Measuring the adjusted monetary base in an era of financial change - commentary

Money supply

Money in the twenty-first century.

What implications do 21st century monetary innovations bring for holdings of central bank money and standards of value? Emerging technologies such as cybercash, e-cash, and smart cards can be expected to reduce demand for central bank money, but the theoretical framework for monetary policy has not changed. The authors stress three points in this paper: 1) money innovations tend to reduce the demand for central bank money, but it remains to be seen whether the predictability of that demand, and thus the reliability of monetary policy, will decline in the coming century; 2) in principle, monetary authorities can continue to determine the price level as long as final settlement of tax and other obligations takes place using central bank liabilities; and 3) the viability of competing currencies and standards of value is gaining steam as a lively field of research.Money ; Payment systems ; Smart cards

Literacy and the worth of liberty

Als ein Beispiel für die dritte Generation der Studien über den Alphabetismus wird in dem Beitrag der funktionale Wert des Alphabetismus bei Rechtsgeschäften untersucht. Auf der Grundlage empirischen Beweismaterials über Hypothesen und Testamente in zwei amerikanischen Verwaltungsbezirken im 19. Jahrhundert werden die generelle Rechtstheorie und die Gerichtspraxis in bezug auf die Mitwirkung von Analphabeten bei Verträgen untersucht. Die Untersuchung kommt zu dem Ergebnis, daß trotz einer zurückhaltenden Rechtslehre Analphabeten bei Rechtsgeschäften mehr und mehr benachteiligt werden. (KWübers.)'As one example of the third generation of literacy studies, this paper investigates the functional value of literacy in legal transactions. Based upon empirical evidence about mortgages and wills in two American counties in the 19th century, the article investigates the general legal theory and court practice regarding the participation of illiterate persons in contracts. In spite of a lingering fairness doctrine, illiterates were more and more disadvantagedin legal dealings.' (author's abstract

Biodegradation and Characterization of a Bio-based Polyester

Anaerobic biodegradation in sewage sludge and aerobic biodegradation in compost of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) were investigated to determine degradation kinetics and identify changes in polymer properties. To determine the impact of a natural plasticizer on biodegradation, tributyl citrate (TBC) was blended with some test specimens. For comparison to another bioplastic, polylactic acid (PLA) was biodegraded in the anaerobic study. Evolved gaseous carbon was measured to assess biodegradability according to ASTM standards D5210 and D5338. Mass loss experiments were performed to facilitate determination of degradation kinetics. Melt-pressed plates of the bioplastic with five different initial mass-to-surface-area ratios (plate thicknesses of 0.24, 0.5, 1.2, 3.5 and 5.0 mm) were biodegraded to investigate the relationship between this parameter and decay rate coefficients for first order decay kinetics. Results showed that degradation rate coefficients were influenced by initial mass-to-surface-area ratio of the bioplastic seemingly according to saturation kinetics. In the first anaerobic mass loss experiment, degradation rate coefficients with respect to initial surface area of the 0.5-mm, 1.2-mm, and 3.5-mm PHB plates were 0.58, 1.29, and 2.07 mg cm-2 d-1, respectively. In the second anaerobic mass loss experiment, coefficients for the 0.24-mm, 1.2-mm, and 5-mm PHB plates were 0.32, 0.73, and 0.95 mg cm-2 d-1, respectively. Coefficients for the 1.2-mm PHB/15% TBC blend and PLA were 0.38 and 0.00 mg cm-2 d-1, respectively. In the first aerobic mass loss experiment, coefficients for the 0.5-mm, 1.2-mm, and 3.5-mm PHB plates were 0.33, 0.62, and 1.57 mg cm-2 d-1, respectively. In the second aerobic mass loss experiment, coefficients for the 0.24-mm, 1.2-mm, and 5-mm PHB plates were 0.16, 1.05, and 1.11 mg cm-2 d-1, respectively, and 0.04 mg cm-2 d-1 for the PHB/15% TBC blend. In both degrading environments, the TBC additive hindered the degradation rate of the PHB. Thermal properties, molecular bonding, and molecular weight as measured by DSC, FT-IR, and Size Exclusion Chromatography, respectively, seemed only slightly affected by biodegradation. Decreasing Izod pendulum impact strength of the PHB was the obvious result of polymer loss. Furthermore, scanning electron micrographs of degraded specimens were recorded for visual illustration of the degradation process

Alien Registration- Stevens, Edward G. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26680/thumbnail.jp

Alien Registration- Stevens, Edward G. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26680/thumbnail.jp