Committees versus individuals: an experimental analysis of monetary policy decision-making

We report the results of an experimental analysis of monetary policy decision-making under uncertainty. A large sample of economically literate students from the London School of Economics played a simple monetary policy game, as both individuals and committees of five players. Our findings - that groups make better decisions than individuals - accord with previous work by Blinder and Morgan. The experiment also attempted to establish why group decision-making is superior: although some improvement was related to committees taking decisions by majority voting, a significant additional committee benefit was associated with members being able to share information and observe each other's voting behaviour.monetary policy, experimental economics, central banking, uncertainty

Committees Versus Individuals: An Experimental Analysis of Monetary Policy Decision Making

We report the results of an experimental analysis of monetary policy decision making under uncertainty. A large sample of economics students played a simple monetary policy game, both as individuals and in committees of five players. Our findings - that groups make better decisions than individuals - accord with previous work by Blinder and Morgan. We also attempt to establish why this is so. Some of the improvement is related to the ability of committees to strip out the effect of bad play, but there is a significant additional improvement, which we associate with players learning from each other’s interest rate decisions.Monetary policy; experimental economics; central banking; uncertainty

Starships, Gallifrey, Krypton, And Earth: Searching For The Hero Archetype In The Melodies Of Science Fiction And Superhero Films

The study of science fiction and superhero melodies is relatively new in the academic world of music theory. Analysis of hero archetypes found in Doctor Who, Star Trek (and its major motion pictures), Star Wars, and Superman provide excellent conduits for all students of music to access the hidden and overt musical meaning assigned to heroes. Realization of this study’s findings will feature interval tension and Schenkerian analysis, score reductions, and topic theory to provide perspective on how heroes are identified and perceived by directors, composers and audiences alike. Deryck Cooke, Leonard Ratner, and V. Kofi Agawu’s approach to thematic and melodic analysis provide support to this paper’s findings, and strengthens the semiotic effect of each melody studied. Intervals used in heroic melodies have an extra musical purpose, utilizing an agreed upon language of music between the audience and composer. Searching for these connections is the goal of this project, providing a framework for future study of the hero archetype in film scores of the twenty-first century

Rethinking Civil Liberties under the Washington State Constitution

In 1986 the Washington Supreme Court set forth six criteria for courts to apply in determining whether the state constitution affords broader protection for civil liberties than the federal Constitution. While making progress toward an independent interpretation of the state constitution, Washington courts remain overly dependent on federal precedent. This Comment explores Washington\u27s approach to independent analysis of the state constitution by examining a recent Washington case extending a privacy interest to an individual\u27s garbage. Washington\u27s approach needs to be modified to emphasize independent analysis of the state constitution and thereby give effect to Washington\u27s unique and vital constitutional heritage

The effect of a targeted clinical toxicology training intervention on the diagnostic accuracy and management of paramedics exposed to clinical simulation: a repeated measures study

John Talbot and James Coulson, 'The effect of a targeted clinical toxicology training intervention on the diagnostic accuracy and management of paramedics exposed to clinical simulation: a repeated measures study', British Paramedic Journal, 2016, Vol. 1 (1): 15-25, © The Author(s) 2016.Background – As first contact practitioners in a variety of medical emergencies, paramedics are frequently required to manage a number of toxicological emergencies. Although mortality from poisonings is low, timely and appropriate management can help to prevent subsequent sequelae such as acute coronary syndromes in cocaine toxicity, dangerous arrhythmias after tricyclic antidepressant overdose and regurgitation of gastric content following opioid poisoning. Paramedics potentially have underdeveloped knowledge of toxic syndromes (toxidromes), instead relying on heuristics and experience to manage poisoning emergencies. Moreover formal teaching of pharmacology and toxicology on paramedic undergraduate programmes is not universal, potentially leading to suboptimal management of poisoned patients. Study objectives – To evaluate baseline diagnostic accuracy and management of poisoning emergencies by undergraduate paramedics and the effect of participation in a targeted toxicological training intervention on diagnostic accuracy and management among undergraduate paramedics when assessed through clinical simulation. Methods – The research utilised a two-stage repeated measures design; following completion of a Likert scale questionnaire a cohort of final year undergraduate paramedics from the University of Northamptonshire undertook three 5-minute simulated patient scenarios on a Laerdal SimMan® programmed to display specific clinical signs; a written sheet with a brief history accompanied each scenario. The scenarios were designed to reflect current paramedic practice comprising opioid (scenario 1), tricyclic antidepressant (scenario 2) and beta blocker overdoses (scenario 3). Two weeks after completing the scenarios the cohort attended a targeted 90-minute educational intervention; a further two months later the cohort repeated the scenarios although the order in which the individual cases were encountered was changed.Peer reviewe

Neoplasms of the Internal Auditory Canal

Histopathological studies of tumors of the temporal bone are scarce. The authors examined a relatively large number of sectioned human temporal bones in search of small asymptomatic acoustic neurilemmomata and have reported the findings (Leonard and Talbot, 1970). During that search, several other neoplasms were encountered in the internal auditory canal. This report presents a clinical and pathological review of these lesions

Identification of Cytotoxic Flavor Chemicals in Top-Selling Electronic Cigarette Refill Fluids.

We identified the most popular electronic cigarette (EC) refill fluids using an Internet survey and local and online sales information, quantified their flavor chemicals, and evaluated cytotoxicities of the fluids and flavor chemicals. "Berries/Fruits/Citrus" was the most popular EC refill fluid flavor category. Twenty popular EC refill fluids were purchased from local shops, and the ingredient flavor chemicals were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total flavor chemical concentrations ranged from 0.6 to 27.9 mg/ml, and in 95% of the fluids, total flavor concentration was greater than nicotine concentration. The 20 most popular refill fluids contained 99 quantifiable flavor chemicals; each refill fluid contained 22 to 47 flavor chemicals, most being esters. Some chemicals were found frequently, and several were present in most products. At a 1% concentration, 80% of the refill fluids were cytotoxic in the MTT assay. Six pure standards of the flavor chemicals found at the highest concentrations in the two most cytotoxic refill fluids were effective in the MTT assay, and ethyl maltol, which was in over 50% of the products, was the most cytotoxic. These data show that the cytotoxicity of some popular refill fluids can be attributed to their high concentrations of flavor chemicals

High concentrations of flavor chemicals are present in electronic cigarette refill fluids.

We characterized the flavor chemicals in a broad sample of commercially available electronic cigarette (EC) refill fluids that were purchased in four different countries. Flavor chemicals in 277 refill fluids were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and two commonly used flavor chemicals were tested for cytotoxicity with the MTT assay using human lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells. About 85% of the refill fluids had total flavor concentrations >1 mg/ml, and 37% were >10 mg/ml (1% by weight). Of the 155 flavor chemicals identified in the 277 refill fluids, 50 were present at ≥1 mg/ml in at least one sample and 11 were ≥10 mg/ml in 54 of the refill fluids. Sixty-one% (170 out of 277) of the samples contained nicotine, and of these, 56% had a total flavor chemical/nicotine ratio >2. Four chemicals were present in 50% (menthol, triacetin, and cinnamaldehyde) to 80% (ethyl maltol) of the samples. Some products had concentrations of menthol ("Menthol Arctic") and ethyl maltol ("No. 64") that were 30 times (menthol) and 100 times (ethyl maltol) their cytotoxic concentration. One refill fluid contained cinnamaldehyde at ~34% (343 mg/ml), more than 100,000 times its cytotoxic level. High concentrations of some flavor chemicals in EC refill fluids are potentially harmful to users, and continued absence of any regulations regarding flavor chemicals in EC fluids will likely be detrimental to human health

Prosecuting Members of the U.S. Military for Wartime Environmental Crimes

War is inherently damaging to the environment. Though these deleterious actions are often attributed to states during times of armed conflict, they are normally the result of military operations conducted by members of the military who are carrying out orders from military superiors. While many have proposed systemic changes that affect how states can or should be held responsible, few have commented on the process of holding individual military personnel or commanders responsible for battlefield acts of environmental damage. This paper argues that there are sufficient laws and regulations in place to hold individuals and commanders in the United States military responsible for illegal environmental damage during wartime. Further, these laws and regulations provide sufficient penalties and other enforcement mechanisms to deter potential violators, punish convicted criminals, and protect the environment