Monitoring core inflation

An analysis of the use of limited-information estimators as measures of core inflation, showing that these estimators, such as the median of the cross-sectional distribution of inflation, have a higher correlation with past money growth and deliver improved forecasts of future inflation relative to the Consumer Price Index.Inflation (Finance)

In A Higher Power We Trust: Alcoholics Anonymous as a Condition of Probation and Establishment of Religion

Part I of this comment discusses probation and the substance of AA, as well as touches on the Supreme Court\u27s attempts to define religion. Part II seeks to discern the proper constitutional standard to be applied to AA as a condition of probation from Supreme Court cases. Part III concentrates on the lower courts\u27 application of the elusive Establishment Clause test. Finally, Part IV briefly highlights the shortcomings of the standards currently being applied to AA as a condition of probation and proposes a solution designed to provide a simpler standard for lower courts to apply and clarify a confusing area of the law

Alien Registration- Byran, Sadie T. (Eastport, Washington County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/1669/thumbnail.jp

Rent Subsidies

Several studies have evaluated the experimental housing allowance program authorized by Congress in 1970 and implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The studies that are relied upon most have nevertheless been considered inadequate because they were essentially case studies. An evaluation design has recently been suggested, the random-comparison-group design, that makes the data from the Administrative Agency Experiment useful for evaluation. The outcomes in the AAE program sites are compared here to projected outcomes based on an analysis of Annual Housing Survey data. The evaluation finds that rent burdens were reduced and housing quality was improved jor many who lived in substandard units. These impacts were achieved without producing inflation. Substantial confidence in the findings is permitted not only by the logic of the method itself, but by corroboration from other research. The design employed is found to be practical and powerful for certain evaluations, and its use in connection with other public programs can be recommended. The random- comparison-group design could substitute for randomized experiments in situations in which such controlled experimentation is not possible or was not carried out.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66611/2/10.1177_0193841X8601000404.pd

Review of: \u3cem\u3eMy Brother’s Keeper: Race Relations in Mennonite Perspective\u3c/em\u3e—Nathan Zook

My Brother’s Keeper is a book about race from a conservative Anabaptist point of view. The book, by Nathan Zook, has three parts: first, a brief history of racism; second, reflections on how the church should respond to issues of race; and third, exhortations for Christian responses to current racial issues. Personal anecdotes, as well as excerpts from interviews with ethnic minority Mennonites, are woven throughout and increase the book’s readability. Full disclosure: I count Dr. Zook as a friend. [First paragraph.

STABILITY-INDICATING REVERSE-PHASE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY METHOD FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS QUANTIFICATION OF APIGENIN AND LUTEOLIN FROM ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM LINN

Objective: A stability-indicating reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the analysis of apigenin and luteolin. The degradation behavior of apigenin and luteolin was investigated under different stress conditions as recommended by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). Methods: In the present study, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and the resolution of the plant constituents was successfully achieved using Hibar Lichrospher C8 column with ultraviolet detector at a wavelength of 269 nm. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid (80:20 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. Both apigenin and luteolin were subjected to various stress degradation studies such as oxidation, acid and alkaline hydrolysis, and photolytic degradation. Results: The proposed method was found to be linear (1–5 μg/ml) with the linear correlation coefficient of R2=0.99. Although the degradation products of stressed conditions were not identified, the methods were able to detect the changes due to stress condition. Conclusion: The method provides good sensitivity and excellent precision and reproducibility. Forced degradation studies on apigenin and luteolin give information about their storage and intrinsic stability conditions considering the advanced pharmaceutical aspects of formulations

STABILITY EVALUATION OF TARTRAZINE BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-DIODE ARRAY DETECTOR AND HIGH-RESOLUTION ELECTRON SPRAY IONIZATION QUADRUPOLE TIME-OFFLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY/MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS

Objective: This study investigates the degradation behavior of tartrazine, a synthetic azo dye used in pharmaceutical products.Methods: For this purpose, standard solutions containing E102 were subjected to pH, oxidation, photolytic conditions and were analyzed by the developed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.Results: The results show degradation in standard solution with the formation of single degradation product in oxidative visible light condition. The formed unknown degradation product was isolated by semipreparative HPLC and characterized using ultra-HPLC coupled with high resolution tandem mass spectrometer (MS).Conclusion: The isolated component was vacuum dried and subjected to high-resolution MS analysis for the plausible structural elucidation. Based on the fragmentation pattern of one degradation product (ODP) from their MSn studies, the ODP may be identified as 2,5-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-3- (phenyldiazenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid.Â

Correlation-Based Traffic Analysis Attacks on Anonymity Networks

In this paper, we address attacks that exploit the timing behavior of TCP and other protocols and applications in low-latency anonymity networks. Mixes have been used in many anonymous communication systems and are supposed to provide countermeasures to defeat traffic analysis attacks. In this paper, we focus on a particular class of traffic analysis attacks, flow-correlation attacks, by which an adversary attempts to analyze the network traffic and correlate the traffic of a flow over an input link with that over an output link. Two classes of correlation methods are considered, namely time-domain methods and frequency-domain methods. Based on our threat model and known strategies in existing mix networks, we perform extensive experiments to analyze the performance of mixes. We find that all but a few batching strategies fail against flow-correlation attacks, allowing the adversary to either identify ingress and egress points of a flow or to reconstruct the path used by the flow. Counterintuitively, some batching strategies are actually detrimental against attacks. The empirical results provided in this paper give an indication to designers of Mix networks about appropriate configurations and mechanisms to be used to counter flow-correlation attacks

CORRELATES OF ELEVATED INFLAMMATORY AND IMMUNE ACTIVATION MARKER IN THE AIDS LINKED TO INTRAVENOUS EXPERIENCE (ALIVE) COHORT: INSIGHT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS AGAINST CHRONIC INFLAMMATION

Abstract Background: Though extensive literature on the relationship between chronic inflammation and health outcomes has been published, the same level of attention has not been directed towards the identification of clinical and behavioral risk factors on chronic inflammation as an outcome in marginalized populations. These populations include intravenous drug users (IVDU) and individuals with HIV/Hepatitis C (HCV), whose underlying conditions may amplify the effects of chronic inflammation on the body. The pathophysiology of chronic inflammation on cardiovascular health and mortality has been well established, yet the identification of modifiable risk factors that can be targeted for public health interventions is of utmost importance to reduce disease burden associated with chronic inflammation. Data on inflammatory biomarkers TNFR1, TNFR2, and neopterin have recently become available through the AIDS Linked to IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) study, and provide a potential surrogate measure that may be used to ascertain contributing factors for chronic inflammation. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of ALIVE participants to investigate correlates of elevated inflammatory biomarker levels. ALIVE is a prospective cohort that is comprised of current and former intravenous drug users in Baltimore, Maryland. In total, there were 1,191 participants in this analysis, and demographic information was collected through the use of questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. Self-report of drug use and risk behaviors were obtained through standardized computer-aided questionnaire. For inflammatory biomarker data collection, two duplicate measurements in subjects were taken for each biomarker to derive an average value, with average measurements subsequently log-transformed. Multivariable linear regressions were conducted comparing biomarker level to potential correlates. Additional analysis with HIV and HCV-specific covariates on biomarker concentration was carried out in HIV and HCV positive populations respectively to elucidate further trends within these at-risk groups. Results: Of the 1,191 ALIVE participants, 322 (27%) were HIV seropositive and 1025 (86%) were HCV seropositive. The mean age was 46.8 years (SD: 7.9 years) and among the participants, 420 (35%) were female and 1043 (88%) were African American. 252 (21%) reported using intravenous drugs more than once a day, and the median number of comorbidities in the population was 1 (IQR: 1, 2). In the overall multivariate model, three key covariates were found to be strongly positively associated with TNFR1, TNFR2, and neopterin. These variables were number of non-AIDS-related comorbidities, daily intravenous drug use, and HCV/HIV status. Notably, age was only significantly associated in TNFR1 (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.021 - 0.079). HCV and HIV-positive patients were stratified and analyzed further to better understand covariates of interest that are of unique relevance to these populations. In the HCV subgroup, Fibroscan score showed a strong, positive association with neopterin (β = 0.541, 95% CI: 0.095 - 0.987), TNFR1 (β = 0.458, 95% CI: 0.172 - 0.743), and TNFR2 (β = 0.884, 95% CI: 0.538 - 1.229) after adjustment while HCV viral load, past hepatitis treatment, and ALT level were insignificant with inflammatory biomarker level. In the HIV subgroup, HIV viral load was statistically significant for neopterin (β = 0.236, 95% CI: 0.147 - 0.324) and TNFR2 (β = 0.123, 95% CI: 0.049 - 0.196), while HAART treatment in the past six months and CD4 nadir were not observed to possess any meaningful association with biomarker level. Conclusions: The association between chronic inflammation and negative health outcomes has been discussed extensively throughout the scientific literature, but there is a vital need to recognize risk factors that contribute to elevated inflammation. The determination of modifiable risk factors is a public health imperative, and our results suggest several behavioral and clinical areas of focus that may be suitable for further intervention efforts. In our analysis, we identified several variables that show significant relationships with the inflammatory biomarkers of interest. In particular, our findings suggest that intravenous drug usage, non-AIDS-defining comorbidities, and HCV/HIV status show consistent statistical significance in their associations with higher levels of TNFR1, TNFR2, and neopterin. We noticed that within the HCV and HIV subgroups, additional strong positive relationships were present. Liver fibrosis was found to be closely linked with increased biomarker concentrations among HCV-positive subjects, while HIV viral load saw similarly significant associations with increased neopterin and TNFR2 levels that bring to light the additional impact of HIV-specific factors on chronic inflammation. This study served to identify potential modifiable lifestyle factors that may be targeted through public health intervention, in particular within at-risk IVDU and HIV/HCV-infected populations. Efforts to reduce injection drug use, treat underlying comorbidities such as hypertension, and increase access to antiretroviral treatments will be beneficial, and together may moderate cardiovascular disease, mortality, and other chronic inflammation-related conditions