M. W. McLean, M. P. Wand.

Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 14, Number 2, 371--398.

Abstract:
We build on recent work concerning message passing approaches to approximate fitting and inference for arbitrarily large regression models. The focus is on regression models where the response variable is modeled to have an elaborate distribution, which is loosely defined to mean a distribution that is more complicated than common distributions such as those in the Bernoulli, Poisson and Normal families. Examples of elaborate response families considered here are the Negative Binomial and $t$ families. Variational message passing is more challenging due to some of the conjugate exponential families being non-standard and numerical integration being needed. Nevertheless, a factor graph fragment approach means the requisite calculations only need to be done once for a particular elaborate response distribution family. Computer code can be compartmentalized, including that involving numerical integration. A major finding of this work is that the modularity of variational message passing extends to elaborate response regression models.

Roderick J. Little.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 4, 580--583.

Andreas Buja, Lawrence Brown, Arun Kumar Kuchibhotla, Richard Berk, Edward George, Linda Zhao.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 4, 545--565.

Abstract:
We develop a model-free theory of general types of parametric regression for i.i.d. observations. The theory replaces the parameters of parametric models with statistical functionals, to be called “regression functionals,” defined on large nonparametric classes of joint ${x extrm{-}y}$ distributions, without assuming a correct model. Parametric models are reduced to heuristics to suggest plausible objective functions. An example of a regression functional is the vector of slopes of linear equations fitted by OLS to largely arbitrary ${x extrm{-}y}$ distributions, without assuming a linear model (see Part I). More generally, regression functionals can be defined by minimizing objective functions, solving estimating equations, or with ad hoc constructions. In this framework, it is possible to achieve the following: (1) define a notion of “well-specification” for regression functionals that replaces the notion of correct specification of models, (2) propose a well-specification diagnostic for regression functionals based on reweighting distributions and data, (3) decompose sampling variability of regression functionals into two sources, one due to the conditional response distribution and another due to the regressor distribution interacting with misspecification, both of order $N^{-1/2}$, (4) exhibit plug-in/sandwich estimators of standard error as limit cases of ${x extrm{-}y}$ bootstrap estimators, and (5) provide theoretical heuristics to indicate that ${x extrm{-}y}$ bootstrap standard errors may generally be preferred over sandwich estimators.

Andreas Buja, Lawrence Brown, Richard Berk, Edward George, Emil Pitkin, Mikhail Traskin, Kai Zhang, Linda Zhao.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 4, 523--544.

Abstract:
In the early 1980s, Halbert White inaugurated a “model-robust” form of statistical inference based on the “sandwich estimator” of standard error. This estimator is known to be “heteroskedasticity-consistent,” but it is less well known to be “nonlinearity-consistent” as well. Nonlinearity, however, raises fundamental issues because in its presence regressors are not ancillary, hence cannot be treated as fixed. The consequences are deep: (1) population slopes need to be reinterpreted as statistical functionals obtained from OLS fits to largely arbitrary joint ${x extrm{-}y}$ distributions; (2) the meaning of slope parameters needs to be rethought; (3) the regressor distribution affects the slope parameters; (4) randomness of the regressors becomes a source of sampling variability in slope estimates of order $1/sqrt{N}$; (5) inference needs to be based on model-robust standard errors, including sandwich estimators or the ${x extrm{-}y}$ bootstrap. In theory, model-robust and model-trusting standard errors can deviate by arbitrary magnitudes either way. In practice, significant deviations between them can be detected with a diagnostic test.

Jacqueline J. Meulman, Anita J. van der Kooij, Kevin L. W. Duisters.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 3, 361--390.

Abstract:
We present a methodology for multiple regression analysis that deals with categorical variables (possibly mixed with continuous ones), in combination with regularization, variable selection and high-dimensional data ($Pgg N$). Regularization and optimal scaling (OS) are two important extensions of ordinary least squares regression (OLS) that will be combined in this paper. There are two data analytic situations for which optimal scaling was developed. One is the analysis of categorical data, and the other the need for transformations because of nonlinear relationships between predictors and outcome. Optimal scaling of categorical data finds quantifications for the categories, both for the predictors and for the outcome variables, that are optimal for the regression model in the sense that they maximize the multiple correlation. When nonlinear relationships exist, nonlinear transformation of predictors and outcome maximize the multiple correlation in the same way. We will consider a variety of transformation types; typically we use step functions for categorical variables, and smooth (spline) functions for continuous variables. Both types of functions can be restricted to be monotonic, preserving the ordinal information in the data. In combination with optimal scaling, three popular regularization methods will be considered: Ridge regression, the Lasso and the Elastic Net. The resulting method will be called ROS Regression (Regularized Optimal Scaling Regression). The OS algorithm provides straightforward and efficient estimation of the regularized regression coefficients, automatically gives the Group Lasso and Blockwise Sparse Regression, and extends them by the possibility to maintain ordinal properties in the data. Extended examples are provided.

Gregorio Quintana-Ortí, Amelia Simó.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 2, 236--252.

Abstract:
This paper is focused on kernel regression when the response variable is the shape of a 3D object represented by a configuration matrix of landmarks. Regression methods on this shape space are not trivial because this space has a complex finite-dimensional Riemannian manifold structure (non-Euclidean). Papers about it are scarce in the literature, the majority of them are restricted to the case of a single explanatory variable, and many of them are based on the approximated tangent space. In this paper, there are several methodological innovations. The first one is the adaptation of the general method for kernel regression analysis in manifold-valued data to the three-dimensional case of Kendall’s shape space. The second one is its generalization to the multivariate case and the addressing of the curse-of-dimensionality problem. Finally, we propose bootstrap confidence intervals for prediction. A simulation study is carried out to check the goodness of the procedure, and a comparison with a current approach is performed. Then, it is applied to a 3D database obtained from an anthropometric survey of the Spanish child population with a potential application to online sales of children’s wear.

London, [29 January 1994]

Benjamin E. Reese
Mar 2, 2005; 25:2167-2175
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

Benjamin Meyer
Jul 3, 2019; 39:5326-5335
Systems/Circuits

WR Softky
Jan 1, 1993; 13:334-350
Articles

French translation of "Frequently asked questions on market risk capital requirements" by the Basel Committee, March 2018.

Spanish translation of "Frequently asked questions on market risk capital requirements" by the Basel Committee, March 2018.

Spanish translation of press release - the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is finalising stress-testing principles, reviews ways to stop regulatory arbitrage behaviour, agrees on annual G-SIB list, discusses leverage ratio, crypto-assets, market risk framework and implementation, 20 September 2018.

Speech by Mr Fernando Restoy, Chairman, Financial Stability Institute, Bank for International Settlements, at the ASBA-BID-FELABAN XVI Banking public-private sector regional policy dialogue "Challenges and opportunities in the new financial ecosystem", Washington DC, 16 October 2019.

During differentiation, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) extend a network of processes that make contact with axons and initiate myelination. Recent studies revealed that actin polymerization is required for initiation of myelination whereas actin depolymerization promotes myelin wrapping. Here, we used primary OPCs in culture isolated from neonatal rat cortices of both sexes and young male and female mice with oligodendrocyte-specific deletion of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) to demonstrate that mTOR regulates expression of specific cytoskeletal targets and actin reorganization in oligodendrocytes during developmental myelination. Loss or inhibition of mTOR reduced expression of profilin2 and ARPC3, actin polymerizing factors, and elevated levels of active cofilin, which mediates actin depolymerization. The deficits in actin polymerization were revealed in reduced phalloidin and deficits in oligodendrocyte cellular branching complexity at the peak of morphologic differentiation and a delay in initiation of myelination. We further show a critical role for mTOR in expression and localization of myelin basic protein (Mbp) mRNA and MBP protein to the cellular processes where it is necessary at the myelin membrane for axon wrapping. Mbp mRNA transport deficits were confirmed by single molecule RNA FISH. Moreover, expression of the kinesin family member 1B, an Mbp mRNA transport protein, was reduced in CC1+ cells in the mTOR cKO and in mTOR inhibited oligodendrocytes undergoing differentiation in vitro. These data support the conclusion that mTOR regulates both initiation of myelination and axon wrapping by targeting cytoskeletal reorganization and MBP localization to oligodendrocyte processes.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Myelination is essential for normal CNS development and adult axon preservation and function. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway has been implicated in promoting CNS myelination; however, there is a gap in our understanding of the mechanisms by which mTOR promotes developmental myelination through regulating specific downstream targets. Here, we present evidence that mTOR promotes the initiation of myelination through regulating specific cytoskeletal targets and cellular process expansion by oligodendrocyte precursor cells as well as expression and cellular localization of myelin basic protein.

Despite their opposing actions on food intake, POMC and NPY/AgRP neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) are derived from the same progenitors that give rise to ARH neurons. However, the mechanism whereby common neuronal precursors subsequently adopt either the anorexigenic (POMC) or the orexigenic (NPY/AgRP) identity remains elusive. We hypothesize that POMC and NPY/AgRP cell fates are specified and maintained by distinct intrinsic factors. In search of them, we profiled the transcriptomes of developing POMC and NPY/AgRP neurons in mice. Moreover, cell-type-specific transcriptomic analyses revealed transcription regulators that are selectively enriched in either population, but whose developmental functions are unknown in these neurons. Among them, we found the expression of the PR domain-containing factor 12 (Prdm12) was enriched in POMC neurons but absent in NPY/AgRP neurons. To study the role of Prdm12 in vivo, we developed and characterized a floxed Prdm12 allele. Selective ablation of Prdm12 in embryonic POMC neurons led to significantly reduced Pomc expression as well as early-onset obesity in mice of either sex that recapitulates symptoms of human POMC deficiency. Interestingly, however, specific deletion of Prdm12 in adult POMC neurons showed that it is no longer required for Pomc expression or energy balance. Collectively, these findings establish a critical role for Prdm12 in the anorexigenic neuron identity and suggest that it acts developmentally to program body weight homeostasis. Finally, the combination of cell-type-specific genomic and genetic analyses provides a means to dissect cellular and functional diversity in the hypothalamus whose neurodevelopment remains poorly studied.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT POMC and NPY/AgRP neurons are derived from the same hypothalamic progenitors but have opposing effects on food intake. We profiled the transcriptomes of genetically labeled POMC and NPY/AgRP neurons in the developing mouse hypothalamus to decipher the transcriptional codes behind the versus orexigenic neuron identity. Our analyses revealed 29 transcription regulators that are selectively enriched in one of the two populations. We generated new mouse genetic models to selective ablate one of POMC-neuron enriched transcription factors Prdm12 in developing and adult POMC neurons. Our studies establish a previously unrecognized role for Prdm12 in the anorexigenic neuron identity and suggest that it acts developmentally to program body weight homeostasis.

Nicotine addiction, through smoking, is the principal cause of preventable mortality worldwide. Human genome-wide association studies have linked polymorphisms in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster, coding for the α5, α3, and β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, to nicotine addiction. β4*nAChRs have been implicated in nicotine withdrawal, aversion, and reinforcement. Here we show that β4*nAChRs also are involved in non-nicotine-mediated responses that may predispose to addiction-related behaviors. β4 knock-out (KO) male mice show increased novelty-induced locomotor activity, lower baseline anxiety, and motivational deficits in operant conditioning for palatable food rewards and in reward-based Go/No-go tasks. To further explore reward deficits we used intracranial self-administration (ICSA) by directly injecting nicotine into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mice. We found that, at low nicotine doses, β4KO self-administer less than wild-type (WT) mice. Conversely, at high nicotine doses, this was reversed and β4KO self-administered more than WT mice, whereas β4-overexpressing mice avoided nicotine injections. Viral expression of β4 subunits in medial habenula (MHb), interpeduncular nucleus (IPN), and VTA of β4KO mice revealed dose- and region-dependent differences: β4*nAChRs in the VTA potentiated nicotine-mediated rewarding effects at all doses, whereas β4*nAChRs in the MHb-IPN pathway, limited VTA-ICSA at high nicotine doses. Together, our findings indicate that the lack of functional β4*nAChRs result in deficits in reward sensitivity including increased ICSA at high doses of nicotine that is restored by re-expression of β4*nAChRs in the MHb-IPN. These data indicate that β4 is a critical modulator of reward-related behaviors.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Human genetic studies have provided strong evidence for a relationship between variants in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster and nicotine addiction. Yet, little is known about the role of β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit encoded by this cluster. We investigated the implication of β4*nAChRs in anxiety-, food reward- and nicotine reward-related behaviors. Deletion of the β4 subunit gene resulted in an addiction-related phenotype characterized by low anxiety, high novelty-induced response, lack of sensitivity to palatable food rewards and increased intracranial nicotine self-administration at high doses. Lentiviral vector-induced re-expression of the β4 subunit into either the MHb or IPN restored a "stop" signal on nicotine self-administration. These results suggest that β4*nAChRs provide a promising novel drug target for smoking cessation.

The parabrachial (PB) complex mediates both ascending nociceptive signaling and descending pain modulatory information in the affective/emotional pain pathway. We have recently reported that chronic pain is associated with amplified activity of PB neurons in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Here we demonstrate that similar activity amplification occurs in mice, and that this is related to suppressed inhibition to lateral parabrachial (LPB) neurons from the CeA in animals of either sex. Animals with pain after chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-Pain) displayed higher spontaneous and evoked activity in PB neurons, and a dramatic increase in after-discharges, responses that far outlast the stimulus, compared with controls. LPB neurons in CCI-Pain animals showed a reduction in inhibitory, GABAergic inputs. We show that, in both rats and mice, LPB contains few GABAergic neurons, and that most of its GABAergic inputs arise from CeA. These CeA GABA neurons express dynorphin, somatostatin, and/or corticotropin releasing hormone. We find that the efficacy of this CeA-LPB pathway is suppressed in chronic pain. Further, optogenetically stimulating this pathway suppresses acute pain, and inhibiting it, in naive animals, evokes pain behaviors. These findings demonstrate that the CeA-LPB pathway is critically involved in pain regulation, and in the pathogenesis of chronic pain.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We describe a novel pathway, consisting of inhibition by dynorphin, somatostatin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone-expressing neurons in the CeA that project to the parabrachial nucleus. We show that this pathway regulates the activity of pain-related neurons in parabrachial nucleus, and that, in chronic pain, this inhibitory pathway is suppressed, and that this suppression is causally related to pain perception. We propose that this amygdalo-parabrachial pathway is a key regulator of both chronic and acute pain, and a novel target for pain relief.

The Drosophila nervous system is ensheathed by a layer of outer glial cells, the perineurial glia, and a specialized extracellular matrix, the neural lamella. The function of perineurial glial cells and how they interact with the extracellular matrix are just beginning to be elucidated. Integrin-based focal adhesion complexes link the glial membrane to the extracellular matrix, but little is known about integrin's regulators in the glia. The transmembrane Ig domain protein Basigin/CD147/EMMPRIN is highly expressed in the perineurial glia surrounding the Drosophila larval nervous system. Here we show that Basigin associates with integrin at the focal adhesions to uphold the structure of the glia-extracellular matrix sheath. Knockdown of Basigin in perineurial glia using RNAi results in significant shortening of the ventral nerve cord, compression of the glia and extracellular matrix in the peripheral nerves, and reduction in larval locomotion. We determined that Basigin is expressed in close proximity to integrin at the glial membrane, and that expression of the extracellular integrin-binding domain of Basigin is sufficient to rescue peripheral glial compression. We also found that a reduction in expression of integrin at the membrane rescues the ventral nerve cord shortening, peripheral glial compression, and locomotor phenotypes, and that reduction in the integrin-binding protein Talin can partially rescue glial compression. These results identify Basigin as a potential negative regulator of integrin in the glia, supporting proper glial and extracellular matrix ensheathment of the nervous system.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The glial cells and extracellular matrix play important roles in supporting and protecting the nervous system, but the interactions between these components have not been well characterized. Our study identified expression of a conserved Ig superfamily protein, Basigin, at the glial membrane of Drosophila where it associates with the integrin-based focal adhesion complexes to ensure proper ensheathment of the CNS and PNS. Loss of Basigin in the glia results in an overall compression of the nervous system due to integrin dysregulation, which causes locomotor defects in the animals. This underlies the importance of glia-matrix communication for structural and functional support of the nervous system.

To determine whether Cav1.2 voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels contribute to astrocyte activation, we generated an inducible conditional knock-out mouse in which the Cav1.2 α subunit was deleted in GFAP-positive astrocytes. This astrocytic Cav1.2 knock-out mouse was tested in the cuprizone model of myelin injury and repair which causes astrocyte and microglia activation in the absence of a lymphocytic response. Deletion of Cav1.2 channels in GFAP-positive astrocytes during cuprizone-induced demyelination leads to a significant reduction in the degree of astrocyte and microglia activation and proliferation in mice of either sex. Concomitantly, the production of proinflammatory factors such as TNFα, IL1β and TGFβ1 was significantly decreased in the corpus callosum and cortex of Cav1.2 knock-out mice through demyelination. Furthermore, this mild inflammatory environment promotes oligodendrocyte progenitor cells maturation and myelin regeneration across the remyelination phase of the cuprizone model. Similar results were found in animals treated with nimodipine, a Cav1.2 Ca²⁺ channel inhibitor with high affinity to the CNS. Mice of either sex injected with nimodipine during the demyelination stage of the cuprizone treatment displayed a reduced number of reactive astrocytes and showed a faster and more efficient brain remyelination. Together, these results indicate that Cav1.2 Ca²⁺ channels play a crucial role in the induction and proliferation of reactive astrocytes during demyelination; and that attenuation of astrocytic voltage-gated Ca²⁺ influx may be an effective therapy to reduce brain inflammation and promote myelin recovery in demyelinating diseases.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Reducing voltage-gated Ca²⁺ influx in astrocytes during brain demyelination significantly attenuates brain inflammation and astrocyte reactivity. Furthermore, these changes promote myelin restoration and oligodendrocyte maturation throughout remyelination.

The action potential (AP) waveform controls the opening of voltage-gated calcium channels and contributes to the driving force for calcium ion flux that triggers neurotransmission at presynaptic nerve terminals. Although the frog neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has long been a model synapse for the study of neurotransmission, its presynaptic AP waveform has never been directly studied, and thus the AP waveform shape and propagation through this long presynaptic nerve terminal are unknown. Using a fast voltage-sensitive dye, we have imaged the AP waveform from the presynaptic terminal of male and female frog NMJs and shown that the AP is very brief in duration and actively propagated along the entire length of the terminal. Furthermore, based on measured AP waveforms at different regions along the length of the nerve terminal, we show that the terminal is divided into three distinct electrical regions: A beginning region immediately after the last node of Ranvier where the AP is broadest, a middle region with a relatively consistent AP duration, and an end region near the tip of nerve terminal branches where the AP is briefer. We hypothesize that these measured changes in the AP waveform along the length of the motor nerve terminal may explain the proximal-distal gradient in transmitter release previously reported at the frog NMJ.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The AP waveform plays an essential role in determining the behavior of neurotransmission at the presynaptic terminal. Although the frog NMJ is a model synapse for the study of synaptic transmission, there are many unknowns centered around the shape and propagation of its presynaptic AP waveform. Here, we demonstrate that the presynaptic terminal of the frog NMJ has a very brief AP waveform and that the motor nerve terminal contains three distinct electrical regions. We propose that the changes in the AP waveform as it propagates along the terminal can explain the proximal-distal gradient in transmitter release seen in electrophysiological studies.

Nestin, an intermediate filament protein widely used as a marker of neural progenitors, was recently found to be expressed transiently in developing cortical neurons in culture and in developing mouse cortex. In young cortical cultures, nestin regulates axonal growth cone morphology. In addition, nestin, which is known to bind the neuronal cdk5/p35 kinase, affects responses to axon guidance cues upstream of cdk5, specifically, to Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, and changes in microtubules and actin filaments are well studied. In contrast, the roles of intermediate filament proteins in this process are poorly understood, even in cultured neurons. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism by which nestin affects growth cone morphology and Sema3a sensitivity. We find that nestin selectively facilitates the phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked protein doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected by nestin. We uncover that this substrate selectivity is based on the ability of nestin to interact with DCX, but not with other cdk5 substrates. Nestin thus creates a selective scaffold for DCX with activated cdk5/p35. Last, we use cortical cultures derived from Dcx KO mice to show that the effects of nestin on growth cone morphology and on Sema3a sensitivity are DCX-dependent, thus suggesting a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating the intracellular kinase signaling environment in developing neurons. The sex of animal subjects is unknown.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Nestin, an intermediate filament protein highly expressed in neural progenitors, was recently identified in developing neurons where it regulates growth cone morphology and responsiveness to the guidance cue Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, but the roles of intermediate filaments in this process are poorly understood. We now report that nestin selectively facilitates phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected. This substrate selectivity is based on preferential scaffolding of DCX, cdk5, and p35 by nestin. Additionally, we demonstrate a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating intracellular kinase signaling in developing neurons.

The Heritage neighbourhood's free little libraries are being transformed.

Closing arguments were presented at the trial of Phillip Lionel Levac on Friday at Regina Court of Queen's Bench.

Police used their conductive energy weapons four times during the arrest of a 31-year-old man who they say was smashing windows with a piece of rebar.

FSI Briefs No 1, April 2020. Regulatory policy responses should seek to support economic activity while preserving the financial system's soundness and ensuring transparency. The recommendation for banks to make full use of capital and liquidity buffers should go hand in hand with restrictions on dividends and bonuses and clarity concerning the process for rebuilding them. Flexibility in loan classification criteria for prudential and accounting purposes should be complemented with sufficient disclosure on the criteria banks use to assess creditworthiness. The publication of detailed guidance on the application of expected loss provisioning rules, combined with sensible transitional arrangements, may constitute a balanced approach to mitigating the unintended effects of the new accounting standards.

BIS Bulletin No 8, April 2020. Information on local labour markets and Google searches can be used to construct a measure of the vulnerability of employment in different regions of the United States to the Covid-19 shock. Regional exposure to Covid-19 varies significantly, ranging from a low of 2% to a high of 98% of total local employment. We test for the usefulness of the Covid-19 exposure measure by showing that areas with higher exposure report more Google search queries related to the pandemic and unemployment benefits.

FSI Briefs No 4, April 2020. Currently, insurers are more likely to experience losses from financial market volatility than from higher insurance claims arising from Covid-19. Few insurance supervisors have seen a need to strengthen or adjust prudential requirements to insulate insurers from current financial market uncertainties. So far, authorities have responded mainly by taking measures to provide operational relief to insurers from regulatory and supervisory requirements so that they can continue providing insurance services. These measures will also help insurers to enhance risk monitoring of their Covid-19 financial exposures. Some authorities have set out expectations for insurers to conserve capital through prudent exercise of dividend and variable remuneration policies. The aim is to enhance their resilience against huge uncertainties from potential Covid-19 fallout. Other capital-related measures should relieve supervisory pressures and reduce the tendency of insurers to manage their investments in a procyclical manner. These measures include: extending the supervisory intervention ladder, triggering the countercyclical lever and recalibrating capital requirements. The far-reaching impact of Covid-19 calls for sustained vigilance by both supervisors and insurers. In the post-pandemic phase, the extraordinary measures currently warranted will need to be unwound through a carefully crafted exit strategy that preserves sound risk management practices and protects policyholders' interests.

This paper reviews post-crisis financial regulatory reforms, examines how they fit together and identifies open issues. Specifically, it takes stock of the salient new features of bank and CCP international standards within a unified analytical framework.

Press release "Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to solve RegTech and SupTech challenges", 27 April 2020

BCBS Press release "Basel Committee issues progress report on banks' implementation of the 'Principles for effective risk data aggregation and reporting'", 29 April 2020

A protein shredder that occurs in cell membranes of brain cells apparently also indirectly regulates the fat metabolism.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a surge in nationwide shipments of specialities from legendary restaurants

The Flint Registry is holding in-person enrollment across the city of Flint all week. Officials are trying to track the health of residents made ill by the Flint Water Crisis.

More than 400 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Waterloo region, new numbers released by Region of Waterloo Public Health Thursday morning showed.

Waterloo regional police two police badges were stolen from a home in Cambridge.

Ten new cases of COVID-19 reported as of Friday morning, bringing the total of cases to 897. Three more people in Waterloo region have also died from COVID-19.

About half of the confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Waterloo region have been marked as resolved, according to numbers released by Region of Waterloo Public Health on Saturday.

Hope for a 2020 Grey Cup in Regina is slowly dwindling as the CFL hints at a season cancellation. 

Despite sharp differences in the impact of COVID-19 in different parts of Ontario, the Ford government is rejecting a region-by-region approach to loosening emergency restrictions.

This report outlines the progress made by banks in implementing the Basel Committee's Principles for effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting ("the Principles" or "BCBS 239")1 based on supervisors' assessments conducted in 2019.

Bank for International Settlements BIS Working Papers by Claudio Borio, Marc Farag and Nikola Tarashev

Learn how to use the Region Render tool to only render sections of your Visualize Viewport.

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CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2020 / 07:00 pm (CNA).- Reports of an Indian hospital's segregated wards for Hindu and Muslim coronavirus patients drew concern from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, though Indian authorities strongly disputed the allegation.

"USCIRF is concerned with reports of Hindu and Muslim patients separated into separate hospital wards in Gujarat,” the commission said on Twitter and Facebook April 15. “Such actions only help to further increase ongoing stigmatization of Muslims in India and exacerbate false rumors of Muslims spreading COVID-19.”

The bipartisan U.S. federal government commission linked to a story in the Indian Express newspaper that cites a hospital official and a patient in the city of Ahmedabad in the western coastal Indian state of Gujarat.

India's Ministry for External Affairs opposed the commission, saying it was spreading “misguided reports” and “adding religious color” that distracts from India's efforts to combat the novel coronavirus.

“No segregation is being done in civil hospitals on the basis of religion, as clarified by the Gujarat government,” the ministry said April 15.

The reports concern Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where there are some 1,200 beds prepared for patients suffering from the novel coronavirus.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Gunvant. H. Rathod described the hospital division to the Indian Express, saying “generally, there are separate wards for male and female patients. But here, we have made separate wards for Hindu and Muslim patients.”

“It is a decision of the government and you can ask them,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Nitin Patel said he was not aware of the situation and would make inquiries. Ahmedabad's district magistrate, K.K. Nirala, also was not aware of any decision, the Indian Express reports.

However, the Indian Express cited a hospital patient who said the names of 28 men in a ward were called out, and they were moved to another ward.

“While we were not told why we were being shifted, all the names that were called out belonged to one community. We spoke to one staff member in our ward today and he said this had been done for ‘the comfort of both communities’,” the patient said.

The Gujarat Health and Family Welfare Department said the reports were “absolutely baseless.” Rather, it said, patients are treated based on symptoms and severity and “according to treating doctors' recommendations.

As of Wednesday, new known cases of coronavirus in Gujarat rose by 127 to 766, with 88 cases in Ahmedabad. The death toll there totals 33, the Times of India reports.

The Indian newspaper The Week reported that the commission had previously criticized India's Citizenship Amendment Act, which became effective in January 2020.

In December 2019 the commission expressed concern about the legislation, which enshrined a pathway to citizenship for immigrants but specifically excluded Muslims. The commission recommended U.S. sanctions on India as a possible response.

The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom reviews alleged religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. president, Secretary of State, and Congress.

The commission’s 2019 report said that religious freedom conditions in India “continued a downward trend” in 2018. It said India’s “history of religious freedom has come under attack in recent years with the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives—including, at times, the government’s allowance and encouragement of mob violence against religious minorities—that have facilitated an egregious and ongoing campaign of violence, intimidation, and harassment against non-Hindu and lower-caste Hindu minorities. Both public and private actors have engaged in this campaign.”

Mob violence against Christians by Hindus has been particularly acute.

In August 2019, six suspected members of a radical Hindu group were arrested after dozens of Catholics were attacked on a Marian pilgrimage from Karnataka to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, a coastal town in south east India.

In September, around 500 armed Hindu extremists attacked a Jesuit mission in the Archdiocese of Ranchi. Armed with sticks, chains, iron bars, knives, and pistols, the mob beat tribal students including two who were seriously injured, and also seriously damaged the school’s facilities.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal has said numerous mob lynchings of Christians have occurred in which the victims are accused of eating beef or otherwise harming cattle, which are considered sacred in Hinduism.

Karnataka state suffered a wave of anti-Christian violence in 2008, when Hindu extremist groups led attacks on churches, schools and homes of Christians and physically beat hundreds of people. A 2011 independent report on the violence, known as the Saldhana Report, charged that attacks were pre-planned and backed by the state’s highest government authorities.

 

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Use of specific services may help to optimize health for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, little is known about their service use patterns. We aimed to (1) define service use groups and (2) determine associations of sociodemographic, developmental, behavioral, and health characteristics with service use groups among school-aged children with ASD.