Unconventional monetary policy and inflation expectations in the Euro area. CEPS Working Document No 2020/01, January 2020

With the ECB's policy rate having reached the zero lower bound, traditional monetary policy tools became ineffective and the ECB was forced to adopt a set of unconventional monetary policy (UMP) measures. This paper examines the effects of the ECB's UMP on inflation expectations in the Euro area as inflation expectations play a key role for achieving the inflation target of below, but close to 2%. Quantifying the impact of UMP is not straightforward, as standard empirical tools such as VAR cannot be applied. Hence, we use the Qual VAR approach pioneered by Dueker (2005) to overcome this problem. We indeed find that UMP leads to a rise in inflation expectations in the short run but that this effect appears to evaporate in the medium term. Our results put some doubt on the common claim that UMP has consistently contributed to a re-anchoring and a stabilisation of inflation expectations at the zero lower bound. Nevertheless, they indicate a rise in mediumterm real GDP growth triggered by UMP

Fast non-recursive extraction of individual harmonics using artificial neural networks

A collaborative work between Northumbria University and University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). It presents a novel technique based on Artificial Neural Networks for fast extraction of individual harmonic components. The technique was tested on a real-time hardware platform and results obtained showed that it is significantly faster and less computationally complex than other techniques. The paper complements other publications by the author (see paper 1) on the important area of “Power Quality” of electric power networks. It involves the application of advanced techniques in artificial intelligence to solve power systems problems

College to Career: Making a Successful Transition

Poster session will include survey results a transition to employment survey from students registered with DS at two mid-sized colleges. Similarities and differences between the two groups will be examined. Ideas for further engagement with students for career preparation will be discussed. Ideal for: - DS providers who enjoy learning about and/or working with students on their transition from college to employment. - Students who attend the conference and are preparing for their next adventure. Goals of the session: - A lot of DS professionals are rightly focused on the transition from high school to college. I believe this is the case because we will be working with these students for several years. We want to do our best at ensuring students are college ready. - I think DS professionals are less focused on the transition from college to employment, but this is the ultimate goal for any college student - successful employment. Our Career Center is the primary resource for referring students as they start to prepare for life after college. This poster session will also demonstrate how a DS office is collaborating with Career Services

Underinsured Motorist Coverage: North Carolina\u27s Multiple Claimant Wrinkle - \u3cem\u3eRay v. Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co.\u3c/em\u3e

This Note traces the development of UIM coverage in North Carolina by examining the statutory and judicial history preceding Ray v. Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co. This Note then analyzes the rationale behind the court\u27s holding in Ray and compares the decision to cases on point in other jurisdictions. Next, this Note examines the holdings in Ray and Harris v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. in light of the legislative purpose behind the Motor Vehicle Safety and Financial Responsibility Act. And finally, this Note addresses the ramifications of Ray, including the effect of the decision and any remaining questions

Is Yoga Therapy Effective in Reducing Chronic Lower Back Pain in Adults?

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Is yoga therapy effective in reducing chronic lower back pain in adults.” Study Design: Systematic review of 2 randomized controlled trials (RCT), 1 randomized clinical trial, published after January 2017, and in English language. Data Sources: Both RCTs and the randomized clinical trial were published in peerreviewed journals, found through the PubMed database, and were selected based on relevance to the clinical question and if outcomes were patient oriented (POEMS). Outcome(s) measured: All 3 studies measured pain, using a variety of pain measurement scales such as the Brief Pain Inventory, Numeric Rating Scale for pain, and the Defense and Veterans pain rating scale (24-hour pain with functional statements). Results: Groessl et al. found a significant difference in pain reduction after 12 weeks of yoga therapy when compared to a delayed treatment group (p-value \u3c0.005), however in those completing yoga therapy, after 12 weeks there was no significant decrease in pain (1.0 point) with an average of -0.61 and a CI of (-0.94, -0.28) (Am J Prev Med. 2017;53(5):599–608. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2017.05.019). Kuvačić et al demonstrated that there were significant differences in pain reduction between the pamphlet control and yoga therapy groups (p-value \u3c0.001) and within each group during post-testing (Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018;31:262-267. doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.03.008). Highland et al found a clinically significant difference in post treatment pain after RESTORE yoga compared to treatment as usual (p-value .001) (Arch Phys Med Rehabil.2018;99(1):91-98. doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2017.08.473). Conclusion: This EBM review demonstrates that yoga therapy is an effective treatment option for patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP), especially when compared to other traditional treatment options. However more research needs to be done to evaluate the within group and long term effects of yoga therapy

The predictability of New Mexico’s summative reading assessment by two commonly used early literacy assessments, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Next (DIBELS Next) and the Developmental Reading Assessment – Second Edition (DRA2)

This study will determine the degree to which first grade literacy tests predict third grade reading performance in order to judge their value as early warning systems for reading skills. Reading skills are fundamental to many academic outcomes, so having an early sense of how students are reading is critical for schools. The first grade reading tests being compared are the Developmental Reading Assessment-Second Edition (DRA2) and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills – Next (DIBELS Next). This study will employ two datasets, one with DIBELS Next scores (N=5,456) and one with DRA2 scores (N=2,209). Logistic regression is used to judge the predictability, and all logistic regression models are generated with the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20. The dependent variable is operationalized to be scoring proficient or not proficient on the New Mexico third grade English language arts/reading Standards Based Assessment (SBA). The independent variable is the composite score on the early literacy assessment. Covariates are demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, racial group, English language learner status and economic disadvantaged status). For both models, the beginning-of-year composite score had a significant overall effect in predicting student proficiency on the SBA. The DRA2 model had higher percentages of sensitivity, and positive and negative predicted values compared to the DIBELS Next. Conversely, the DIBELS Next had higher false positive and negative rates than the DRA2