The US Treasury market is vulnerable to stress

Significance The US Treasuries securities market is the world's largest and most liquid financial market, and is relied on by market participants as a basis to price other risks. However, on several occasions in recent years, it has exhibited unusual behaviour under stress and required corrective intervention by the US Federal Reserve (Fed). Impacts The rebound remains vulnerable to COVID-19 spread, and the ongoing need for supportive measures will stoke policy conflicts for some time. The firmer link between policy and price expectations means that miscommunication may be more disruptive than in the 2013 ‘taper tantrum’. The Fed tapering of bond purchases over the near term could trigger interest rate rises, testing the resilience of the Treasury market.

La tutela degli orfani nelle Leggi di Platone: una risposta alle aporie della prassi ateniese

This paper addresses the guardianship of orphans in Plato’s Laws. The aim is to state whether the philosopher, through his theoretic model, wanted to correct the critical issues of the Athenian legal system that he perceived as most problematic. The paper is divided in two parts. The first one deals with the analysis of passages from Plato’s works in which the issue of the orphans’ guardianship had been addressed, in order to identify which related matters, in his opinion, deserved a corrective intervention. The second part of the paper is itself divided in two parts and deals with the analysis of the legislation on the orphans’ guardianship of Magnesia. The comparison with the Athenian and other institutions from the Greek world allows us to focus on the innovative features of this new legislation: they come out both from a personal revision by the philosopher and from the inspiration to non-Athenian models. In this way, Plato seems to try to fill the gaps of Athenian practice, even in theory.

Virtual simulation with Sim&Size software for Pipeline Flex Embolization: evaluation of the technical and clinical impact

IntroductionDuring flow diversion, the choice of the length, diameter, and location of the deployed stent are critical for the success of the procedure. Sim&Size software, based on the three-dimensional rotational angiography (3D-RA) acquisition, simulates the release of the stent, suggesting optimal sizing, and displaying the degree of the wall apposition.ObjectiveTo demonstrate technical and clinical impacts of the Sim&Size simulation during treatment with the Pipeline Flex Embolization Device.MethodsConsecutive patients who underwent aneurysm embolization with Pipeline at our department were retrospectively enrolled (January 2015–December 2017) and divided into two groups: treated with and without simulation. Through univariate and multivariate models, we evaluated: (1) rate of corrective intervention for non-optimal stent placement, (2) duration of intervention, (3) radiation dose, and (4) stent length.Results189 patients, 95 (50.2%) without and 94 (49.7%) with software assistance were analyzed. Age, sex, comorbidities, aneurysm characteristics, and operator’s experience were comparable among the two groups. Procedures performed with the software had a lower rate of corrective intervention (9% vs 20%, p=0.036), a shorter intervention duration (46 min vs 52 min, p=0.002), a lower median radiation dose (1150 mGy vs 1558 mGy, p<0.001), and a shorter stent length (14 mm vs 16 mm, p<0.001).ConclusionsIn our experience, the use of the virtual simulation during Pipeline treatment significantly reduced the need for corrective intervention, the procedural time, the radiation dose, and the length of the stent.

Home and Neighborhood Environment Predictors of Adolescents’ Screen Viewing

Background:Nowadays, the majority of adolescents exceed the AAP guidelines for screen use and this is likely to be a risk factor for obesity. The current study aims at investigating adolescent screen viewing in the context of home and neighborhood environment.Methods:A sample of 1141 adolescents as well as their parents participated in this survey. Adolescents were asked to complete a questionnaire about time spent on screen viewing behaviors. Respectively, parents completed a questionnaire concerning environmental predictors.Results:Almost two-thirds of the adolescents surveyed spend more than 2 hours per day on screen entertainment, with boys dealing with personal computers (PCs) and electronic games more than girls. The likelihood for an adolescent to exceed 2 hours of screen time is 3.87 times more when he has his meals in front of a TV screen on a daily basis, 1.69 times more when the TV is on, often as not on his return from school and 1.74 times more when there is a PC in the adolescent’s bedroom.Conclusion:Certain environmental predictors influence adolescents’ screen time, as a result, corrective intervention should aim at the family as a whole, as this whole shapes home environment.

Basing rate adjustments for motor carriers on statistical evidence

Pricing services of motor carriers is a dynamic process, with continuous pressure from customers to offer competitive rates and discounts. This can lead to a profusion of special arrangements with rates that poorly reflect the services rendered. This article shows how standard database systems and statistical models can be used to extract useful information from bills of lading to assist in the pricing of freight services. Summaries of business performance are produced according to terminal facility, shipping origin, shipping destination, individual shipping lane and individual customer. User-friendly statistical models are constructed to produce benchmarks for rates and revenues considering the services rendered. Differences between actual and benchmark levels of performance help to identify situations that may call for managerial reinforcement or corrective intervention. With illustrations from a major motor carrier, the authors discuss how even small motor carriers can develop such models and use them for planning their rate adjustments and managing customer relationships.