ASSESSING EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK'S CREDIBILITY DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF THE EUROSYSTEM: A BAYESIAN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

In this paper we extend Svenssons (CEPR Discussion Paper 940, April 1994) 'simplest test' of inflation target credibility inside a Bayesian econometric framework and obtain various estimates of the European Central Bank's monetary policy credibility. Overall, our empirical evidence suggests that the strategy followed by the European Central Bank was successful in building a satisfactory degree of reputation. However, we find some significant credibility reversals concerning both anti-inflationary and anti-deflationary credibility. These reversals, in turn, are closely related to the evolution of the cyclical macroeconomic conditions in the euro area. Copyright � 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation � 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and The University of Manchester.

Assessing ECB?s Credibility During the First Years of the Eurosystem: A Bayesian Empirical Investigation

This paper extends Svensson (1994) ?simplest test?of in?ation target credibility inside a Bayesian econometric framework. We apply this approach to the initial years of the Eurosystem and obtain various estimates of ECB?s monetary policy credibility. Overall, our empirical evidence is robust to alternative prior assumptions, and suggests that the strategy followed by the ECB was successful in building a satisfactory degree of reputation. However, we find some significant credibility reversals concerning both anti-inflationary and anti-deflationary credibility. These reversals, in turn, are closely related to the evolution of the cyclical macroeconomic conditions in the Euro area.

Three-dimensional surface and ultrasound imaging for daily IGRT of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) is an essential pre-requisite for delivering high precision radiotherapy. We compared daily variation detected by two non-ionizing imaging modalities (surface imaging and trans-abdominal ultrasound, US) to verify prostate patient setup and internal organ variations. METHODS: Forty patients with organ confined prostate cancer and candidates to curative radiotherapy were enrolled in this prospective study. At each treatment session, after laser alignment, all patients received imaging by a 3D-surface and a 3D-US system. The shifts along the three directions (anterior-posterior AP, cranial-caudal CC, and later-lateral LL) were measured in terms of systematic and random errors. Then, we performed statistical analysis on the differences and the possible correlations between the two modalities. RESULTS: For both IGRT modalities, surface imaging and US, 1318 acquisitions were collected. According with Shapiro Wilk test, the positioning error distributions were not Gaussian for both modalities. The differences between the systematic errors detected by the two modalities were statistically significant only in LL direction (p < 0.05), while the differences between the random errors were not statistically significant in any directions. The 95% confidence interval of the residual errors obtained by subtracting the random errors detected with surface images to those detected with US was included in the range from -7 mm to 7 mm corresponding to the minimum PTV margin adopted in AP direction in our clinical routine. CONCLUSIONS: From our data, it emerges that setup misalignments measured by surface imaging can be predictive of US displacements after the adjustment for systematic errors. Moreover, surface imaging can detect setup errors predictive of registration errors measured by US. This data suggest that the two IGRT modalities could be considered as complementary to each other and could represent a daily "low-cost" and non-invasive IGRT modality in prostate cancer patients

Comment on the Paper by Mondzelewski and Colleagues: "Intraocular Pressure During Robotic-assisted Laparoscopic Procedures Utilizing Steep Trendelenburg Positioning." J Glaucoma. 2015;24(6):399-404

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Asbestos Fibers and Ferruginous Bodies Detected by VP-SEM/EDS in Colon Tissues of a Patient Affected by Colon-Rectum Cancer: A Case Study

The aim of this work was to inspect the presence of asbestos fibers in colon tissue from a patient, with history of indirect exposure to asbestos and affected by colon cancer, who underwent surgery. Variable pressure scanning electron microscopy, coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (VP-SEM/EDS), was used for identification of inorganic fibers and for their morphological—chemical characterization. Fresh tissue samples from both, healthy area close to the neoplasia and from the neoplastic regions, were separately digested to eliminate the biological matrix. The precipitate was analyzed by VP-SEM/EDS, identifying in samples from healthy tissue asbestos bodies and small asbestos fibers, and in samples from neoplastic tissue long fibers of asbestos, free from covering. A quantification of the asbestos bodies and the free fibers in the two type of specimens is proposed. Moreover, to locate the fibers in the biological medium, histological sections from the colon of the same patient were also examined. Free asbestos fibers appeared concentrated in the tissue bridge between the healthy and the neoplastic areas. Immuno-histochemical investigation performed on the neoplasia seems to exclude a role of microsatellite instability in the carcinogenesis process, suggesting an influence of the fibers