obviate the problem of laser-induced-staining of the skin. It is simple and gives a satisfactory cosmetic result," said Almeida. LADS enables patients to regain the smooth legs of their youth without suffering the invasive, painful procedures, risky anaesthetics or extended recoveries.
Finally, Dr Alun H Davies of the Imperial College at Charing Cross Hospital (London, UK), presented data on traditional open surgery vs. newer alternatives, and claimed that open surgery is still the superior ablation technique. He began by stating that the benefits of open surgery are well documented: "It is a well-studied procedure, having been performed for over a century; it is easy to teach to new doctors; and it is less expensive than newer procedures; and it generally needs to be performed only once," he commented. Moreover, he added that general complications include deep vein thrombosis (0.15%), pulmonary embolus (0.06%), and wound complication, including infection (2.2%).
In direct contrast, he argued that alternative ablation treatments have only been in use for ten years, so there are few studies documenting long-term effects; they require more specialised training for new doctors; and the costly devices and training required keeps procedure costs high. Unlike open surgery, doctors cannot view the anatomy and must rely on ultrasound instead; as a result, follow-up sclerotherapy or phlebectomy is often required four to six weeks after the initial procedure.
By contrast, the longest study of endovenous laser ablation available is only 39 months. Radiofrequency ablation is better documented; recent three-year study showed it had a significantly worse recurrence rate of 33% as compared to traditional open surgery, which showed a rate of only 23%. "These facts strongly suggest that newer endovascular procedures should be more thoroughly studied and compared with traditional open surgery, and that the best clinical practice is to empower patients with the information that they need to make a choice among them," he commented.


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While women are generally thought to survive divorce with fewer long-term problems than men, a new study shows that women have a larger gap between their perceived well-being when they are married and when they divorce than men.
The study was conducted by interviewing 131,159 Americans 18 and over as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index based on five basic factors: purpose, social, community, financial and physical. Among those who separated, stress levels were said to be at their highest, with 44.5 percent of separated men claiming that they were extremely stressed and 56 percent of women claiming the same thing, while only 36.8 percent of married people claim to be extremely stressed during an average day.
For divorcees, the gap between what men and women report is enough to be statistically significant. While women are more likely to be stressed on any given day, 47 percent of divorced women reported significant stress while only 40.3 percent of men reported the same problem. In fact, divorced men's stress levels drop almost back to that of the rest of the population's relatively quickly, while divorced women stay stressed longer.
Why Are Divorced Women So Stressed?
Women may suffer stress after a divorce for several reasons, including sudden financial burdens that they now bear alone rather than with a spouse, more expenses related to raising children or more expensive living conditions. However, men often face many of the same expenses as well as increases in their costs such as child support or alimony. Why women tend to be more stressed than men after a divorce is a question that will require more study to answer.
Both men and women who are suffering from extreme stress due to a divorce may find it helpful to speak with a counselor or someone else who can help them with stress management techniques. It is also important, if you are going through a divorce, to seek the support of your family and friends.
What Should I Do If I Am Facing A Divorce?
If you are facing divorce, separation, a child custody or support battle or any other family law issue, contact the attorneys at the Men's Legal Center today. These family law advocates are ready to help you face the issues surrounding the divorce and stand up for your rights. Contact us for a consultation to discuss your case and make a plan for the future.


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Dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Submit a Prayer
Litany to Our Mother
Online Retreat App
Redeemer Mary and You
Prayer of Gazing
The Glories of Mary
The Redemptorists
The Redemptorists are a congregation of priest and brothers who preach the gospel to the poor and most abandoned.
We also have a deep devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and are the keepers of her Icon at the Church of of Sant'Alfonso in Rome.
Our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, was a spiritual pioneer of 18th-century Italy. Concerned with the poor and spiritually abandoned, he brought the Christian traditions of prayer into the busy streets of his native Naples and neglected villages of the countryside, arousing the sentiments of the common people to seek God. He was named a doctor of the Church in 1871 by Pope Pius IX.
Of his many gifts, St. Alphonsus' understanding that the heart of contemplation is worked out in a person's daily struggle to forge a life that is built on unceasing prayer, moral behavior, and love of neighbor, remains his most enduring legacy.
Since 1866, the Redemptorists have spread devotion to Mary under the Icon and title of Mother of Perpetual Help. In that year the Redemptorists asked Pope Pius IX for permission to move the icon, formerly hung in the Church of St. Matthew in Rome, to their new church, San Alfonso, which was built on the location of St Matthew's. The pope gave his permission, and told the Redemptorists to "make her known throughout the world."
To preach the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned in a wounded world. In this spirit, we spread the good news of plentiful redemption from the slums of Abuja, Nigeria, and the banks of the Amazon in Brazil, to the rural hamlets of the Mississippi Delta. And in all that we do, we are inspired by a deep devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Redemptorists of the Denver Province
You can find us in soup kitchen, hospitals, in marriage prep programs, prison and deaf ministries, in inner city mentoring programs, and in parishes throughout the western United States, Nigeria and Brazil.
Learn more about the Redemptorists and join in our evangelical mission.


- The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to sustained labor market strength and firming economic growth.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000 for the week ended Oct. 22, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
That marked 86 straight weeks that claims have been below the 300,000 threshold, which is normally associated with a strong job market. That is the longest stretch since 1970, when the labor market was much smaller.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast first-time applications for jobless benefits falling to 255,000 in the latest week.
A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors influencing last week's data and that no states had been estimated.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 1,000 to 253,000 last week.
The claims report also showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid fell 15,000 to 2.04 million in the week ended Oct. 15, the lowest reading since June 2000.
The four-week average of the so-called continuing claims declined 6,250 to 2.05 million. That was the lowest level since July 2000. The continuing claims data covered the period of the household survey from which the unemployment rate is calculated.
The four-week average of continuing claims fell 64,500 between the September and October survey periods. That suggests the unemployment rate could fall this month from 5 percent in September.


If there's one thing I wish I didn't have to think about when it comes to beauty, it's definitely brows.
A well-executed arch can literally do wonders for the face, but when I'm all bleary-eyed in the mornings they're the first thing I mess up. So I'm always hoping a product will come along that makes it quick, easy and foolproof to have groomed brows.
Wunderbrow kept popping up in my Facebook feed accompanied by glowing testimonials, but I was always sceptical about it. It just seemed like one of those gimmicky products that get sold out of shopping centre kiosks – the kind that always makes miraculous claims but very rarely delivers. And at £20 it wasn't something I was going to risk.
Wunderbrow has to seriously be one of the most hyped products I have ever come across. It's sold as the answer to all your brow woes – waterproof, smudge-proof, transfer-proof and packed with PermaFix Gel technology that locks in colour and tiny hair-like fibres.
It claims to deliver denser-looking, defined arches that last up to three days! The company that makes this, Wunder2, have a range of similarly hyped up sounding products that claim to instantly erase wrinkles and the like.
Call me a cynic, but this approach immediately makes me sceptical. How can one company have so many earth-changing products? Wunderbrow is supposed to create 'a flexible matrix' that locks into place creating perfectly shaped brows.
It comes in a clear plastic mascara-style tube with a silver lid – nothing offensive and nice and lightweight to travel with.
The applicator is a little brush with short hairs, but I find that absolutely useless to apply the product as its nowhere near precise enough – this needs to be applied using an angled brush. Wunder2 do sell a separate brow brush to apply this with, so they obviously know the one in the tube applicator is useless.
That sort of annoys me – why not just correct the brush it comes with? It would be easy to change the brush to a shorter, angled one or even include a brush for the price this is.
The product itself is a medium-weight tinted gel that's fairly liquid but dries quickly. My main issue with the formula is that it's not pigmented enough.
This means that, although it's quite good on areas of your brows that already have enough hairs, if you have sparse patches like me, it's not great. The product works best where it grabs onto existing hairs, but the main reason I fill mine in is because I have areas with no hair.
As the product is not pigmented enough to tint the skin, it does nothing for these sparser patches, so to get the effect and the coverage I like, I have to also apply a brow powder or pencil afterwards.
Used on its own, this provides a very natural definition that would work for a 'no makeup' look, but it certainly won't deliver the groomed arches of my dreams. I honestly don't know how they are achieving the before and afters I see on social media because this isn't enough on its own.
Wunderbrow is definitely quite natural looking due to the texture it gives, and if you have quite thick brows, it probably works nicely on its own. Certainly, the lasting power is good. I wouldn't know if it actually lasts 3 days straight, simply because I'd never get that far without wanting to wash my face – although, in theory, this should even withstand washing.
You have to use an oil-based cleanser to remove all traces of this and although Wunder2 sell a specific removal product, you don't need that. If you don't have a cleanser to use, coconut or olive oil from the kitchen, baby oil or even Vaseline worked into your brows before following up with your usual face wash or wipes would work.
I do like the look this gives but I just wish it was a little better at filling in gaps and sparse areas - then it really would be worth the money.
Although this isn't a terrible product, it's certainly not the miracle I was expecting after seeing all the hype over it, and I'm really glad I didn't pay full price.
For anyone who needs a little more coverage, this won't be a single solution. I like the hold this gives, and it is long-lasting, but it would never be enough on its own for me without topping up with another product, plus the applicator is unbelievably rubbish.
At the end of the day, do we really need brows that stay on for three days straight?
I do like the tiny hair-like fibres, as it gives a nice soft finish, but the overall effect is not dissimilar to what could be achieved using a brow pencil and a basic clear mascara.
Wunderbrow is lacking the wow factor for me. If you have naturally thick arches that just need a small amount of definition and 'fixing' in place, you might love this, but for me, it falls short of the mark.


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Justia Patents Xavier Benavides Palos Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications
Patents by Inventor Xavier Benavides Palos
Xavier Benavides Palos has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Precision 6-DoF tracking for wearable devices
Abstract: Systems and methods are described for triggering, by a wearable computing device communicably coupled to an electronic device, a location-based request, receiving location data corresponding to a location of the electronic device, receiving altitude data corresponding to an altitude of the electronic device, detecting an initial orientation for the wearable computing device based on information from at least one sensor of the wearable computing device, generating, based on the initial orientation of the wearable computing device and location data of the electronic device, a real-world orientation for the wearable computing device, initiating tracking of the wearable computing device in response to receiving updated location data for the electronic device, and performing the location-based request based on the tracking.
Assignee: Google LLC
Inventors: Xavier Benavides Palos, Steven Soon Leong Toh
Snapping range for augmented reality
Abstract: A position of a cursor may be detected within an augmented reality (AR) display of a physical space captured by a camera. A snapping range of a snap-select function of the cursor may be dynamically changed in response to the position of the cursor. Accordingly, a user may place or hold a camera in a location to view an associated AR display, and may easily and precisely execute a snap-select function to select a desired AR object, even when the AR display includes AR objects that are of different sizes, or are different distances from the camera.
Inventor: Xavier Benavides Palos
Interaction between a viewer and an object in an augmented reality environment
Abstract: A method includes: triggering rendering of an augmented reality (AR) environment having a viewer configured for generating views of the AR environment; triggering rendering, in the AR environment, of an object with an outside surface visualized using a mesh having a direction oriented away from the object; performing a first determination that the viewer is inside the object as a result of relative movement between the viewer and the object; and in response to the first determination, increasing a transparency of the outside surface, reversing the direction of at least part of the mesh, and triggering rendering of an inside surface of the object using the part of the mesh having the reversed direction, wherein the inside surface is illuminated by light from outside the object due to the increased transparency.
Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
Inventors: Xavier Benavides Palos, Brett Barros
Positional recognition for augmented reality environment
Abstract: A method includes: receiving, in a first device, a relative description file for physical markers that are positioned at locations, the relative description file defining relative positions for each of the physical markers with regard to at least another one of the physical markers; initially localizing a position of the first device among the physical markers by visually capturing any first physical marker of the physical markers using an image sensor of the first device; and recognizing a second physical marker of the physical markers and a location of the second physical marker without a line of sight, the second physical marker recognized using the relative description file.
Inventors: Brett Barros, Xavier Benavides Palos
Content display property management
Abstract: Systems and methods for inserting and transforming content are provided. For example, the inserted content may include augmented reality content that is inserted into a physical space or a representation of the physical space such as an image. An example system and method may include receiving an image and identifying a physical location associated with a display management entity within the image. The example system and method may also include retrieving content display parameters associated with the display management entity. Additionally, the example system and method may also include identifying content to display and displaying the content using the display parameters associated with the display management entity.
Directing user attention
Abstract: Systems and methods for drawing attention to points of interest within inserted content are provided. For example, the inserted content may include augmented reality content that is inserted into a physical space or a representation of the physical space such as an image. An example system and method may include receiving an image and identifying content to display over the image. The system and method may also include identifying a location within the image to display the content and identifying a point of interest of the content. Additionally, the example system and method may also include triggering display of the content overlaid on the image by identifying a portion of the content based on the point of interest, rendering the portion of the content using first shading parameters; and rendering the content other than the portion using second shading parameters.
Inventors: Xavier Benavides Palos, Brett Barros, Paul Bechard
Switchable virtual reality headset and augmented reality device
Abstract: Systems, devices, and apparatuses for a switchable augmented reality and virtual reality device are provided. An example device includes a handle, a device chamber, a viewport assembly, and a hinge assembly. The handle may be formed from folded sheets of material. The example device chamber is coupled to the handle and formed from folded sheets of material. The viewport assembly may be formed at least in part from folded sheets of material. The example hinge assembly pivotably couples the device chamber to the viewport assembly. For example, the hinge assembly may be operable to adjust the device between a virtual reality configuration and an augmented reality configuration. A display of a computing device held in the device chamber may be viewable through the viewport assembly in the virtual reality configuration and the display may be viewable without the viewport assembly in the augmented reality configuration.
Inventors: Erik Hubert Dolly Goossens, Joost Korngold, Xavier Benavides Palos
Loading indicator in augmented reality environment
Abstract: A method includes: presenting, on a device, a view of at least part of an augmented reality (AR) environment, the AR environment including a first AR location corresponding to a first physical location in a physical environment; initiating a download to the device of first data representing a first AR object associated with the first AR location; assigning a size parameter to a first loading indicator for the first AR object based on a size of the first AR object; determining a spatial relationship between the view and the first physical location; and presenting the first loading indicator in the view, the first loading indicator having a size based on the assigned size parameter and being presented at a second AR location based on the determined spatial relationship.
Inventors: Xavier Benavides Palos, Rebecca Ackermann
Navigation in augmented reality environment
Abstract: A method includes: receiving, in a device, data defining an augmented reality (AR) environment, the data specifying a location of a first AR object in the AR environment; determining a physical inclination of the device; assigning a perception inclination to a map of the AR environment, the perception inclination based on the determined physical inclination; and triggering rendering of the map and an aspect of the AR environment on a display of the device, wherein the location of the first AR object is marked on the map and the map appears to have the perception inclination with regard to the display.
Tactile interaction in virtual environments
Abstract: Tactile virtual reality (VR) and/or mixed reality (MR) experiences are described. Techniques described herein include receiving data from a sensor and accessing a position and an orientation of a real object that is physically present in a real scene. Furthermore, techniques described herein include identifying the real object based at least in part on the position and the orientation of the real object and causing a graphical element corresponding to the real object to be rendered on a display of a VR and/or MR display device. The graphical element can be determined based at least in part on a VR and/or MR application. The techniques described herein include determining an interaction with the real object and causing a functionality associated with the graphical element to be performed in the VR or MR environment rendered via the VR and/or MR display device, respectively.
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
Inventors: Lior Shapira, Judith Amores Fernandez, Xavier Benavides Palos
Content identification and playback
Abstract: Systems and methods for playing back content based on external content are provided. An example system and method may identify content based on an environment in which a content-playback device is located. The example system and method may also detect a playback-initiation action performed by a user of the content-playback device and identify a content-playback position based on the playback-initiation action. The example system and method may also trigger playback of the content on the content-playback device based on the identified content-playback position.
Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
Inventors: Seth Raphael, Hayes S. Raffle, Xavier Benavides Palos


The most important aspect of any Jewellery Valuation for Insurance is the detail and accuracy of the description (and the colour photo). This, rather than the dollar value, is your real protection.
GemLab's professional gemologists and valuers will document your precious items to make it easier for you to get a fast and fair settlement from your insurance company.
So that you only pay for what needs to be done, GemLab can tailor your jewellery documentation to your insurance policy. Secure copies will also be held on your behalf indefinitely.
How Much Does GemLab Insurance Documentation Cost?
Items that need to be specified on your insurance policy, or are over $3000 replacement new value — These require our full valuation report. You may also want to include items of special value to you personally.
Items that do not need to be specified — Our Inventory Report will offer the protection these need.
Costume & low value items — We provide a free photo so that all your jewellery has a record of some kind.
* Only applies to low value items in conjunction with other reports being done.
Why should my jewellery be documented and valued?
Two reasons. So that your jewellery can be listed separately on your Contents Insurance Policy if necessary. And at claim time the valuations provide proof you had the item, and evidence of its value.
Why are some items listed separately on my policy?
Most policies have limits for jewellery items that are not listed, usually a figure between $1000 and $3000 for each, but some are as low as $500. There is also usually a total limit for each claim of between $3000 and $20,000 irrespective of the number of unlisted items in the claim.
What does an effective insurance valuation of my jewellery look like?
It is a document that contains a good colour photo, a detailed enough description to allow a current value to be calculated without re-examination of your items, and a value or values for each that represent the amount the item should be covered for under the terms of the Policy.
Ideally the valuer should not be the seller, or have any other financial interest in the items. If the seller provides a valuation it must disclose that they sold it, and the amount you paid for it. An independent jewellery valuer should be able to accurately identify the gems and metals and provide a good description of their dimensions, weights, and quality. The valuer would ideally be a qualified gemologist and diamond grader but this is not essential as long as they have access to someone who is. Most importantly your jewellery valuer should have a good understanding of the basic valuation principles, methodologies, and ethics that apply to the valuation of any form of property.
What types of value are listed on an insurance valuation?
There are two ways your jewellery may be covered by your policy, which is why many valuations list two insurance values. One is the Replacement New Value which is the amount necessary for you to purchase a brand new item of equivalent quality. The other is the Indemnity Value—more recently referred to by insurance companies as "market value", "present day value" and "current value"—this is the amount necessary to purchase an item of similar quality age and condition—ie the secondhand retail value.
What happens when I lose the item and file a claim?
The Insurance Company will require some proof of ownership, and evidence of the value of the item. Once the claim is accepted, the current value or values will be recalculated from the item description in your valuation. If your cover is for Replacement, you will usually be issued with a voucher to purchase a new item. If your cover is for Indemnity the insurance company usually has the option of replacing as above, or paying you the Indemnity value in cash.


In the standard PERT, g = 4, which is the PERT network assumption that the best estimate of the duration of a task = (a + 4b + c) /6. However, if we increase the value of g, the distribution becomes progressively more peaked and concentrated around b (and therefore less uncertain). Conversely, if we decrease g the distribution becomes flatter and more uncertain. The figure below illustrates the effect of three different values of g for a modified PERT(5,7,10) distribution.
This modified PERT distribution can be very useful in modeling expert opinion. The expert is asked to estimate the same three values as before (i.e. minimum, most likely and maximum). Then the g parameter is varied and the expert is asked to select the shape that fits his/her opinion most accurately.
Most commonly, a g value of between 2.5 and 3.0 is used as this gives a balance between showing a significant peak at the most likely value, but without under-emphasizing the probability of the tail values.
An alternative to the modified PERT distribution is the Beta Subjective in which one explicitly specifies the mean of the distribution as well as the min, mode and max.
VoseModPERT generates random values from this distribution for Monte Carlo simulation, or calculates a percentile if used with a U parameter.
VoseModPERT constructs a distribution object for this distribution.
VoseModPERTProb returns the probability density or cumulative distribution function for this distribution.
VoseModPERTProb10 returns the log10 of the probability density or cumulative distribution function.


Hima Das fails to finish the women's 400m semifinal due to back pain.
With both teams rejuvenated after their respective victories, it will be an interesting battle for one-upmanship come Monday.
Dhawan's half-century trumps Gayle's as Capitals settle scores with Kings.
V.V. Subrahmanyam The race to play-offs is heating up and both sides know the value of a win on Sunday.
Shreedutta Chidananda Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but will probably be fit for the game on Sunday.
PTI With both teams rejuvenated after their respective victories, it will be an interesting battle for one-upmanship come Monday.
Uthra Ganesan Dhawan's half-century trumps Gayle's as Capitals settle scores with Kings.
Which European football club has spent more money?
Watch this data-driven feature on which European football club has spent the most over the years, from 1991-92 to the present day.
Fast Car, ridden by Sai Kumar, won the Sims Park Cup, the main event of the races held here on Monday (April 15). The winner is owned by Mr. R.R. Prasad, Mr. M. Pushparaj & M/s. Iris Racing Livestock Pvt. Ltd and trained by R. Karthik. 1. KARAIKUDI PLATE (1,400m), rated upto 25: DRUID'S WAND (Md. Asif Khan) 1, Tencendur (Brisson) 2, Heart Of Gold (Dhebe) 3 and Short Skirt Flirt (Sai Kumar) 4. 1/2, 3/4 and 8. 1m, 27.78s. ₹52 (w), 8, 5 and 10 (p), SHP: 16, FP: 410, Q: 100, Tla: 979.
PTI The final standings for the men's 67kg event will be known after group A competition on Monday.
PTI On Sunday, all eyes will be on Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) as he begins his challenge against Taipei's Tu Po-Wei.
The previous meeting between the two sides was the stuff of nightmares for Delhi Capitals.
Chasing a target of 162, Royals won the game with five balls to spare.
The race to play-offs is heating up and both sides know the value of a win on Sunday.
Smith is expected to be available until May 1, by which time the team would have played most of its league games.
Steve Smith on Saturday replaced Ajinkya Rahane as Rajasthan Royals skipper.
Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but will probably be fit for the game on Sunday.
Ganguly asked to give a written submission in the Conflict of Interest case.
Rafael Nadal had to battle to reach the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters for the 14th time.
The lack of desired acceleration, coinciding with the exit of Andre Russell, has affected KKR in the last two home matches.
"But certainly the team selection is something to consider going into Saturday's match against Kings XI Punjab," he added.
Things have turned out quite differently in their home ground, where they found the pitches far from friendly.
It will be easier said than done considering Rajasthan's dismal record at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
Considering the slow nature of the surface, Delhi will have to bat really well to chase down 169.


I recently returned from the amazing RISE Association Risk Adjustment Conference. In my experience, there are two types of conferences. Puff conferences that are designed to be congratulatory to the sponsors/exhibitors and the participants. Puff conferences are filled with congratulatory sessions that are a hodgepodge tales and stories from the field wrapped in the veneer education credits. Then there are conferences where people have to learn something and are getting to work and sessions are largely lead by experts.
RISE Risk Adjustment was the latter. At each session, the speaker would ask for a show of hands of people who had worked with in Risk adjustment before and there were a lot of first timers. Then the session would quickly throw them into the deepens covering things like the complicated timing of HOS surveys used in STARS to correcting your submissions in RAPS sweeps.
I've worked in health analytics for almost 10 years. In risk adjustment, I've parse the hierarchies and ICD codes in the various models across HCC, DxCG etc. I've parse the MMR and the RAPS returns. But, I still failed to realize the scope and scale of health plan efforts to ensure the coding for risk adjustment. (I won't comment on whether every plan respects the principle that they need to both ways adding codes where appropriate and also removing codes where inappropriate.) One MA plan on the west coast has a provider liaison visit every in-network primary care office weekly to review coding and STARS scores. (Tip from that plan: Bring donuts and coffee for staff).
There has been a lot of conversation among health systems about creating the "hospital at home". Well, its actually being driven fiercely by the health plan as they deploy armies of providers (including NPs, and Doctors) into the home on visits ranging from 60 to 90 min. One large health plan in the southeast listed 10 different vendors in their presentation that were helping to coordinate the RISK and STARS capture for their plan.
Even though i consider myself a industry junior veteran, I failed to understand the scope and scale of this operation.
At a small plan in the southeast, their VP of Managed Care described her teams as the "queens of excel". They deploy and customize multiple predictive models that incorporate many of the proven academic assessments that are predictive hospital admissions, fall risks and medication usage. They use group on-boarding session for new members where the participants begin to recommend to each other providers that have appointment availability even imploring members to stay up to date on screenings. They have even found that certain CAHPS measures are leading indicators to certain HEDIS measures giving them early indication of how they will do on some of the access related HEDIS measures.
From the plans that presented, none of them were using one platform or one vendor for anything. Everyone seem to have a patchwork of home grown systems or multiple vendors. It is too simplistic to say that groups are adopting a "best of breed approach". Rather, its more that the complexity demands a wide range of resources and different approaches. A certain segment of membership requires highly coordinated high touch care. Also, the potential value of some of these programs by earning revenue through risk adjustment coding or quality improvement is high enough that the coordination of data and services is less of a concern.
What was missing were tools that could help weave together the activities and at least allow for plan analysts to understand their effects. As one plan pointed out, "The XML feed from the in-home services comprises over 100 data points. We currently can only use 10." new modular technologies should make it really easy to on-board and test new data to handle the variety.
You can find all of our live coverage of the RISE Conference on Twitter LIVE COVERAGE FROM RISE.


Internet users in the Shetland Isles, tired of poor broadband speeds, have taken matters into their own hands and upgraded their connections across the island.
The tiny community in West Burrafirth in the Shetland Islands – just seven homes – will see broadband speeds jump from 0.16Mbps to 25Mbps using a new wireless and fibre optic link.
The local ISP, Shetland Broadband, and a grant of £9,700 from the National Lottery, supported the scheme. It makes use of a formerly redundant 30-year old TV mast located on top of a hill at Engamoor.
Read more from Recombu Digital about Scottish Highlands & Islands BroadbandThe wireless link is powered by a wind turbine and connects via two microwave antennas back to Shurton Hill, 15 miles away near Lerwick, and from there the connection links into Shetland Telecom's fibre optic network and into the undersea SHEFA2 cable, owned by Faeroese Telecom, to the internet worldwide. The connection has now been up and running nearly two weeks.
Shetland Broadband is now considering whether the scheme could be duplicated on other remote parts of the islands that have line of sight to its primary fibre optic hubs.


If we want are students to amaze us we must first amaze them with our relentless, endless pursuit of learning. The role of a teacher offers the greatest opportunity in the world coupled with a complex set of responsibilities. The moment we stop reflecting on our practice, the moment we settle, is the moment we veer dangerously close to mediocrity. It's the commitment we make as teachers to never stop learning that will build good habits, develop great teachers and ultimately move the lives of the young people in our care forward.
Last night at the first annual Never Stop Learning teach-meet #TMNSL over 150 teachers from around the south-west (and beyond) volunteered for the opportunity to exercise and experience the above three principles to deepen their understanding. When remarkable people congregate in one place with a shared vision for improvement, something magical happens that is difficult to measure but very much experienced.
The people who think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do.
The evening began with a truly inspirational keynote from Hywel Roberts. I've seen Hywel speak at a few events and he never fails to send his audience away with lots to think about and a renewed vigour for teaching great lessons. He speaks at a very personal level which is engaging, heartfelt and also very funny – a perfect way to start any teach-meet! Hywel is perfectly summed up in his website address – Create | Learn | Inspire – please pay it a visit.
The workshops were followed by further opportunities to connect with others and share discoveries through a series of micro presentations, opened up by the powerfully motivating Action Jackson – @ActionJackson (leader of the FixUpTeam). This was a remarkable second half to the evening with lots of teachers still going strong at 19:30 on a rainy Thursday evening in the middle of March. What followed was a series of short presentations that included lots of tips, ideas to think about and consider coupled with motivation and encouragement to continue to explore the role and practice of teaching.
@ActionJackson – You are AMAZING!
@edubaker – The behaviour triangle.
@theheadsoffice – Improving writing through blogging.
@ASTSupportAAli – Teaching tips & tricks.
@sporteredu – The ace of… spades, clubs, diamonds or hearts.
@leading_in_pe – Plenaries – voting with your feet.
@mrgmorrison – Robert Blakes best bits & learning lunches.
@lessonhacker – Mid-term lesson planning.
@cgould6 – Working with newly arrived EAL students.
There was a great buzz and atmosphere throughout the evening which was down to the excellent calibre of speakers / presenters and the amazing audience who supported and engaged throughout. The evening was captured brilliantly through the artwork of David Jesus Virnolli.
The artwork of David Jesus Virnolli.
Thoughts have already entered my mind for the next #TMNSL. Over the coming weeks I will endeavour to share, in more depth the ideas from the workshops in a series of shorter posts. Whether you attended #TMNSL or not I implore you to take time to reflect on your practice, re-visit your moral purpose regularly and make a pledge to never stop learning.
Thank you to our sponsors for the evening!


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Q: How to merge multiple data frame into one table and export to Excel? I would like to merge a few data frame into one table, and export to Excel. data frame is generated as below.
sex <- c("male","female")
count1 <- c(304,410)
df.sex <- data.frame(sex,count1)
df.sex[,"per"] <- df.sex$count1/sum(df.sex$count1)

agegp <- c("<=24","25-29","30-34","35-39")
count2 <- c(204,250,125,135)
df.agegp <- data.frame(agegp,count2)
df.agegp[,"per"] <- df.agegp$count2/sum(df.agegp$count2)

df.sex
sex count1       per
male    304 0.4257703
female    410 0.5742297

df.agegp
agegp count2       per
<=24    204 0.2857143
25-29    250 0.3501401
30-34    125 0.1750700
35-39    135 0.1890756

Since the first column of the two df are different, I could not rbind them and export to Excel.
What I would like to generate is a table like below and export it to Excel.
Can anyone help?
       count    percentage
sex
male    304     0.4257703
female  410     0.5742297
agegp
<=24    204     0.2857143
25-29   250     0.3501401
30-34   125     0.1750700
35-39   135     0.1890756

A: How about that ?
sink(file = "mergedPrinting.csv")

cat("First Frame:\n")
write.csv(df.agegp, row.names = F)

cat("--------\n")

cat("Second Frame:\n")
write.csv(df.sex, row.names = F)

sink()

A: There are two EXCEL import/export R-packages I know of, both let you define the top left cell in which to begin writing your data.frame and wether to use a header.

*

*XLConnect

*xlsx
In your case I'd write the labels, count, percentage, sex, agegp, as single values into the cells and then write the two data.frames with rownames but no columnnames to the right position.
See the vignette of both packages on how to open/create an EXCEL-file for writing and for the functions to write data.frames.