1,505 research outputs found
Inflation targeting and private sector forecasts
Transparency is one of the biggest innovations in central bank policy of the past quarter century. Modern central bankers believe that they should be as clear about their objectives and actions as possible. However, is greater transparency always beneficial? Recent work suggests that when private agents have diverse sources of information, public information can cause them to overreact to the signals from the central bank, leading the economy to be too sensitive to common forecast errors. Greater transparency could be destabilizing. While this theoretical result has clear intuitive appeal, it turns on a combination of assumptions and conditions, so it remains to be established that it is of empirical relevance. ; In this paper we study the degree to which increased information about monetary policy might lead to individuals coordinating their forecasts. Specifically, we estimate a series of simple models to measure the impact of inflation targeting on the dispersion of private sector forecasts of inflation. Using a panel data set that includes 15 countries over 20 years we find no convincing evidence that adopting an inflation targeting regime leads to a reduction in the dispersion of private sector forecasts of inflation. While for some specifications adoption of inflation target does seem to reduce the standard deviation of inflation forecasts, the impact is rarely precise and always small.
The unreliability of inflation indicators
Analysts seeking evidence of rising inflation often focus on the movements of a single indicator_an increase in the price of gold, for example, or a decline in the unemployment rate. But simple statistical tests reveal that such indicators, used in isolation, have very limited predictive power.Inflation (Finance) ; Economic indicators ; Forecasting
A model for the design of wireless sensor networks using geographic routing
The design of a Wireless Sensor Network suitable to meet the applications requirements is particularly relevant in environments where it is not possible to operate after the deployment, modifying the network to respect the desired behavior. This paper proposes a model to allow performance evaluation of the network before its deployment, helping its design and the choice of the right value of the network parameters. In particular our model is tailored for wireless sensor networks using the geographic routing. The model has been both numerically analyzed and simulated showing its ability to set such parameters to meet the requirements expressed in terms of established service level
Population structure of Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius L. 1758) (Teleostea, Xiphiidae) using mitochondrial DNA analysis: implications for fisheries management
Recent studies on Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius L. 1758) genetic structure have demonstrated significant heterogeneity but the precise boundary between populations remains to be identified. In this context, genetic diversity was investigated by PCRâRFLP analysis at the control region of mitochondrial DNA (Dâloop) from 274 swordfish specimens collected from five different areas of the Atlantic Ocean. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that genetic variation was mainly due to differences within rather than between the studied areas. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis did not show evident relationships among haplotypes from all areas. However, low but significant FST values were recorded when comparing Equatorial samples with those from the north central and north tropical Atlantic. These results do not support a need for changing the current management boundary for the Atlantic fishery.
Key words: Xiphiidae, Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, Mitochondrial DNA, Genetic variability, Atlantic Ocean.Estudios recientes sobre la estructura genĂ©tica del pez espada del AtlĂĄntico (Xiphias gladius L. 1758) han demostrado una heterogeneidad significativa, pero los lĂmites precisos entre poblaciones no han sido identificados. En este contexto, la diversidad genĂ©tica se ha investigado mediante anĂĄlisis PCRâRFLP en la regiĂłn control de ADN mitocondrial (bucle D) de 274 peces espada recolectados en cinco zonas diferentes del ocĂ©ano AtlĂĄntico. El anĂĄlisis de la varianza molecular (AMOVA) mostrĂł que la variaciĂłn genĂ©tica se debĂa a diferencias en cada zona y no entre las zonas estudiadas. AdemĂĄs, los anĂĄlisis filogenĂ©ticos no muestran relaciones evidentes entre los haplotipos de todas las zonas. A pesar de ello, al comparar las muestras ecuatoriales con las de zonas mĂĄs al norte, se obtienen valores de FST bajos pero significativos. Estos resultados indican que no es necesario cambiar los lĂmites de las zonas de gestiĂłn para la pesquerĂa del AtlĂĄntico.
Palabras clave: Xiphiidae, Pez espada, Xiphias gladius, ADN mitocondrial, Variabilidad genĂ©tica, OcĂ©ano AtlĂĄntico.Recent studies on Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius L. 1758) genetic structure have demonstrated significant heterogeneity but the precise boundary between populations remains to be identified. In this context, genetic diversity was investigated by PCRâRFLP analysis at the control region of mitochondrial DNA (Dâloop) from 274 swordfish specimens collected from five different areas of the Atlantic Ocean. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that genetic variation was mainly due to differences within rather than between the studied areas. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis did not show evident relationships among haplotypes from all areas. However, low but significant FST values were recorded when comparing Equatorial samples with those from the north central and north tropical Atlantic. These results do not support a need for changing the current management boundary for the Atlantic fishery.
Key words: Xiphiidae, Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, Mitochondrial DNA, Genetic variability, Atlantic Ocea
Retinitis pigmentosa and ocular motility alterations: new frontiers, review
Purpose: To carry out a review of the literature on alterations in extraocular motility in Retinitis
Pigmentosa (RP), focusing on the possible genetic basis of ocular alterations.
Design: Systematic review
Methods: The search of publications was carried out using the databases: Scopus, PubMed, Google
Scholar, Web of Science, considering clinical cases, case reports, and systematic reviews of ocular
motility alterations in the Retinitis Pigmentosa in the literature. The words: âocular motility
alterations, Retinitis Pigmentosa, orthoptic evaluation, case reports, clinical cases, systematic
reviewsâ were used.
Results: A total of 2 articles from 2006â2022 were retrieved: No other ocular motility alterations
clinical cases linked to RP were found before. Particularly, a study conducted on patients affected
by typical RP showed that there was an impaired motility in 50% of them. Since RP is a genetically
determined disease, in reference to the studies analyzed, the absence of eye movement disorders in a
percentage of the sample could be related to the different penetrance of the disease that determines
the existence of healthy carriers.
Conclusion: Therefore, it would be important to search for a possible correlation between the genetic
mutations involved in this hereditary disorder and the deficits in extraocular motility, in order to
make an early diagnosis of RP in genetically predisposed subjects. The existence of alterations of
extraocular motility in subjects with RP, indicates that a careful orthoptic screening can allow a
further contribution to an early diagnosis of this disease, especially in subjects with positive family
history and healthy carriers
Biomarkers of oxidative and nitrosative damage in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly. Products of oxidative and nitrosative stress (OS and NS, respectively) accumulate with aging, which is the main risk factor for AD. This provides the basis for the involvement of OS and NS in AD pathogenesis. OS and NS occur in biological systems due to the dysregulation of the redox balance, caused by a deficiency of antioxidants and/or the overproduction of free radicals. Free radical attack against lipids, proteins, sugars and nucleic acids leads to the formation of bioproducts whose detection in fluids and tissues represents the currently available method for assessing oxidative/nitrosative damage. Post-mortem and in-vivo studies have demonstrated an accumulation of products of free radical damage in the central nervous system and in the peripheral tissues of subjects with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In addition to their individual role, biomarkers for OS and NS in AD are associated with altered bioenergetics and amyloid-beta (AÎČ) metabolism. In this review we discuss the main results obtained in the field of biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress in AD and MCI in humans, in addition to their potential role as a tool for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment efficacy in AD. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved
Our wild companions: Domestic cats in the Anthropocene
This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordCats share a long history with humans but are remarkable among domesticated species in largely retaining behavioural and reproductive independence from people. In many societies the cat maintains liminal status as both a domestic and a wild animal. An adaptive push-and-pull between wild and domestic traits corresponds with dual roles as companions and pest-controllers, and with conflicted treatment in husbandry, management, law and public discourse. To move forward, we must proceed by understanding that cats are not exclusively pets or pests, but both a central component of human societies and an important, often adverse, influence on ecosystems. Developing a collaborative âcompanion animal ecologyâ, in which human-animal domestic relations link to ecological processes, will enable sustainable management of this wild companionship
Dynamics of charge-displacement channeling in intense laser-plasma interactions
The dynamics of transient electric fields generated by the interaction of
high intensity laser pulses with underdense plasmas has been studied
experimentally with the proton projection imaging technique. The formation of a
charged channel, the propagation of its front edge and the late electric field
evolution have been characterised with high temporal and spatial resolution.
Particle-in-cell simulations and an electrostatic, ponderomotive model
reproduce the experimental features and trace them back to the ponderomotive
expulsion of electrons and the subsequent ion acceleration.Comment: 5 figures, accepted for publication in New Journal of Physic
Colorimetric detection of chromium(VI) ions in water using unfolded-fullerene carbon nanoparticles
Water pollution caused by hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) ions represents a serious hazard for human health due to the high systemic toxicity and carcinogenic nature of this metal species. The optical sensing of Cr(VI) through specifically engineered nanomaterials has recently emerged as a versatile strategy for the application to easy-to-use and cheap monitoring devices. In this study, a one-pot oxidative method was developed for the cage opening of C60 fullerene and the synthesis of stable suspensions of N-doped carbon dots in waterâTHF solutions (N-CDs-W-THF). The N-CDs-W-THF selectively showed variations of optical absorbance in the presence of Cr(VI) ions in water through the arising of a distinct absorption band peaking at 550 nm, i.e., in the transparency region of pristine material. Absorbance increased linearly, with the ion concentration in the range 1â100 ”M, thus enabling visual and ratiometric determination with a limit of detection (LOD) of 300 nM. Selectivity and possible interference effects were tested over the 11 other most common heavy metal ions. The sensing process occurred without the need for any other reactant or treatment at neutral pH and within 1 min after the addition of chromium ions, both in deionized and in real water sam-ples
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