Thirty-Three Stata Tips

Since 2003, the Stata Journal has published Stata Tips on special issues in data analysis with Stata. Now Thirty-three Stata Tips compiles these useful guides into a compact tome for ease of reference. In keeping with the Stata spirit, Tips are from Stata users and StataCorp employees alike and will serve as guideposts for both new and experienced users.data management, statistics, graphics, Stata

The effects of financial deregulation on inflation, velocity growth, and monetary targeting

Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 ; Monetary policy - United States ; Inflation (Finance) ; Velocity of money

Short form of the changes in outlook questionnaire: translation and validation of the Chinese version

Background: The Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ) is a self-report instrument designed to measure both positive and negative changes following the experience of severely stressful events. Previous research has focused on the Western context. The aim of this study is to translate the short form of the measure (CiOQ-S) into simplified Chinese and examine its validity and reliability in a sample of Chinese earthquake survivors. Method: The English language version of the 10-item CiOQ was translated into simplified Chinese and completed along with other measures in a sample of earthquake survivors (n = 120). Statistical analyses were performed to explore the structure of the simplified Chinese version of CiOQ-S (CiOQ-SCS), its reliability and validity. Results: Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to test the structure of the CiOQ-SCS. The reliability and convergent validity were also assessed. The CiOQ-SCS demonstrated a similar factor structure to the English version, high internal consistency and convergent validity with measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety and depression, coping and social support. Conclusion: The data are comparable to those reported for the original version of the instrument indicating that the CiOQ-SCS is a reliable and valid measure assessing positive and negative changes in the aftermath of adversity. However, the sampling method cannot permit us to know how representative our samples were of the earthquake survivor population

Factors invoved in onset and recovery from postnatal depression

Background: A wide variety of psychosocial variables have been implicated in the onset and recovery from postnatal depression. A number of these factors were examined on a representative sample of pregnant Maltese women attending St Luke's Hospital. Method: A random sample of 239 pregnant women were interviewed at booking using a detailed sociodemographic history, the Revised Version of the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) and Maltese translation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The CIS-R was again administered over the phone at 36 weeks and the EPDS sent by post. At eight weeks postpartum, the CIS-R, modified version of the Social Maladjustment Schedule and the EPDS were again administered to 95.8% of women. Results: Onset of depression in the postpartum was not predicted by depressive symptomatology during pregnancy, marital status, level of education, planning of pregnancy, woman's, partner's or family's reaction to pregnancy and marital adjustment. However being primiparous and employed during pregnancy were significantly associated with postnatal depression. In contrast, depressed women who remained depressed postnatally had a past personal psychiatry history and significantly higher scores on the CISR recorded at 36 weeks gestation. Limitation: The number of women examined in the study yielded a small number of depressed women, for which the results are limited in value. The sample is that of Maltese women booking in at the antenatal clinic, thus excluding women who present late, close to delivery date. The follow up period was limited to eight weeks postpartum only, excluding those who develop depressive episodes after 8 weeks. Conclusions: Some cases of postpartum depression may be traced back to pregnancy while others do not seem to be predictable during pregnancy further contributing evidence to the view that the prenatal period may be a separate entity from the postnatal period with regards to depressive illness.peer-reviewe

A STATISTICAL EXAMINATION OF YIELD SWITCHING FRAUD IN THE FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM

An over-parameterized statistical yield-switching-fraud model is developed. Over-parameterized procedures are reviewed. Five percent of 206,952 producers (thirteen percent in one state) have suspicious yield patterns, elect higher coverage, and increase total multiple-unit indemnifications up to ten percent in some states and up to 30 percent at some coverage levels.Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Anglo-American Legal History

In this swiftly moving age, with its revolutionary advances in so many diverse fields of activity, it is well to pause and reflect upon the Role of the Law in American life. Unfortunately, in our pre-occupation with daily chores, we miss the trees for the forest, for to a large extent the Lawyer\u27s time is taken up with private interests which, while important to the individual, do not touch the great and vital issues affecting the community. Yet no Lawyer can have any real pride in his profession unless he has the capacity for interpreting to himself and to his fellow Americans the full Majesty and Meaning of the Law

Quantitation of Fentanyl and Metabolites from Blow Fly Tissue and Development Effects of Fentanyl on Lucilia sericata

Death investigations often involve collaborative work between different forensic disciplines, especially with regards to pathology, toxicology, and entomology. This dissertation investigates the effects of designer opioids on the development of blow fly (Lucilia sericata) larvae and the ability to detect and quantify the drugs and/or metabolites present in each stage of the fly’s life cycle. Therefore, we evaluated human tissue fortified with fentanyl at four treatment concentrations, and blow fly larvae were placed to feed on the drug infused tissue. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method was developed, validated, and applied to extract fentanyl and metabolites from the larva, pupa, pupa casings, adults of Lucilia sericata. Additionally, since liver tissue was utilized as feeding media, a complete validation extraction was also developed, followed by the quantitative analysis of target drugs and metabolites via liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This research represents an advancement in the combat of the opioid epidemic by offering a fully validated protocol that complements the analytical toolkit in forensic toxicology laboratories and medical examiners offices for complex biological matrices by 1) providing a protocol to extract and quantify fentanyl and metabolites from complex matrices using QuEChERS to aid in forensic investigations, 2) an evaluation any growth effects fentanyl has on the development of the insects and the potential implications on the impact of minPMI estimations, 3) conclusions on the ability to correlate the concentration of fentanyl and metabolites from the insect tissue to the initial concentration of the feeding media

Electronic Quenching of the A(0\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e\u3csub\u3eu\u3c/sub\u3e) State of Bi\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e

Temporally-resolved laser induced fluorescence ofhigh vibrational levels in Bi2 A(0+u) above and below the predissociation limit of v\u27=22 were investigated by observing total fluorescence from a wavelength tunable, pulsed dye laser. Electronic quenching ofBi2 A(0+u) by five collision partners (Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, N2) was examined for four vibrational levels (v\u27=22,23,24,25). Electronic quenching by a sixth collision partner (He) was examined for eight vibrational levels (v\u27=18 through 25). The quenching from stable vibrational levels (v\u27≤22) was independent ofvibrational quantum number. A significant increase in quenching occurs for the predissociated level v\u27=23. Electronic quenching transfer rates ranged from 227.3 to 850.5x10-13 cm3 molec-1 sec-1 for v\u27=22 and from 741.2 to 1570x10-13 cm3 molec-1 sec-1 for v\u27=23, and are very nearly gas kinetic for v\u27=23. Electronic quenching ofhigher vibrational levels (v\u27\u3e23) was not temporally resolvable by the experimental apparatus