bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
OFFSHORING PRODUCTION: A SIMPLE MODEL OF WAGES, PRODUCTIVITY, AND GROWTH
Authors: DAVIS COLIN , NAGHAVI ALIREZA
Published: April 2010

We examine the relationship between offshoring and the labor market in an occupational choice model of trade and endogenous growth where workers are employed on the basis of their individual skill levels. Trade liberalization leads to offshoring and reduces employment in the manufacturing sector. Displaced workers move into traditional and innovation sectors according to their skill levels, shaping real wages and aggregate productivity in the manufacturing sector. The paper aims to show how inter‐sectoral labor market adjustments, highlighted by skill heterogeneity, could be a possible explanation for the simultaneous rise in productivity and reduction in real wages that have coincided with the sharp escalation of offshoring activities in the U.S. manufacturing sector since 2004. (JEL F16, F23, J24)
A NEW FAMILY OF DIVERGENCE MEASURES FOR TESTS OF FIT
Authors: Mattheou K. , Karagrigoriou A.
Published: April 2010

The aim of this work is to investigate a new family of divergence measures based on the recently introduced Basu, Harris, Hjort and Jones (BHHJ) measure of divergence (Biometrika 85, 549–559). The new family is investigated in connection with hypothesis testing problems, and new test statistics are proposed. Simulations are performed to check the appropriateness of the proposed test statistics.
Strategic issues in global climate change policy*
Authors: Clarke Harry
Published: April 2010

An analysis of prospects for deriving self‐enforcing, global, greenhouse gas emission mitigation agreements is provided. Policy spillovers and carbon leakages are accounted for. Situations where mitigation effort should be concentrated in particular countries and where efficient outcomes can be fostered by international trade in emissions permits are discussed. The use of auxiliary policies to transform intractable Prisoner’s Dilemma incentive problems to more tractable problems, the role of policy commitments and the strategic implications of ‘no regret’ and ‘adaptation’ policies are analysed. Dynamic and repeated game formulations are outlined.
Understanding the effect of an emissions trading scheme on electricity generator investment and retirement behaviour: the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Authors: Ross Lambie Neil
Published: April 2010

The objective of a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading scheme (ETS) is to reduce emissions by transitioning the economy away from the production and consumption of goods and services that are GHG intensive. A GHG ETS has been a public policy issue in Australia for over a decade. The latest policy initiative on an ETS is the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). A substantial share of Australia’s total GHG reduction under the CPRS is expected to come from the electricity generation sector. This paper surveys the literature on investment behaviour under an ETS. It specifically focuses on the relationship between the design of an ETS and a generator’s decisions to invest in low emissions plant and retire high emissions plant. The proposed CPRS provides the context for presenting key findings along with the implications for the electricity generation sector’s transition to lower emissions plant. The literature shows that design features such as the method of allocating permits, the stringency of the emissions cap along with permit price uncertainty, provisions for banking, borrowing and internationally trading permits, and the credibility of emissions caps and policy uncertainty may all significantly impact on the investment and retirement behaviour of generators.
Teamwork, Skill Development and Employee Welfare
Authors: Gallie Duncan , Zhou Ying , Felstead Alan , Green Francis
Published: April 2010

There has been a sharp divergence in the literature about the benefits of teamwork. Some have claimed that it is solely in the interests of management, others that it is beneficial for employees and yet others that it makes little difference to either productivity or well‐being. This article draws upon the British Skills Survey Series. It shows that while teamwork did expand between the early 1990s and 2006, this was due primarily to the growth of the type of teamwork that allowed employees little in the way of decision‐making power. Indeed, there was a decrease in the prevalence of self‐directive teamwork. At the same time, our evidence shows that the benefits of teamwork, in terms of both enhancing work motivation and employee welfare, are confined to self‐directive teams, while non‐self‐directive teams suppress the use of personal initiative and discretion at work.
Employer Strategies and Wages in New Service Activities: A Comparison of Co‐ordinated and Liberal Market Economies
Authors: Batt Rosemary , Nohara Hiroatsu , Kwon Hyunji
Published: April 2010

Using survey data for call centre establishments in eight countries, we examine the relationship between wages and human resource practices. High‐involvement work design and the use of performance‐based pay are significantly positively related to wages, whereas intensive use of performance monitoring is negatively associated with wages. These relationships are larger among liberal economies compared with co‐ordinated ones, but individual country differences are large and, in many cases, do not conform to expectations regarding institutional differences between liberal and co‐ordinated market economies. The exception is Denmark.
A screening algorithm for HIV‐associated neurocognitive disorders
Authors: Cysique LA , Murray JM , Dunbar M , Jeyakumar V , Brew BJ
Published: April 2010

Background

HIV physicians have limited time for cognitive screening. Here we developed an extra‐brief, clinically based tool for predicting HIV‐associated neurocognitive impairment (HAND) in order to determine which HIV‐positive individuals require a more comprehensive neurological/neuropsychological (NP) assessment.

Methods

Ninety‐seven HIV‐positive individuals with advanced disease recruited in an HIV out‐patient clinic received standard NP testing. A screening algorithm was developed using support vector machines, an optimized prediction procedure for classifying individuals into two groups (here NP‐impaired and NP‐normal) based on a set of predictors.

Results

The final algorithm utilized age, current CD4 cell count, past central nervous system HIV‐related diseases and current treatment duration and required approximately 3 min to complete, with a good overall prediction accuracy of 78% (against the gold standard; NP‐impairment status derived from standard NP testing) and a good specificity of 70%.

Conclusion

This noncognitive‐based algorithm should prove useful to identify HIV‐infected patients with advanced disease at high risk of HAND who require more formal assessment. We propose staged guidelines, using the algorithm, for improved HAND therapeutic management. Future larger, international studies are planned to test the predictive effect of nadir CD4 cell count, hepatitis C virus infection, gender, ethnicity and HIV viral clade. We recommend the use of this first version for HIV‐infected Caucasian men with advanced disease.
The effect of wealth and real income on wildlife consumption among native Amazonians in Bolivia: estimates of annual trends with longitudinal household data (2002–2006)
Authors: Godoy R. , Undurraga E. A. , Wilkie D. , Reyes‐García V. , Huanca T. , Leonard W. R. , McDade T. , Tanner S. , Vadez V. ,   TAPS Bolivia Study Team
Published: April 2010

Over the last decades, native Amazonians have put increasing pressure on animal wildlife owing to growth in demand. Across societies, household monetary income and wealth shape food consumption; hence, so it is natural to ask what effect might these variables have on the demand for wildlife consumption among native Amazonians, particularly as they gain a stronger foothold in the market economy and increasing de jure stewardship over their territories. Prior estimates of the effects of household monetary income and household wealth on wildlife consumption among native Amazonians have relied on cross‐sectional data and produced unclear results. The goal of this research was to improve the precision of previous estimates by drawing on a larger sample and on longitudinal data. The analysis draws on a dataset composed of five consecutive annual surveys (2002–2006, inclusive) from 324 households in a native Amazonian society of foragers and farmers in Bolivia (Tsimane'). Multiple regression analysis is used to estimate the association between wildlife consumption and monetary income and wealth. Wildlife consumption bore a positive association with the level of household wealth and no significant association with household monetary income. Among Tsimane', the main internal threat to wildlife conservation in the short run will likely arise from increases in wealth, probably from the enhanced capacity that selected physical assets (e.g. guns) have in the capture of animal wildlife.
Auto‐fluorescence emitted from the cell residues preserved in human tissues of medieval Korean mummies
Authors: Lim Do‐Seon , Oh Chang Seok , Lee Sang Jun , Shin Dong Hoon
Published: April 2010

As a significant association has been established between residual ancient DNA (aDNA) and histological preservation, the morphological identification or confirmation of preserved cell residue in ancient tissues would greatly facilitate aDNA studies and enhance the definitiveness of their conclusions. However, morphological differentiation of cell residue from other tissue structures has always been difficult, even for experienced histologists, due to the severe degradation of cells over long burial durations. In the present study, using a fluorescence microscopy equipped with a specific type of filter set (excitation filter, 510–550 nm; dichroic mirror, 570 nm; emission filter, ∼590 nm), we found that certain structures in well‐preserved mummified tissues emitted auto‐fluorescence. Those structures were actually cell residues (e.g. fragmented DNA), laser capture microdissection and Quantifiler kit analysis having shown that preservation of nuclear DNA correlates with auto‐fluorescence emission in laser capture microdissection‐captured areas. Detection of auto‐fluorescence could be an effective means of identifying cell residues in ancient tissue, enabling selection of the well‐preserved samples necessary in successful aDNA studies.
Quantitative analysis of neuropeptide Y receptor association with β‐arrestin2 measured by bimolecular fluorescence complementation
Authors: Kilpatrick LE , Briddon SJ , Hill SJ , Holliday ND
Published: April 2010

Background and purpose: β‐Arrestins are critical scaffold proteins that shape spatiotemporal signalling from seven transmembrane domain receptors (7TMRs). Here, we study the association between neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors and β‐arrestin2, using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to directly report underlying protein–protein interactions.

Experimental approach: Y1 receptors were tagged with a C‐terminal fragment, Yc, of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), and β‐arrestin2 fused with the complementary N‐terminal fragment, Yn. After Y receptor–β‐arrestin association, YFP fragment refolding to regenerate fluorescence (BiFC) was examined by confocal microscopy in transfected HEK293 cells. Y receptor/β‐arrestin2 BiFC responses were also quantified by automated imaging and granularity analysis.

Key results: NPY stimulation promoted association between Y1–Yc and β‐arrestin2–Yn, and the specific development of BiFC in intracellular compartments, eliminated when using non‐interacting receptor and arrestin mutants. Responses developed irreversibly and were slower than for downstream Y1 receptor–YFP internalization, a consequence of delayed maturation and stability of complemented YFP. However, β‐arrestin2 BiFC measurements delivered appropriate ligand pharmacology for both Y1 and Y2 receptors, and demonstrated higher affinity of Y1 compared to Y2 receptors for β‐arrestin2. Receptor mutagenesis combined with β‐arrestin2 BiFC revealed that alternative arrangements of Ser/Thr residues in the Y1 receptor C tail could support β‐arrestin2 association, and that Y2 receptor–β‐arrestin2 interaction was enhanced by the intracellular loop mutation H155P.

Conclusions and implications: The BiFC approach quantifies Y receptor ligand pharmacology focused on the β‐arrestin2 pathway, and provides insight into mechanisms of β‐arrestin2 recruitment by activated and phosphorylated 7TMRs, at the level of protein–protein interaction.
Promigratory Activity of Oxytocin on Umbilical Cord Blood‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Kim Yong Sook , Kwon Jin Sook , Hong Moon Hwa , Kim Jin , Song Chang Hun , Jeong Myung Ho , Cho Jeong Gwan , Park Jong Chun , Kang Jung Chae , Ahn Youngkeun
Published: April 2010

Recent studies show that oxytocin has various effects on cellular behaviors. Oxytocin is reported to stimulate cardiomyogenesis of embryonic stem cells and endothelial cell proliferation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used for cardiac repair, and we elucidated the effect of oxytocin on umbilical cord derived‐MSCs (UCB‐MSCs). UCB‐MSCs were pretreated with oxytocin (100 nM) and washed with saline prior to experiments. To evaluate their angiogenic potential and migration activity, tube formation assay and Boyden chamber assay were performed. For in vivo study, ischemia‐reperfusion was induced in rats, and UCB‐MSCs with or without oxytocin pretreatment were injected into the infarcted myocardium to evaluate the engraftment of injected cells. Histological and hemodynamic studies were performed. Oxytocin‐treated UCB‐MSCs showed a decrease in tube formation but a drastic increase in transwell migration activity. The transcription level of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2 was increased in oxytocin‐treated UCB‐MSCs. Knock‐down of MMP‐2 by use of siRNA restored the tube formation, while reducing transmigration activity. In rats injected with oxytocin‐treated UCB‐MSCs, cardiac fibrosis and CD68 infiltration in the peri‐infarct zone were reduced, whereas cell engraftment and connexin43 expression were greater than in rats injected with untreated UCB‐MSCs. By contrast, angiogenesis did not differ significantly between the two groups. Cardiac contractility was higher in the group injected with oxytocin‐treated UCB‐MSCs than in the group injected with phosphate‐buffered saline alone. Collectively, oxytocin is an effective priming reagent for stem cells for application to damaged heart tissue.
A national survey of transfusion‐related acute lung injury risk reduction policies for platelets and plasma in the United States
Authors: Kleinman Steven , Grossman Brenda , Kopko Patricia
Published: April 2010

BACKGROUND: Little information exists on the specific transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI) risk reduction practices used by multiple blood collecting institutions in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An AABB‐appointed TRALI working group designed a set of questions about TRALI risk reduction for platelets (PLTs) and plasma. AABB member institutions were asked to respond via an Internet‐based survey during a 3‐week period in August through September 2009.

RESULTS: Valid responses were received from 47 US blood centers (accounting for 1.57 million apheresis PLT units and 3.15 million whole blood–derived transfusable plasma units) and 56 hospital blood collectors. Among the blood centers, 87 and 98% had initiated some PLT and plasma risk reduction, respectively. HLA antibody testing of plateletpheresis donors was performed by 20 (43%) blood centers. There was substantial variation in the number of pregnancies (from one to more than four) that triggered testing and most centers did not screen based on a transfusion history. Almost all centers had policies to redirect HLA antibody–positive donors to whole blood donation and to potentially retest HLA antibody–negative donors. There were no blood centers performing HNA antibody testing. Sex‐based risk reduction policies for plasma included all male, or predominantly male, and never‐pregnant females; these varied by blood center, blood group, and method of plasma collection. A majority of centers indicated increased production of plasma frozen within 24 hours after phlebotomy.

CONCLUSIONS: Almost 3 years after the publication of the initial AABB bulletin on this issue, TRALI risk reduction strategies are commonly employed at most US blood centers. However, procedures are not uniform.
Shifting Boundaries between the Public and Private Sectors: Implications from the Economic Crisis
Authors: Moulton Stephanie , Wise Charles
Published: April 2010

What are the differences between the public and private sectors as well as their interrelationships in light of the recent financial crisis? Has the global economic crisis fundamentally shifted the boundaries between the two sectors? This essay examines the nature and extent of the shift. The authors present an analysis of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to highlight the massive transformations that are taking place and to introduce lessons for future policy initiatives.

Between financial rescue missions and the economic stimulus program, government spending accounts for a bigger share of the nation’s economy—26 percent—than at any time since World War II. The government is financing 9 out of 10 new mortgages in the United States. If you buy a car from General Motors, you are buying from a company that is 60 percent owned by the government. If you take out a car loan or run up your credit card, the chances are good that the government is financing both your debt and that of your bank.

—Edmund Andrews and David Sanger,New York Times, 2009
Recipes for Pork and Other Delicious Offerings for the New Administration
Authors: Kasdin Stuart
Published: April 2010

Is pork produced by feeble budgetary processes? By fixing weak budgetary procedures, can wasteful spending and opportunities for corruption be reduced? This essay looks at three varieties of pork: earmarked, ad hoc, and presidential. What can be done to curb the excesses of each one? By examining the problem of congressional earmarking, this timely article proposes a new process for controlling “earmarked” pork by supporting a new (constitutional) presidential line‐item veto/reprogramming. “Ad hoc pork,” generated by emergency or stimulus bills, is also analyzed. Its downsides can be fixed, according to the essay, by creating a preapproved roadmap for the appropriations process, thereby enhancing the quality of spending oversight. Finally, “presidential pork” derives from chief executives rewarding congressional allies and from government agencies allocating program resources so as to engender support from congressional members. This third variety of pork can be controlled if agencies improve their operational transparency plus strengthen their procedures for selecting projects.

What happens when you put good people in a bad place, good apples in a bad barrel? Do the apples change the barrel, or does the barrel change the apples?

—Philip Zimbardo, 2008
Civil Rights, Federalism, and the Administrative Process: Favorable Outcomes by Federal, State, and Local Agencies in Housing Discrimination Complaints
Authors: Lamb Charles M. , Wilk Eric M.
Published: April 2010

Some theorists argue that cooperative intergovernmental relations are critical to policy implementation in the United States. This assertion is explored in the context of fair housing enforcement by comparing favorable administrative outcomes in fair housing complaints at the federal, state, and local levels from 1989 to 2004. What conclusions can be drawn from this systematic comparison of intergovernmental enforcement in one policy area over an extended period of time? First, cooperative federalism works well in fair housing enforcement. Second, of special significance, state civil rights agencies resolve complaints in favor of complainants nearly as often as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and localities sometimes do so even more frequently.
Averting Environmental Justice Claims? The Role of Environmental Management Systems
Authors: Edwards Daniel (David) , Darnall Nicole
Published: April 2010

Today, more regulatory provisions are in place for protecting low‐income minority populations who shoulder a disproportionate amount of environmental risk. Recognized as communities of “environmental justice,” industrial facilities located within these areas bear greater legal liabilities for and societal scrutiny of their environmental impacts. The authors offer compelling evidence that, in an effort to avoid regulatory and societal claims that they are disproportionately harming minority and ethnic populations, businesses operating inside environmental justice communities tend to adopt an environmental management system (EMS). The article probes whether industries actually improve the environment as a consequence of EMS adoption or whether such systems are simply used to avoid greater governmental scrutiny without necessarily reducing overall environmental risks.
Bill Gibson and the Art of Leading Across Boundaries
Authors: Morse Ricardo S.
Published: April 2010

As director of a regional council for more than 30 years, Bill Gibson is instrumental in facilitating “boundary‐crossing” collaborations that increase public value. This Administrative Profile examines three cases of regional, cross‐sector collaboration catalyzed by Gibson’s leadership. Characteristics of entrepreneurship, attention to “relationship capital,” and the humility derived from ego strength combine with the context of working for a boundary organization to help explain his success.
Prospective Observations in the Clinical and Electrophysiological Characteristics of Intra‐Isthmus Reentry
Authors: YANG YANFEI , VARMA NIRAJ , BADHWAR NITISH , TANEL RONN E. , SUNDARA SIRISHA , LEE RANDALL J. , LEE BYRON K. , TSENG ZIAN H. , MARCUS GREGORY M. , KIM ALBERT M. , OLGIN JEFFREY E. , SCHEINMAN MELVIN M.
Published: April 2010

ECG and EGM of IIR. Introduction: Intra‐isthmus reentry (IIR) is a circuit within the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI). The purpose of this study is to prospectively define the electrogram and surface ECG characteristics of IIR, and its clinical implications.

Methods and Results: Fourteen patients underwent electrophysiological studies and were found to have IIR. Detailed electrogram mapping of the CTI was available in all, electroanatomic mapping (EAM) in 8 of 14 (57%) patients. In all, entrainment mapping during tachycardia proved reentry, and showed that the anteroinferior CTI was out of the circuit and the septal CTI was in the circuit in 12 of 14 patients, whereas in 2, the circuit was confined within the mid and/or anteroinferior CTI. Fractionated potentials (FPs) spanning 34–71% of the tachycardia cycle length were recorded within the CTI in all, and double potentials were inscribed in 10 of 14 (71%). Analysis of the tricuspid annulus electrograms showed spontaneous shifts from a counterclockwise (CCW) to clockwise or fusion patterns. Surface ECGs showed either typical CCW pattern (12 patients) or atypical patterns (3 patients). The EAMs showed a focal pattern in 3, a CCW pattern in 5. The successful ablation site always occurred at the area with maximal FP duration. Over the same period, 33 of 384 (9%) patients who underwent ablation for CTI‐dependent flutter had prior successful CTI ablation, 7 of 33 (21%) were found to have IIR during the redo procedure.

Conclusions: (1) Electrogram and ECG patterns of IIR frequently show atypical flutter. (2) IIR was successfully ablated in an area of the CTI associated with maximal duration of FPs. (3) IIR is a significant cause of “recurrent flutter” in patients with prior CTI ablation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1099‐1106)
Role of Molecular Architecture of Citric and Related Polyacids on the Yield Stress of α‐Alumina Slurries: Inter‐ and Intramolecular Forces
Authors: Leong Yee‐Kwong
Published: April 2010

The effects of molecular structure and architecture of multiple‐functional groups, citric acid‐type compounds on the yield stress of 55 wt%α‐Al2O3 dispersions were evaluated. They are cis‐ and trans‐aconitic (or dehydrated citric) acids, and propane‐1,2,3 tricarboxylic acid. These compounds possessed distinct differences in structure and, the presence and absence of −OH functional group. The (maximum) yield stress at zero zeta potential was used to deduce the effect of molecular forces on the interparticle force. Molecular modeling of these additives with ChemOffice software was used to infer the type of intra‐ and intermolecular forces arising from the adsorbed additives. Adsorbed citrate reduced the maximum yield stress significantly. In contrast, trans‐aconitic acid increased it very significantly at low coverage. Both cis‐aconitic and propane‐1,2,3 tricarboxylic acids did not increase or decrease it. Adsorbed citric acid acts as a steric layer. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the −OH group and the free carboxylic acid group is present in all citric acid ionic species, thus hindering particle‐bridging interactions from occurring. Adsorbed trans‐aconitic acid bridged the particles in dispersion as the two carboxylic acid groups in the trans‐position are in an ideal spatial position for particle bridging. The opposite is true for the cis‐aconitic acid; however, some degree of bridging is present and this is due to the third carboxylic acid group that is free but is too flexible for effective bridging. Propane‐1,2,3 tricarboxylic acid with an even more flexible backbone possessed a similar inability to bridge particles effectively.
Hot Pressing of Spherical, Polycrystalline 3Y‐TZP Particles
Authors: Auechalitanukul Chiraporn , Cannon W. Roger
Published: April 2010

As an alternative route to hot‐pressing fine powders for obtaining fine‐grained microstructures, coarse spherical polycrystalline particles having a fine‐grained microstructure were hot pressed. Three size fractions of particles, nominally 25, 45, and 75 μm, were prepared by presintering Tosoh yttria‐stabilized zirconia (Y‐TZP) spray‐dried granules. Samples were hot pressed at 1350°C for 1 h using pressures of 6, 10, 20, and 40 MPa. It was found that dense (>98%) 3Y‐TZP monolith could be produced at 40 MPa, which retained the fine grain size (0.3 μm) of the starting polycrystalline particles. The densification rate was particle size independent when the pressure was at least 10 MPa. It was determined that the densification rates agreed with Helle et al.'s predicted rates based on superplastic creep‐controlled hot pressing.
Understanding foreign direct investment in the southern African development community: an analysis based on project‐level data
Authors: Mhlanga Nomathemba , Blalock Garrick , Christy Ralph
Published: April 2010

This article uses a uniquely rich project‐level data set to analyze determinants and trends of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to the Southern African Development Community region. We control for the source of the investment, the sector in which the investment is undertaken, and the investment type in addition to project size. The results indicate market size to have a positive impact on FDI flows under all specifications—a result consistent with earlier studies. Other variables are unstable depending on specification and the subset of the data used. Furthermore, we find no significant differences in factors that drive FDI flows by source country, while greenfield investments are seen to respond more to the growth potential of the market relative to other forms of investment. In general, we find macroeconomic variables to be poor at explaining project‐level FDI in the region. The descriptive analysis of the data points us more in the direction of the gravity model, with factors such as colonial ties and proximity of the investing country appearing to matter. Limited flows and minimal sectoral diversity call for enhanced investment promotion and collaborative efforts among member states.
Conservation agriculture, organic marketing, and collective action in the Honduran hillsides
Authors: Wollni Meike , Lee David R. , Thies Janice E.
Published: April 2010

Conservation agriculture (CA) is often perceived to provide “win‐win” outcomes for farmers leading to reduced erosion and off‐site sedimentation, as well as improved soil fertility and productivity. However, adoption rates for CA in many regions of the world remain below expected levels. This article looks at the effects of participation in organic markets and farmers' organizations on the adoption of soil conservation practices. Based on original survey data from 241 small‐scale farm households in Honduras, we find that both participation in organic markets and farmer‐based groups have positive effects on the number of soil conservation practices adopted. The results indicate that besides supply‐oriented policy measures, such as the provision of technical assistance and extension, demand‐related factors are likely to play an important role in sustainable soil management. Demand‐oriented policy measures include support for labeling initiatives and consumer education to facilitate value‐added product differentiation and market segmentation.
Atypical dento‐alveolar fracture fixed with screws: a technical note
Authors: Shinohara Elio Hitoshi , Vieira Eduardo Hochuli , Júnior Idelmo Rangel Garcia , Pires‐Soubhia Ana Maria , Martini Marcelo Zillo
Published: April 2010

Abstract –  Dento‐alveolar process fracture is an important and common event in the dental office practice usually managed under the well‐established protocols, but sometimes this kind of lesion is evaluated in the hospital emergency rooms without attention to the dental injuries. In this type of trauma, the time between the injury and the definitive resolution is essential for the treatment success, usually 1 h in cases of dento‐alveolar fractures (tooth and alveolar bone). This paper describes the management of a patient with unusual dento‐alveolar fracture caused by gunshot and treated using screw fixation.
The linear rms—flux relation in an ultraluminous X-ray source
Authors: Heil L. M. , Vaughan S.
Published: April 2010

We report the first detection of a linear correlation between rms variability amplitude and flux in the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5408 X-1. The rms–flux relation has previously been observed in several galactic black hole X-ray binaries (BHBs), several active galactic nuclei (AGN) and at least one neutron star X-ray binary. This result supports the hypothesis that a linear rms–flux relation is common to all luminous black hole accretion and perhaps even a fundamental property of accretion flows about compact objects. We also show for the first time the cross-spectral properties of the variability of this ULX, comparing variations below and above 1 keV. The coherence and time delays are poorly constrained but consistent with high coherence between the two bands, over most of the observable frequency range and a significant time delay (with hard leading soft variations). The magnitude and frequency dependence of the lags are broadly consistent with those commonly observed in BHBs, but the direction of the lag is reversed. These results indicate that ULX variability studies, using long X-ray observations, hold great promise for constraining the processes driving ULXs behaviour, and the position of ULXs in the scheme of black hole accretion from BHBs to AGN.
Stability problem in the dynamo
Authors: Reshetnyak M.
Published: April 2010

It is shown that the saturated α-effect taken from the non-linear dynamo equations for the thin disc can still produce exponentially growing magnetic field in the case when this field does not feed back on the α. For negative dynamo number (stationary regime) stability is defined by the structure of the spectra of the linear problem for the positive dynamo numbers. The stability condition for the oscillatory solution (positive dynamo number) is also obtained and related to the phase shift of the original magnetic field, which produced saturated α and magnetic field in the kinematic regime. The results can be used to explain the similar effect observed in shell model simulations as well as in 3D dynamo models in the plane layer and sphere.
Slug Tests in the Presence of Background Head Trends
Authors: Ostendorf David W. , DeGroot Don J.
Published: April 2010

We extend Bouwer and Rice (1976) slug test theory to incorporate background head trends that may be important in incompressible material of low permeability k. The extension, which features a convolution integral of the background head, is closed form for linear trends. A sensitivity study suggests that a rising background head can diminish the head changes associated with a slug‐out test and underestimate k if it is ignored, as does falling background trend with a slug‐in test. A falling background head can reinforce slug‐in test head change and, if ignored, can overestimate k, as does a rising background head with a slug‐out test. The simple extension is verified by field tests in glacial till and stratified drift deposits in eastern Massachusetts.
Outness and relationship satisfaction in same‐gender couples
Authors: Knoble Naomi B. , Linville Deanna
Published: April 2010

Self‐disclosure of sexual orientation, or outness, is a fundamental feature of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) experience, yet little is known about how outness impacts same‐gender relationship satisfaction. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 15 same‐gender couples, the complexities of navigating a stigmatized identity in a homonegative society emerged, including (a) characteristics of outness, (b) the influence of coupling on an individual’s outness, and (c) the impact of outness on same‐gender relationship satisfaction. Findings suggest that for GLB persons, outness is a developmental skill, an expression of identity and values, as well as a resilience strategy for managing discrimination and gay‐related stress that influences, though does not singularly determine, relationship satisfaction. Implications for clinical practice and future research suggestions are presented.
Unilateral choroidal excavation in the macula detected by spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography
Authors: Wakabayashi Yuka , Nishimura Akira , Higashide Tomomi , Ijiri Shigeyuki , Sugiyama Kazuhisa
Published: April 2010

Purpose:  To report clinical findings of three patients with unilateral peculiar choroidal excavation in the macula detected by spectral‐domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods:  Three cases with unilateral choroidal excavation in the macula detected by SD OCT. Fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (IA), ultrasonography, visual field tests and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) were performed.

Results:  Although all three patients complained of metamorphopsia, visual acuity and central visual field were normal in the affected eyes. SD OCT demonstrated choroidal excavation in the macula despite a normal foveal contour along the inner retinal surface. The excavation involved the outer retinal layers up to the external limiting membrane in cases 1 and 2, while only the retinal pigment epithelium was involved in case 3. The excavation corresponded to foveal pigment mottling in cases 1 and 2 and to a parafoveal yellowish fusiform lesion in case 3. The lesions appeared hypoautofluorescent and unremarkable in FA except for circumferential hyperfluorescence in case 3 and hypofluorescent in IA. B‐scan ultrasonography was unremarkable. MfERG in cases 1 and 2 was normal.

Conclusions:  SD OCT demonstrated two types of choroidal excavation in the macula. More case accumulation and a longer follow‐up will elucidate the pathogenesis and prognosis of the lesions.
Tests of a Deferred Tax Explanation of the Negative Association between the LIFO Reserve and Firm Value*
Authors: DHALIWAL DAN S. , TREZEVANT ROBERT H. , WILKINS MICHAEL S.
Published: April 2010

Guenther and Trombley (1994) and Jennings, Simko, and Thompson (1996) document a negative association between a firm's last‐in, first‐out (LIFO) reserve and the market value of its equity. In this paper, we test a deferred tax explanation of this negative association. Specifically, we argue that investors, conditional on adjusting inventory to as‐if first‐in, first‐out (FIFO), estimate a firm's future LIFO liquidation tax burden as its LIFO reserve multiplied by the appropriate corporate tax rate and include this tax‐adjusted LIFO reserve in the valuation of a LIFO firm's net assets. On the basis of this argument, the tax‐adjusted LIFO reserve is in effect an estimate of an off‐balance‐sheet deferred tax liability and, as a result, we predict a negative association between the tax‐adjusted LIFO reserve and market value of equity. We test our deferred tax explanation by estimating a valuation model in which a firm's market value of equity is expressed as a function of the firm's assets, liabilities, deferred tax liability, and tax‐adjusted LIFO reserve; the model is estimated separately in years preceding and following the reduction of tax rates mandated by the US Tax Reform Act of 1986. Test results provide strong support for the deferred tax explanation of the negative association between a firm's LIFO reserve and the market value of its equity.
An Approach to Adjusting Analysts' Consensus Forecasts for Selection Bias*
Authors: HAYES RACHEL M. , LEVINE CAROLYN B.
Published: April 2010

Many recent empirical studies have concluded that analysts' earnings forecasts are optimistic on average. In this paper, we attempt to undo the effect of one potential source of optimistic bias in analysts' earnings forecasts. Assuming forecasts come from a truncated normal distribution, we estimate the “true” population mean using maximum likelihood. We find that our estimates of earnings are more accurate and less biased than standard measures of sample mean and median. However, we do not find a closer relationship between excess market returns and forecast errors from our maximum likelihood estimate than from the sample mean. This may suggest that the market does not fully incorporate analysts' incentives in generating expectations about future earnings.
Positive and Negative Earnings Surprises, Regulatory Climate, and Stock Returns*
Authors: NWAEZE EMEKA T.
Published: April 2010

This study focuses on electric utilities in the United States to consider two related issues. First, the study tests for asymmetric price reactions to positive and negative earnings surprises (ES). Second, the study associates policy differences across jurisdictions with variations in the cash flow effects of positive and negative ES and then uses the framework to consider variations in price responses across regulatory climates. In the same context, the study investigates the effects of a utility's abnormal profits on the asymmetry of price reactions to positve and negative ES. The empirical predictions are motivated by the disparity between the principles and practices that underlie cost recovery for the utilities and the uneven effects of the cost‐recovery practies on the cash flows associated with positve and negative ES. The results show that the sign of ES and the climate in which a utility operates are related to the size of price reactions to ES. Furthermore, a utility's abnormal profit status has significant effects on the size of price reactions to ES. Only a modest price response asymmetry is indicated for manufacturing firms.
Project Termination Decisions, Underinvestment and Overinvestment*
Authors: TAN PATRICIA M. S.
Published: April 2010

In this article, I use the principal‐agent framework to examine the incentives of risk‐and work‐averse agents to work on projects that are long‐term, multistage, and subject to abandonment. Periodic applications of effort by the agent are required. The agent also obtains private information as the project evolves, and he decides whether the project should be abandoned or continued. The principal not only seeks to provide incentives to induce the agent to take up such risky investments and work hard at them, but also seeks to provide incentives for the agent to abandon the project if the profit prospect is low. We show that the agent's decision to continue is not always aligned with the principal's desire. The result provides an economic rationale for the sunk cost phenomenon. There also exist conditions under which the agent chooses to prematurely abandon the project.
On Transient Improvement of Variable Structure Controlled Systems Using Multimodel Switching 1
Authors: Akar Mehmet
Published: April 2010

This paper presents a multiple model/controller scheme for robust tracking of a class of nonlinear systems in the presence of large plant uncertainties and disturbance. Each model is associated with a sliding mode controller, and a switching logic is designed to pick the model that best approximates the plant at each instant. Theoretically, it is shown that the proposed control scheme achieves perfect tracking despite the existence of disturbance, whereas simulation results verify the improvement in the transient performance.
Nonlinear Dynamics and Its Applications in Micro- and Nanoresonators
Authors: Rhoads Jeffrey F. , Shaw Steven W. , Turner Kimberly L.
Published: April 2010

This review provides a summary of work on the resonant nonlinear dynamics of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. This research area, which has been active for approximately a decade, involves the study of nonlinear behaviors arising in small scale, vibratory, mechanical devices that are typically integrated with electronics for use in signal processing, actuation, and sensing applications. The inherent nature of these devices, which includes low damping, desired resonant operation, and the presence of nonlinear potential fields, sets an ideal stage for the appearance of nonlinear behavior. While nonlinearities are typically avoided in device design, they have the potential to allow designers to beneficially leverage nonlinear behavior in certain applications. This paper provides an overview of the fundamental research on nonlinear behaviors arising in micro-/nanoresonators, including direct and parametric resonances in individual resonators and coupled resonator arrays, and also describes the active exploitation of nonlinear dynamics in the development of resonant mass sensors, inertial sensors, and electromechanical signal processing systems. This paper closes with some brief remarks about important ongoing developments in the field.
The Development of Lung Disease in Cystic Fibrosis Pigs
Authors: Wine Jeffrey J.
Published: April 2010

A new study finds that cystic fibrosis pigs develop key features of the often-lethal lung disease seen in cystic fibrosis patients.
Keep Monkeying Around
Authors: Bremer Andrew A.
Published: April 2010

Induced pluripotent stem cells from nonhuman primates can be used as a model of autologous cell therapy.
A
BRCA3
Gene?
Authors: Damani Samir
Published: April 2010

Protein-altering variants in the newly designated oncogene,
RAD51C
, confers substantial risk for developing gynecologic malignancies in a study of 1100 pedigrees with breast and ovarian cancer.
Inspiration on Perspiration: Putting Sweat Glands into Skin Grafts
Authors: Ng Kenneth W.
Published: April 2010

Incorporating encapsulated sweat gland cells into engineered skin tissue produces a more realistic skin graft and may improve patients’ quality of life.
Late Triassic to Late Jurassic petrotectonic history of the Oregon Klamath Mountains
Authors: Yule Doug , Wiley Tom , Kays M. Allan , Murray Robert
Published: April 2010

This field guide describes stops in the Oregon Klamath Mountains that visit near-complete ophiolite sections, pre- and post-accretion arc plutons, greenschist- to amphibolite-grade metamorphosed wallrocks, arc volcanic rocks, and interbedded chert, argillite, and olistostromal deposits. Structural features at these stops include local- and regional-scale folds and faults, as well as penetrative metamorphic fabrics such as slaty cleavage, gneissic layering, and mineral lineations. The geologic history here reveals a period of Late Triassic and Jurassic ophiolite and oceanic-arc formation followed by Middle Jurassic terrane accretion, tectonic mélange formation, and continued oceanic arc magmatism. Rifting from ca. 165 to 160 Ma produced the Rogue-Chetco arc, Josephine ophiolite, and remnant arc comprised of older Klamath Mountains terranes. Deformation and magmatism during the Late Jurassic Neva-dan orogeny accreted this active arc–inter-arc basin–remnant arc triad to western North America, producing the lithotectonic belts observed today. The Oregon Klam-ath Mountains therefore provide an exceptional opportunity to examine the deep to shallow levels of multi-phase oceanic lithosphere and deformational features related to the accretion of these terranes to the continental margin.
Landscape and hydrologic response in the Williamson River basin following the Holocene eruption of Mount Mazama, Cascade volcanic arc
Authors: Cummings Michael L. , Conaway Jeffrey S.
Published: April 2010

The field trip examines coupled hydrologic and landscape response after the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama to form Crater Lake in the Cascade volcanic arc at ~7627 ± 150 cal. yr B.P. The Williamson River basin, east of Crater Lake and in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, was buried beneath thick pumice and pyroclastic-flow deposits. The distinctive physical properties of pumice and volcanic ash affect the movement and retention of water and the ongoing evolution of the landscape. Three themes will be explored: (1) post-eruption transition from perched streams to losing streams along the eastern flank of the Cascade Range; (2) filling and catastrophic draining of a lake trapped behind a dam of pyroclastic flow deposits in the Williamson River canyon; and (3) post-eruption faulting and the hydrology of Klamath Marsh.
A tale of two basins
Authors: Cummings Michael L. , Cady Sherry L. , Perkins Robert B.
Published: April 2010

Steens Mountain, a fault-block in the northern Basin and Range Province, rises 1.7 km above flanking basins and drives hydrologic systems that include hot springs, fresh-water streams, and cold artesian wells in the Alvord Valley. It also feeds freshwater streams, desert wetlands, and shallow fresh-water and alkali lakes in the Harney Basin. Steens Mountain melt water from the winter snow pack partitions to surface-water and groundwater systems. How the composition of these fluids evolve along the various flow paths as a result of differences in the geology, interaction with geother-mal aquifers, surface storage time, degree of evaporation, and biology will be examined. Deep-seated flow paths feed Alvord Valley hot springs, which discharge to the east, in the rain shadow of Steens Mountain. The largest of these hot spring systems— Borax Lake—along with features at Mickey Hot Springs, offer ample opportunity to investigate how biosignatures form and become preserved in hydrothermally precipitated sinter deposits. Surface water moving off the westward-dipping slope of Steens Mountain passes through wetland environments to Malheur Lake in Harney Basin. This key point along the Pacific flyway provides wonderful wildlife viewing and the chance to ponder the impacts of biology on lake chemistry. Finally, we will visit the saline-alkaline Harney Lake, the terminal sump for the water moving through Malheur Lake and all of the nearly 40,000 km2 Harney Basin. At this locale, the focus will be on the influence of evaporative processes on water composition.