bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why (and When) are Preferences Convex? Threshold Effects and Uncertain Quality
Authors: Smith Trenton G. , Tasnádi Attila
Published: January 2009

It is often assumed (for analytical convenience, but also in accordance with common intuition) that consumer preferences are convex. In this paper, we consider circumstances under which such preferences are (or are not) optimal. In particular, we investigate a setting in which goods possess some hidden quality with known distribution, and the consumer chooses a bundle of goods that maximizes the probability that he receives some threshold level of this quality. We show that if the threshold is small relative to consumption levels, preferences will tend to be convex; whereas the opposite holds if the threshold is large. Our theory helps explain a broad spectrum of economic behavior (including, in particular, certain common commercial advertising strategies), suggesting that sensitivity to information about thresholds is deeply rooted in human psychology.
The Timing of Earnings Announcements: An Examination of the Strategic Disclosure Hypothesis
Authors: Doyle Jeffrey T. , Magilke Matthew J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Beginning with Patell and Wolfson (1982), several papers have documented that earnings announcements made after the market closes and/or on Fridays tend to contain worse earnings news than those made at other times. One hypothesis is that opportunistic managers release earnings at these times of decreased media attention to “hide” their bad news and reduce the associated market penalty. Using firm-level tests that focus on only those firms that switch their disclosure timing (rather than consistently report at the same time), we find no evidence that managers opportunistically report worse news after the market closes or on Fridays. We then explore other determinants of the timing decision, including the more benign hypothesis that managers with worse earnings news release earnings after the market closes to more broadly disseminate the information. Consistent with desiring more time for the market to assimilate the announcement, we find some evidence that more complex firms tend to announce earnings after the market closes. We also find that these announcements are associated with greater abnormal volume, possibly indicating a successful dissemination strategy. We also find that the corporate headquarters location, the size of the firm, the number of analysts covering the firm, and industry membership are all significant explanatory variables for the timing decision. Overall, our findings are consistent with efficient capital markets that are effective at monitoring new information, regardless of the time of the announcement.
Why Do Cities Hoard Cash? Determinants and Implications of Municipal Cash Holdings
Authors: Gore Angela K.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: This study examines the determinants of municipal cash holdings and the implications of holding high levels of cash. The first part of the analysis investigates municipal manager incentives to accumulate cash as part of normal operations. Results indicate that municipalities with a higher variation in revenues, fewer sources of revenues, and higher growth accumulate more cash. Larger governments and those receiving relatively more state revenue accumulate less cash. Further analysis considers whether high levels of cash indicate agency problems, and finds municipalities with high cash holdings spend more on administrative expenses, city manager salaries, and bonuses. I find no evidence that municipalities with excess cash reduce taxes. The presence of staggered councils and councils that are not independent tend to exacerbate excessive cash holdings. These results are consistent with the proposition that municipalities with high cash levels have agency problems relative to those with lower cash holdings.
Objective versus Subjective Indicators of Managerial Performance
Authors: Rajan Madhav V. , Reichelstein Stefan
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Managerial bonus payments are frequently determined by both objective and subjective indicators of managerial performance. By its very nature, subjective information is not verifiable for contracting purposes. The inclusion of such information in managerial bonus schemes therefore requires a principal to retain discretion in authorizing actual bonus payments. At the same time, the principal must be able to commit to an overall bonus pool that will be paid out either inside or outside the agency. Our analysis examines the structure of optimal bonus pool arrangements. The non-verifiability of the subjective indicators changes many of the predictions obtained in traditional agency settings with verifiable performance indicators. In particular, our results address the contractual value of additional information variables, the desirability of compressed incentive schemes, and the nature of relative performance evaluation in settings with multiple agents.
Earnings Management Strategies and the Trade-Off between Tax Benefits and Detection Risk: To Conform or Not to Conform?
Authors: Badertscher Brad A. , Phillips John D. , Pincus Morton , Rego Sonja Olhoft
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Prior research has separately examined pretax earnings management activities that have current taxable income consequences (book-tax “conforming earnings management”) and those that do not have current taxable income consequences (book-tax “nonconforming earnings management”). Our study documents the prevalence of, and then investigates the firm-specific characteristics that impact the choice between, these earnings management strategies. We utilize a sample of firms that restated their earnings downward due to accounting irregularities and thus can be presumed to have managed earnings upward. We find that nonconforming earnings management is more prevalent and that firms trade off the net present value of tax benefits against the net expected detection costs associated with nonconforming earnings management. In particular, firms having NOL carryforwards, using a high-quality auditor, or engaging in the most egregious misstatements rely less on nonconforming earnings management strategies. We also find that book-tax differences are useful in predicting restatements.
Do Managers Time Securitization Transactions to Obtain Accounting Benefits?
Authors: Dechow Patricia M. , Shakespear Catherine
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Relative to recording securitizations as collateralized borrowings, the “gain on sale” treatment has several accounting benefits such as reducing leverage, increasing earnings, and improving efficiency. We investigate whether managers engage in real transaction management to take advantages of these benefits. We predict that in order to maximize financial statement window-dressing, managers will engage in securitizations toward the end of the quarter. We find that 41 percent of the quarter's transactions occur in the third month of the quarter and almost half of these occur in the last five days of the quarter. In addition, we show that when firms report securitization gains sufficient to beat earnings thresholds, the securitization transactions are more likely to have occurred in the last five days of the quarter. We also document that the impact of securitizations on leverage is large and material for many firms. Our results suggest that window-dressing the financial statements appears to be a valuable side-benefit of engaging in securitization transactions.
Earnings Management and Accounting Values: A Test of Gray (1988)
Authors: Braun Gary P. , Rodriguez Ramon P.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: This study examines the ability of Gray's (1988) accounting values to explain earnings management in a sample of 31 countries. We quantify these accounting values in two different ways and examine their relationship to the five earnings management measures developed in Leuz et al. (2003). In our analyses, we control for legal enforcement and outside investor rights (La Porta et al. 1998). We also control for the breadth of accounting standards (at the country level) using the absence measure developed in Ding et al. (2007). Our analyses are generally supportive of a positive relationship between earnings management and Gray's (1988) accounting values of statutory control, uniformity, conservatism, and secrecy.
Are Changes in Cross-Listing in the U.S. from the Pre- to Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Period Associated with Shareholder Protection in Foreign Firms' Home Countries?
Authors: He Haihong
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the association between the change in cross-listing activities of American Depository Receipts (ADRs) in U.S. stock exchanges from the pre- to post-Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) period, and shareholder protection in foreign registrants' home countries. The SOX regulation does not apply to all four types of ADRs. Level II and III ADRs are subject to full Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation, and hence full compliance with SOX, while Level I and IV ADRs are not subject to SOX. Using cross-listing activities from 31 countries from 1998 to 2005, this study computes an aggregate measure to summarize each country's cross-listing activity for all ADRs; Level I and IV ADRs, and Level II and III ADRs, respectively, during the pre- (1998–2001) and post-SOX period (2002–2005). The results show that only listings of Level II and III ADRs have dropped significantly in the post-SOX period, and this drop is more evident for foreign registrants from countries with a lower level of shareholder protection, suggesting that SOX has a different regulatory burden on foreign firms in different institutional environments.
Morpho-anatomical differentiation of Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort. 1827. (Chenopodiaceae) populations from inland and maritime saline area
Authors: Polić Dubravka , Luković Jadranka , Zorić Lana , Boža Pal , Merkulov Ljiljana , Knežević Aleksa
Published: January 2009

Morphological analysis of four populations of Suaeda maritima was undertaken in order to examine the variation between populations from inland and maritime saline area, as well as between the two subspecies. Variability and significance of morpho-anatomical differentiation were examined using principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant component analysis (DCA) and cluster analysis. Plants of each population exhibited halomorphic and xeromorphic characteristics. The results of PCA and DCA showed that S. maritima subsp. prostrata and S. maritima subsp. maritima could be clearly separated based on their quantitative anatomical characteristics. Based on our analysis, climate and the amount of salt and ions in the soil, are important factors that enhance the adaptive potential of S. maritima.
A novel neuroprotectant PAN-811 protects neurons from oxidative stress
Authors: Pan Weiying , Dancik Chanteé , Nelson Valery , Jiang Zhi-Gang , Lebowitz Michael , Ghanbari Hossein
Published: January 2009

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a major non-radical reactive oxygen species (ROS) could elicit intracellular oxidative damage and/or cause extracellular free calcium influx by activating the NMDA receptor or through calcium channels. In the present study, NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 fully blocked H2O2-induced neuronal cell death, whereas green tea (GT) extract containing-antioxidants only partially suppressed the neurotoxicity of H2O2. These suggest that majority of ROS overproduction is downstream of H2O2-induced calcium influx. A novel neuroprotectant PAN-811 was previously demonstrated to efficiently attenuate ischemic neurotoxicity. PAN-811 hereby fully blocks H2O2-elicited neuronal cell death with a more advanced neuroprotective profile than that of GT extract. PAN-811 was also shown to protect against CaCl2-elicited neurotoxicity. Efficient protection against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity by PAN-811 indicates its potential application in treatment of ROS-mediated neurodegenerative diseases.
The tumor suppressor LZTS2 functions through the cellular samurai Katanin
Authors: Maru Yoshiro
Published: January 2009

The leucine zipper putative tumor suppressor (LZTS) 2 is frequently and specifically found in LOH (loss of heterozygosity) analysis in cancer. Different from other LZTS family members, it regulates the microtubule-severing protein Katanin by binding the p80 regulatory subunit of Katanin and inhibiting its interaction with microtubules. At specific phases of the cell cycle, LZTS2 suppresses cell migration and establishes proper central spindle assembly for cytokinesis. Importantly, those biological effects are mediated by the inhibitory activity of LZTS2 on Katanin. LZTS2 binding to Katanin also plays a role in Katanin transport to the midbody to control proper abscission. Therapeutic applications of the interaction between LZTS2 and Katanin in tumor cells are a potential area for future research.
Career Factors Help Predict Productivity in Scholarship Among Faculty Members in Physical Therapist Education Programs
Authors: Kaufman Regina R
Published: January 2009

Background

Academic institutions and scholars play a critical role in the development of a unique and substantive professional science and disciplinary literature. Individual and environmental characteristics influence the scholarly work of higher education faculty generally, but little is known about factors that influence scholarly productivity of physical therapist faculty members.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the variability in scholarly productivity among faculty members in physical therapist education programs.

Design

A cross-sectional study design was used.

Methods

A survey of a representative sample of faculty members in accredited professional (entry-level) physical therapist education programs in the United States was conducted. Descriptive analysis was conducted, and 5 blocked hierarchical regression models were constructed to identify factors that help explain variability in grantsmanship, peer-reviewed publications, and peer-reviewed presentations.

Results

A usable response rate of 58% was obtained. The 520 participants displayed variability in scholarly productivity. The regression models explained half of the variance in career publishing productivity and 28% to 44% of the variance in productivity in presentations and grants. Career factors, including discipline of highest degree, appointment status, and faculty rewards, contributed most substantially to the explained variance. Several phenomena unique to physical therapy were considered in light of these findings. The multidisciplinary nature of the faculty, national trends in faculty hiring and appointment, and the status of the DPT-trained faculty cohort all may influence physical therapy faculty scholarship.

Limitations

Unidentified errors in sampling or reporting may limit the results of this study.

Conclusions

Career factors generally predict the largest proportion of explained variance in scholarly productivity. Large numbers of questions remain regarding the status of scholarship and scholars in physical therapy.
The Future of Paediatric Surgery in Nepal
Authors: Thapa NB
Published: January 2009

doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1408J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.55-56
Polio Eradication Efforts in Nepal
Authors: Suvedi BK
Published: January 2009

Nepal has made tremendous effort for polio eradication. The efforts are based on the global polio eradication strategies. Despite all the efforts as per the global strategies, wild poliovirus is still present in the country. The importance of water, hygiene and sanitation is stressed as an additional strategy in still persisting areas. Key words: Poliomyelitis, Eradication, Nepal, Immunization, Surveillance.   doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1409 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.57-59
Efficacy of Albendazole and Short-Course Prednisolone Treatment in Children with One or Two Ring-Enhancing Lesions of Neurocysticercosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Swain PK , Thapalial A , Das RN , Dhaliwal MS , Subedi K
Published: January 2009

Context: Neurocysticercosis is a endemic disease in Nepal causing social and financial burden on society and developmental problem in children. Aims: To determine the efficacy of albendazole plus oral prednisolone in children with 1 or 2 ring-enhancing lesions (by CT) on resolution of lesions and recurrence of seizure. Setting and Design: Randomized controlled open trial. Methods and Materials: Children with 1 or 2 ring-enhancing lesions < 20 mm in diameter on computed tomography scan, likely to have Neurocysticercosis, were assigned to treatment & control groups. Children assigned to the treatment group (n = 50) were given 2.0 mg/kg per day prednisolone orally for 5 days plus 15 mg/kg per day albendazole on third day for 28 days. Anti epileptic drugs were given to both groups {including Control group (n = 51)}. Statistical Analysis: The results were analysed with the use of Epi Info version 6.04 and Stata version;7 software. Results: The lesions resolved completely or partially in more children in the treated group compared with the control group (p = .04 & p = 0.03). The proportion of children who had seizures was significantly lower in the treated group compared with the control group at 6 months (10% versus 33%; p = .006) and 12 months (14% versus 38%; p = .003). Conclusion: Albendazole plus Prednisolone increased resolution of lesions on computed tomography scan and reduced the risk of subsequent recurrence of seizures among children with Neurocysticercosis. Key words: Prednisolone, Albendazole, Neurocysticercosis and Children.   doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1410   J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.60-63
An Overview of Neonatal Admissions at College of Medical Sciences (COMS)
Authors: Gurubacharya SM , Gurubacharya RL
Published: January 2009

Objective: To know the profile of newborn admissions and its outcome and the factors associated with neonatal mortality. Methods: The study included both intramural and extramural cases of 180 newborn babies admitted in nursery over a period of 6 months from 01/08/06 to 31/01/07. The relevant data were recorded on a pre-designed proforma meticulously. Results: There were 180 newborn babies during the study period. The mean birth was 2.7 kg.. Majority, 77.8 %( 140) of the babies weighed equal to or more than 2.5 kg. Low birth weight (LBW) was seen in 22.2 %( 40) babies. There were 80 %( 144) full term babies and 20 %( 36) preterm babies. Majority of the mothers in the age group between 20-30 years had incomplete antenatal check- ups. There were 86 %( 155) normal vaginal deliveries, 4.5 %( 8) forceps deliveries and 9.5 %( 17) caesarean sections. Birth/perinatal asphyxia 39(22%), prematurity 36(20%) and neonatal septicemia 30(17%) comprised of leading admissions. There were 27deaths (15%) in total.13 (7%), 8(5%) and 6(3%) babies died of severe perinatal asphyxia, neonatal septicemia and prematurity respectively. Most of the deaths occurred during the first 72 hours. Conclusions: The mean birth weight is good. The major causes of neonatal death are birth/perinatal asphyxia, prematurity and neonatal septicemia. The factors influencing neonatal mortality are low and poor antenatal care, meconium stained liquor, delay in coming to the hospital, PROM, eclampsia. The study emphasises the importance of regular antenatal care, timely referral of pregnant women with complications to appropriate centers and conducting delivery in a clean environment for lowering neonatal mortality. Key words: newborn, admission, neonatal outcome, asphyxia   doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1413   J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.73-74
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis - A Case Report
Authors: Gurubacharya SM , Gurubacharya RL
Published: January 2009

Histiocytosis is a heterogenous group of disorders that are characterized by proliferation and activation of mononuclear phagocyte system. Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) or Class I histiocytosis is a rare disorder of unknown etiology with proliferation of Langerhan cells which may infiltrate a single or multiple organs. This disease is more common in infants and children. It is usually sporadic but a familial pattern is known. The term embraces the whole clinical spectrum of the disorder from single bone lesions (eosinophilic granuloma) to an aggressive widespread multisystem disease in very sick child (Letterer-Siwe disease) with a wide variety of intermediate forms including the Hand-shuller Christian triad. The cause of LCH is not firmly established and most investigators in the field have long suspected that LCH is immunologic disorder either in its etiology or in its pathophysiology. Recent evidence suggests that LCH is a clonal disorder rather than reactive disease. LCH is classified according to sites of involvement into single system disease and multisystem disease. Single system disease can be either unifocal or multifocal. Multisystem disease can be either without organ dysfunction or with organ dysfunction. Clinical course of LCH with single system disease is usually benign with high chance of survival. However, its clinical course is often unpredictable and patients can experience spontaneous remission and exacerbations. Histiocytic diseases are currently classified by the writing group of the Histiocyte Society in the three classes, namely;Class I: Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) Class II: Histiocytosis of mononuclear phagocytes other than Langerhans Cells Class III: Malignant Histiocytic disorders Key words: Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Eosinophilic granuloma, Skull, lytic lesion doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1587 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.87-89
Childhood Middle Ear Tuberculosis–A Rare Case Report
Authors: Swain PK , Mallik SA , Thapalial A
Published: January 2009

Tuberculosis rarely affects the middle ear cleft; the disease is a curiosity and not often considered in the differential diagnosis of otorrhea. The diagnosis is thus made too late, with resulting complications such as irreversible hearing loss and facial nerve paralysis. A case report with review of the literature is presented, emphasizing that tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic ear infection in children. In our case direct nosocomial spread of tuebrculous bacilli has been attributed. Key words: Tuberculosis; otitis media, hearing loss & facial paralysis.   doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1589 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.93-94
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in Pediatrics & Paediatric Critical Care Websites
Authors: Vidhyashankar C
Published: January 2009

doi:10.3126/jnps.v27i2.1590 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.27(2) p.95-96
Profile of Asphyxiated Babies at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital
Authors: Shrestha M , Shrestha L , Shrestha PS
Published: January 2009

Objective: To assess risk factors and outcome in the early neonatal period of babies who were asphyxiated at birth. Methodology: This was a retrospective study conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) over a period of one year from 15th Feb 2007 to 14th Feb 2008. All the term babies who had Apgar score of less than < 6 at 1 minute of birth were included. Detailed maternal risk factors during pregnancy and labor were analyzed. The newborn babies who required admission in neonatal unit were again analyzed for development of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and their outcome. Results: During the study period, out of 3594 term babies, 327 babies (9%) were asphyxiated. Of the total asphyxiated babies, 85% and 15% had moderate and severe asphyxia, respectively, at 1 minute of birth. Out of these asphyxiated babies, 51% and 7% had intrapartum and maternal risk factors, respectively. Intrapartum risk factors like meconium stained liquor, non-vertex presentation, and fetal heart rate abnormalities accounted for 4 fold risk of asphyxia. Of these babies, 26% required admission in nursery and 29% developed hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Among the admitted babies 6% expired, 2% left against medical advice and rest were discharged. Conclusion: Early identification and close monitoring of high risk mothers studies with maintaining partograph during labor will help to reduce neonatal asphyxia. Key words: Asphyxiated babies doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1592 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.3-5
A Perspective Study on the Etiology of Diarrhea in Children Less than 12 Years of age attending Kanti Children’s Hospital
Authors: Pokharel M , Sherchand JB , Upreti HC , Katuwal A , Gauchan P
Published: January 2009

Introduction: Diarrhea is the most common illness among children causing highest number of mortality and morbidity in the developing countries. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the etiological agents of diarrhea in children less than 12 years of age. Methods: The study was carried out in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Health Research Laboratory and stool specimen were collected from Kanti Children's Hospital between February 2007 and August 2007. The specimens were processed by standard microbiological methods, serological diagnosis for the complete identification of bacterial isolate and use of Rotaclone for diagnosis for Rotavirus. Results: A total 500 specimen were processed and 312 (62.4%) cases were identified with enteropathogens. Out of 500, 165 (33%) showed significant bacterial growth, 110 (22%) single or multiple parasitic infestation, and 167 (21.4%) Rotavirus. Among the bacterial isolate, Escherichia. coli (20.2%) were highest in number, Entamoeba. histolytica (10%), among the protozoa and Ascaris lumbricoide (1.4%) among the helminth. Age group 0-2 years showed most number of cases. The prevalence of Rotavirus infection was more in Inpatient (65.4%) than Outpatient (34.6%) (P>0.05). Ethnicgroup wise distribution showed that Gurung/Magar/ Rai/Tamang were highly infected (34.6%) (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that bacteria were the major etiological agents of diarrhea in children than parasites and Rotavirus. E. coli among the bacteria, E. histolytica among the parasite and Rotavirus constituted the major causative agents identified. The age group 0-2years was the most vulnerable group where most of the enteropathogens were detected. Key words: Bacteria, Children Diarrhea, Parasites, Rotavirus doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1594 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.10-16
Japanese Encephalitis in Children admitted at Patan Hospital
Authors: Shresta SR , Awale P , Neupane S , Adhikari N , Yadav BK
Published: January 2009

This is a hospital based retrospective study, which was done in Pediatric ward of Patan hospital. Study period was one and half year (from Srawan 2063 to 2064 poush).Data were taken from discharge book of Pediatric ward, from the record section of this hospital, and from JE surveillance office, WHO, Kathmandu. All children from 1 month to 14 years ,who were admitted in Pediatric ward with symptoms of Meningitis, Meningoencephalitis and Encephalitis were included in this study and patients more than 14 years of age and symptoms not suggestive of meningitis, meningoencephalitis or encephalitis were excluded from the study. Headache; vomiting and fever were the chief complaints of patients. Two patients died during study period. There were 16 patients with serologically confirmed Japanese encephalitis. Key words: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), arthropod borne disease, Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES).   doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1595 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.17-21
Glomerular Diseases in Children - A Review of 27 Cases Recorded at a Single Centre in Eastern Nepal
Authors: Shrestha P , Bhatta NK , Tiwari A , Singh R , Kalakhetti BK , Majhi S , Paudel P , Sinha A
Published: January 2009

Glomerular disease remains an important cause of renal disease in children. We retrospectively assessed the clinical features and histopathological diagnoses in kidney biopsy specimens in children (n=27). The medical records and histopathological diagnoses between 2003 and 2006 were reviewed. In each patient, clinical presentation, age at onset of disease, gender, presence of nephrotic range proteinuria, hematuria, hypertension and histopathological diagnoses were evaluated. SLE nephritis (n=8) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) (n=8) were the most frequent glomerular diseases and nephrotic syndrome (n=21) was the frequent clinical manifestation. Key words: Renal biopsy, Glomerular diseases doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1597 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.26-29
A Survey of Tuberculosis Cases at Kanti Children's Hospital
Authors: Shrestha PS
Published: January 2009

doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1602J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.49-53
The Space Stage and the Circus: E.E. Cummings'sHimand Frederick Kiesler'sRaumbühne
Authors: Carruth Allison
Published: January 2009

Supported by archival research, this essay investigates E.E. Cummings's conception of experimental theatre as it informs his understudied play Him, which the Provincetown Players produced in 1928 under the direction of James Light but which critics have dismissed alternately as a distraction from Cummings's poetry or as an example of a failed closet drama. The essay argues for the importance of theatre – and of the production of Him in particular – to Cummings's literary career. In turn, it makes a case for Cummings's relevance to the field of modern drama. More pointedly, the essay reveals the twin influences on Cummings's dramatic work of, on the one hand, circus and burlesque performers and, on the other, Bauhaus-trained set designer Frederick Kiesler. As articulated especially in his so-called “space stage,” Kiesler's vision for an avant-garde theatre modelled on popular subcultures like the circus shaped Cummings's own speculative theatre.
The Politics of “Home” in Lorraine Hansberry'sA Raisin in the Sun
Authors: Matthews Kristin L.
Published: January 2009

This essay examines the complexities of “home” in Lorraine Hansberry's prize-winning play A Raisin in the Sun (1959). While scholars have discussed how the home purchased by Lena Younger at Raisin's close signifies a radical challenge to and revision of the American Dream, few have explored the ways in which this literal home mirrors the psycho-social struggle of mid-century African Americans to attain, secure, and define a sense of place, or “home,” in the face of systemic socio-economic racism. I argue that the Younger family's Clybourne Park home is more than a structural device used to catalyze the dénouement. Rather, this physical space illuminates the diverse psychological and ideological “homes” the Younger family seeks throughout the play, as Raisin probes the racially charged politics of home ownership particular to post–World War II Southside Chicago, investigates the viability and vulnerability of the various “homes” occupied by the Younger family in their attempts to find and “express” themselves, and confronts national myths of “home” that associate citizenship with property ownership. Understood in light of the gaps and inconsistencies in national narratives that proclaim “all men are created equal” but deny to some the rights and protections that belong to being at home, “home” becomes a complex space that is simultaneously material, historical, philosophical, psychological, and political. Lorraine Hansberry's play recognizes the interconnectedness of personal and social struggles to feel “at home” in one's nation, one's community, and one's own skin, and does not offer a blueprint for dismantling the “master's house.” Instead, A Raisin in the Sun is a pluralist call for committed “builders” – those willing to use their diverse “tools” in concert to reconstruct vital homes and come closer to realizing the dream deferred: America as “home of the brave” and “land of the free.”
Evaluation of Cell Phone Traffic Data in Minnesota
Authors: Liu Henry X. , Danczyk Adam , Brewer Rashmi , Starr Ray
Published: January 2009

For decades, traffic conditions have been measured using aggregated point measurements from loop detectors. However, new technologies have become available recently that can assess traffic conditions by tracking vehicle trajectories and travel times. Among these new technologies is cell phone tracking, a concept that has received strong interest from the transportation community. AirSage, Inc., a private firm in the United States, has constructed a proprietary system that, using the Sprint PCS network, can track cell phone movements in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and deliver travel times for most of the urban roads, including both limited access freeways and signalized arterials. A University of Minnesota research team was consulted to evaluate the system's travel times against measured conditions and assess the level of accuracy and reliability of the technology through statistical analysis. The system's performance during its first-stage deployment in May and early June of 2007 was evaluated, including the system's accuracy on a limited access freeway and a signalized arterial during the peak hours over a 16-day period. The technology produced results with varied accuracies. Whether this system would produce acceptable margins of error for speeds and travel times depends on the guidelines set forth by interested transportation agencies.
Real-Time Vehicle Classification Using Inductive Loop Signature Data
Authors: Jeng Shin-Ting (Cindy) , Ritchie Stephen G.
Published: January 2009

Vehicle class is an important characteristic of traffic measurement, and classification information can contribute to many important applications in various transportation fields. For instance, vehicle classification is helpful in monitoring heavy vehicle traffic for road maintenance and safety, modeling traffic flow, and obtaining performance measurements based on each vehicle class for traffic surveillance. A real-time vehicle classification model was introduced. A heuristic method combined with decision tree and K-means clustering approaches was proposed to develop the vehicle classification model. The features used in the proposed model were extracted from piecewise slope rate values, which were obtained from single-loop inductive signature data. Three vehicle classification schemes–FHWA, FHWA-I, and Real-time Traffic Performance Measurement System–and a data set obtained from square single-loop detectors were used for model development. A data set obtained from round single-loop detectors was applied to test the transferability of the proposed model. The results demonstrated that the proposed real-time vehicle classification model is not only capable of categorizing vehicle types on the basis of the FHWA scheme but also is capable of grouping vehicles into more detailed classes. The classification model can successfully classify vehicles into 15 classes using single-loop detector data without any explicit axle information. In addition, the advantages of the proposed vehicle classification model are its simplicity, its use of the current detection infrastructure, and its enhancement of the use of single-loop detectors for vehicle classification. The initial results also suggest the potential for transferability of the vehicle classification approach and are very encouraging.
Vehicle Detection in Far Field of View of Video Sequences
Authors: Klein Itzik , Toledo Tomer , Filin Sagi
Published: January 2009

Detection and tracking of vehicles from video and other image sequences are valuable in several traffic engineering application areas. Most of the research in this area has focused on detection of vehicles that are sufficiently large in the image that they can be detected on the basis of various features. As a result, the acquisition is feasible on limited sections of roads and may ignore significant parts of the available image. A method for early detection of vehicles was developed and demonstrated. This method focused on tracking motion rather than vehicle objects. With the detection of motion, the actual shape and size of the objects become less of a concern, thereby allowing detection of smaller objects at an earlier stage. One notable advantage that early detection offers is the ability to place cameras at higher vantage points or in oblique views that provide images in which vehicles in the near parts of the image can be detected by their shape or features, whereas vehicles in the far view cannot.
Real Options to Increase the Value of Intelligent Transportation Systems
Authors: de Neufville Richard , Hodota Kenichi , Sussman Joseph , Scholtes Stefan
Published: January 2009

A practical approach was developed to calculate how design flexibility–that is, real options–in systems can increase the value of these enterprises. A flexible approach to the deployment of infrastructure systems enables owners to manage the development of these facilities to increase expected value. Real options in the system make the system adaptable to future patterns of technological innovation and changes in stakeholder needs. With this flexibility, system managers can respond effectively to good opportunities and withdraw from unproductive paths of deployment. This is important because forecasts concerning major infrastructure systems are inherently uncertain: trend-breakers routinely disrupt historical patterns. Real options are especially valuable for innovative, major long-term developments, for which trends hardly exist and forecasts are highly speculative. To illustrate the use and value of real options, a case study was followed for the deployment of a particular aspect of intelligent transportation systems: innovative crash avoidance systems that reduce accidents at highway intersections.
Operation Data for Evaluating Benefits and Costs of Advanced Traffic Management Components
Authors: Hadi Mohammed , Shen Luou , Zhan Chengjun , Xiao Yan , Corbin Steven , Chen Dong
Published: January 2009

Economic measures are important to allow traffic management agencies to select between investment and operation alternatives based on the benefits and costs of these alternatives. However, previous studies have either evaluated the benefits and costs of the management systems as a whole, without considering their individual components, or focused on the evaluation of the service patrol programs. The use of a detailed intelligent transportation systems operation data set is illustrated in the evaluation of the economic effectiveness of the individual components of traffic management programs. The analyzed components include the service patrol program, closed circuit television (CCTV) camera subsystem, dynamic message sign system (DMS) and advanced traveler information subsystem (ATIS), and the severe incident response vehicle (SIRV) program. The results showed that for the evaluated system, the SIRV program provided the highest benefit-cost ratio, followed by the CCTV camera subsystem and service patrol program, followed by DMS-ATIS deployments. The use of the methods and parameters identified in the study allow better predeployment assessments of incident management systems by transportation agencies. The methods and parameters were used as part of a sketch planning tool that was integrated as part of a demand forecasting modeling environment.
Determinants of Route Choice and Value of Traveler Information
Authors: Zhang Lei , Levinson David
Published: January 2009

Drivers receive value from traveler information in several ways, including the ability to save time, but perhaps more important is the value of certainty as it affects other personal, social, safety, or psychological factors. This information can be economically valued. The benefit of reduction in driver uncertainty when information is provided at the beginning of the trip is the main variable measured in this research. User preferences for routes were assessed as a function of the presence and accuracy of information while controlling for other trip and route attributes. Data were collected in a field experiment in which 113 drivers, given real-time travel time information with varying degrees of accuracy, drove four alternative routes between a preselected origin-destination pair in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, metropolitan area. Ordinary regression, multinomial, and rank-ordered logit models produced estimates of the value of information with some variation. Results showed that travelers were willing to pay up to $1 per trip for pretrip travel-time information. The value of information is higher for commute and event trips and when congestion on the usual route is heavier. The accuracy of the traveler information was also a crucial factor. Travelers will not pay for information unless they perceive it to be accurate. Most travelers (70%) prefer that such information be provided free by the public sector, whereas some (19%) believe that it is better for the private sector to provide such service at a charge.
Distributed Controller Design Approach to Dynamic Speed Limit Control against Shockwaves on Freeways
Authors: Popov A. , Hegyi A. , Babuška R. , Werner H.
Published: January 2009

Dynamic speed limits can be used to eliminate shockwaves on freeways. Shockwaves are typically short traffic jams that emerge at bottlenecks and travel in the upstream direction on the freeway. These shockwaves lead to increased travel times and possibly to unsafe situations. A speed limit control approach to resolving shockwaves was developed based on a distributed controller design technique. The controller is distributed in the sense that each speed limit sign has its own controller. The controller parameters are optimized by numerical optimization, assuming that the controller structure and parameters are the same for each controller. The resulting performances are compared for several designs, differing in the controller order and the extent that the upstream and downstream traffic states are used as inputs for the controller. Other controllers known from the literature are based on switching schemes using local information only or are centralized model-based controllers with high computational loads. The proposed method gives a systematic way to design distributed controllers using the appropriate amount of upstream and downstream traffic information. The resulting controllers are attractive from the implementation point of view because they are very efficient. They do not require extensive online computations and use only information from the neighborhood. For the design scenario used, the controller successfully resolved the shockwave and reduced the total time spent by approximately 20% compared with the uncontrolled case, which is comparable to the performance of the best controllers known from the literature.
Wireless Infrastructure-to-Vehicle Communication Technologies to Increase Road Safety along Motorways
Authors: Böhm Martin , Pfliegl Reinhard , Frötscher Alexander
Published: January 2009

Applications in intelligent communication technologies for intelligent transport systems are one of the key means to ensure safe and efficient driving through the increasingly overloaded road infrastructure. The most recent development is the implementation of cooperative traffic management systems, with the establishment of a wireless infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) data-communication link for the transmission of safety-critical as well as legally binding messages into the vehicle. The most critical technical aspect for the development of wireless communication between infrastructure and vehicles is the secure and safe transmission of the safety-relevant road information in real time in all kinds of traffic situations to all vehicles within a specific road segment. Within the project Co-operative Systems for Intelligent Road Safety, a 48-month integrated project cofunded by the European Commission–Information Society and Media–in the 6th Framework Program, an evaluation of the different wireless communication technologies (e.g., broadcast, cell-based, and dedicated short range technologies) was performed after the main criteria for assessment were defined. The preliminary results show that there is no wireless communication technology available that fulfils all requirements for I2V communication cooperative traffic management.
Evaluation of Route Guidance Strategies Based on Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration under Incident Conditions
Authors: Lee Joyoung , Park Byungkyu (Brian)
Published: January 2009

As an individual driver, having a route guidance system that provides the shortest path based on distance or an alternative path during an incident condition can be extremely useful. Even though it is more desirable to use travel times in providing route guidance, they are not readily available for every roadway segment. With the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) initiative, it is anticipated in the near future that individual vehicles equipped with VII could collect travel times and transfer such information to other vehicles and the transportation management system. Thus, travel-time information for real-time route guidance could be available through the VII. System-level potentials of the VII were explored by evaluating various route guidance strategies within the VII environment. A simulation framework was developed representing the VII-enabled virtual world, and route guidance strategies were evaluated with various factors, including market penetration of VII-equipped vehicles, congestion levels of a road network, update intervals of route guidance information, drivers’ compliance rates, and so forth. VII-based route guidance significantly reduced travel time over the no-guidance case. Among four route guidance strategies, averaged link travel time-based guidance produced the best performance. Other key findings included the following: higher market penetration generates bigger benefits, multiple operations of competing route guidance strategies did not degrade the networkwide performance, and prediction travel time-based guidance worked well for highly congested conditions.
Traffic Probe Data Processing for Full-Scale Deployment of Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration
Authors: Shladover Steven E. , Kuhn Thomas M.
Published: January 2009

Vehicle-infrastructure integration (VII) is expected to provide greatly improved transportation planning and operations data by enabling many–and eventually all–road vehicles to function as traffic data probes. This means that VII probe data can be processed to produce useful information about the operation of an arterial roadway based on studies using a traffic microsimulation. Simulation provides a “truth model” representation of all vehicle trajectories, which serves as the basis for comparison with probe data sampling strategies under development in the VII program. Modifications to the probe data sampling strategies are suggested to enhance the quality of the data, especially its timeliness. Applications to weather condition detection, incident detection, and realtime adaptive traffic signal control, each with significantly different data requirements, were considered, and the ability of the probe sampling system to support these applications was evaluated. The least-demanding applications, such as weather condition detection, can be served well even at low market penetrations of VII-capable vehicles, but the most demanding applications (real-time adaptive signal control) appear to require the majority of vehicles to be equipped. Recommendations were defined for additional research needed to support the development and deployment of a viable VII traffic probe data system.