Modelling monetary transmission in UK manufacturing industry

This paper studies the transmission of monetary policy to industrial output in the UK. In order to capture asymmetries, a system of threshold equations is considered. However, unlike previous research, endogenous threshold parameters are allowed to be different for each equation. This approach is consistent with economic intuition and is shown to be of tangible importance after suitable econometric evaluation. Results show evidence of cross-sectional differences across industries and asymmetries in some sectors. These findings contribute to the debate about the importance of alternative economic theories to explain these asymmetries and support the use of a sectorally disaggregated approach to the analysis of monetary transmission

The Sixth Pillar of Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: Balancing Effective Enforcement with Financial Privacy

The U.S. government has responded to the increase of financial crimes, including money laundering and terrorist financing, by requiring that financial institutions implement anti-money laundering compliance programs within their institutions. Most recently, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network exercised its regulatory powers, as authorized by the Treasury Department, by proposing regulations that now explicitly add customer due diligence to the preexisting anti-money laundering regime. The policy behind the government’s legislative and regulatory measures is clear—financial institutions must ensure that they are protected from and not aiding in the illegal efforts of criminals. The complexity and insidiousness of these financial crimes makes it difficult for the government to act solely and without the compliance of financial institutions. Although national security and the protection of the global economy are urgent priorities, all legislative actions or considerations need to be sensitive to personal privacy. This Note examines the criminal activity and legislative history that has necessitated the proposal of such regulations, the burdens that compliance places on financial institutions, and the technology that aids these financial institutions in their compliance efforts. As a result of these compliance obligations and the potential penalties for non-compliance, customer privacy is not always guaranteed. Existing privacy laws do not sufficiently ensure that customer financial information is adequately protected; rather, these privacy laws allow privacy invasions for the sake of compliance with anti-money laundering legislation and, as a result, are often inadequate and insufficient when compared to international privacy schemes. It is important to find a balance between the need to protect national security, the requirements placed on financial institutions, and the rights customers have to financial privacy. The global nature of financial networks and of these illicit activities warrants concerted efforts by governments domestically and abroad to ensure that compliance does not result in unwarranted financial privacy invasions. Until a global system can be established, this Note proposes that the currently proposed regulations be amended to mandate privacy programs within financial institutions. Financial institutions should develop privacy policies and procedures that will work with their already existing anti-money laundering compliance programs and should ensure that their compliance and privacy focused personnel coordinate their efforts so that regulatory compliance neither detrimentally impacts the way they conduct their business nor betrays their customers’ right to privacy

Sfp1 and Rtg3 reciprocally modulate carbon source-conditional stress adaptation in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans

Acknowledgements We thank Aaron Mitchell, Dominique Sanglard and Suzanne Noble for their generosity in providing mutant collections, and Linghuo Jiang for generously providing strains. We also thank Susan Budge for her support and excellent technical assistance. We also thank the qPCR Facility in the Institute of Medical Sciences, and particularly Fiona Saunders for her great advice and help. SLK was supported by a PhD scholarship from the University of Aberdeen. AJPB was supported by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BB/F00513X/1; BB/K017365/1), by the European Research Council (STRIFE Advanced Grant; ERC-2009-AdG-249793), and by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M026663/1). AJPB and CAM were also supported by the Wellcome Trust (088858; 097377), and by the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the University of Aberdeen (MR/N006364/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Porting a Network Cryptographic Service to the RMC2000: A Case Study in Embedded Software Development

This paper describes our experience porting a transport-layer cryptography service to an embedded microcontroller. We describe some key development issues and techniques involved in porting networked software to a connected, limited resource device such as the Rabbit RMC2000 we chose for this case study. We examine the effectiveness of a few proposed porting strategies by examining important program and run-time characteristics

Tachinid Fly Parasitism and Phenology of the Neotropical Red-Shouldered Stink Bug, Thyanta perditor (F.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), on the Wild Host Plant, Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae).

Field and laboratory studies were conducted with the Neotropical redshouldered stink bug Thyanta perditor (F.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) aiming to evaluate parasitismincidence on adults by tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae), which were raised in the laboratory for identification. Egg deposition by flies on adult body surface was mapped. In addition, nymph and adult incidence on the wild host plant black jack, Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae), during the vegetative and the reproductive periods of plant development was studied. Seven species of tachinid flies were obtained: Euthera barbiellini Bezzi (73% of the total) and Trichopoda cf. pictipennis Bigot (16.7%) were the most abundant; the remaining five species, Gymnoclytia sp.; Phasia sp.; Strongygaster sp.; Cylindromyia cf. dorsalis (Wiedemann); and Ectophasiopsis ypiranga Dios & Nihei added 10.3% of the total. Tachinid flies parasitism on T. perditor adults was significantly greater on the dorsal compared to the ventral body surface. On the dorsal surface, the pronotum was significantly preferred and the wings the least preferred site. No differences were observed on the number of tachinid fly eggs deposited on wings, considering the ?under? and ?above? sites. Results indicated a significantly greater number of nymphs on mature compared to immature seeds. Adults significantly preferred immature compared to mature seeds; both were less abundant on leaves/stems and inflorescences

Safer parameters for the Chor–Rivest cryptosystem

AbstractVaudenay’s cryptanalysis against Chor–Rivest cryptosystem is applicable when the parameters, p and h, originally proposed by the authors are used. Nevertheless, if p and h are both prime integers, then Vaudenay’s attack is not applicable. In this work, a choice of these parameters resistant to the existing cryptanalytic attacks, is presented. The parameters are determined in a suitable range guaranteeing its security and the computational feasibility of implementation. Regrettably, the obtained parameters are scarce in practice

A personalized intervention to prevent depression in primary care based on risk predictive algorithms and decision support systems: protocol of the e-predictD study

The predictD is an intervention implemented by general practitioners (GPs) to prevent depression, which reduced the incidence of depression-anxiety and was cost-effective. The e-predictD study aims to design, develop, and evaluate an evolved predictD intervention to prevent the onset of major depression in primary care based on Information and Communication Technologies, predictive risk algorithms, decision support systems (DSSs), and personalized prevention plans (PPPs). A multicenter cluster randomized trial with GPs randomly assigned to the e-predictD intervention + care-as-usual (CAU) group or the active-control + CAU group and 1-year follow-up is being conducted. The required sample size is 720 non-depressed patients (aged 18–55 years), with moderate-to-high depression risk, under the care of 72 GPs in six Spanish cities. The GPs assigned to the e-predictD-intervention group receive brief training, and those assigned to the control group do not. Recruited patients of the GPs allocated to the e-predictD group download the e-predictD app, which incorporates validated risk algorithms to predict depression, monitoring systems, and DSSs. Integrating all inputs, the DSS automatically proposes to the patients a PPP for depression based on eight intervention modules: physical exercise, social relationships, improving sleep, problem-solving, communication skills, decision-making, assertiveness, and working with thoughts. This PPP is discussed in a 15-min semi-structured GP-patient interview. Patients then choose one or more of the intervention modules proposed by the DSS to be self-implemented over the next 3 months. This process will be reformulated at 3, 6, and 9 months but without the GP–patient interview. Recruited patients of the GPs allocated to the control-group+CAU download another version of the e-predictD app, but the only intervention that they receive via the app is weekly brief psychoeducational messages (active-control group). The primary outcome is the cumulative incidence of major depression measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview at 6 and 12 months. Other outcomes include depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms (GAD-7), depression risk (predictD risk algorithm), mental and physical quality of life (SF-12), and acceptability and satisfaction (‘e-Health Impact' questionnaire) with the intervention. Patients are evaluated at baseline and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. An economic evaluation will also be performed (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis) from two perspectives, societal and health systems.Spanish Ministry of Health, the Institute of Health Carlos IIIThe European Regional Development Fund Una manera de hacer Europa (grant references: PI15/00401PI15/01035, and PI15/01021), the Andalusian Council of Health (grant reference: AP-0095-2016);Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network redIAPP (RD16/0007/0010RD16/0007/0005, RD16/0007/0003, and RD16/0007/0001), Ministry of Health of Andalusia (PS-0330- 2016)The Chronicity, Primary Care, and Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network RICAPPS (RD21/0016/0012RD21/0016/0005, RD21/0016/0010, and RD21/0016/0001)The Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Institute of Health Carlos III (SCIII)The European Funds of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and by the EU funds Next-Generatio