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Merging
Terms modified by Merging Selected AbstractsMerging of E2 and E1cb Reaction Mechanisms: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental StudyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 32 2009Edoardo Mosconi Abstract By combining the results of kinetic measurements with DFT calculations we provide a clear-cut evidence of the merging between the E2 and E1cb reaction mechanisms for a large series of leaving groups. Our results solve a long-debated issue in chemical reactivity with profound implications both from a fundamental and biological point of view, thus paving the way to further investigations with different substrates.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Merging with a buyer group memberMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2009Can Erutku We examine a merger between a national retailer and a local retailer who is a member of a buyer group. While the traditional literature on mergers assumes an oligopolistic industry (where the merger takes place) supplied by a perfectly competitive one, we assume here that retailers obtain their input from a supplier that can offer quantity discounts. In this setting, a merger can be profitable for insiders (solving the merger paradox) and can also be more profitable for insiders than for outsiders (solving the free-riding problem). This result holds even if the merged firm ends-up with a small share of the market. However, welfare decreases post-merger. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The evolution of the galaxy red sequence in simulated clusters and groupsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008A. D. Romeo ABSTRACT N -body/hydrodynamical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxy groups and clusters in a , cold dark matter (,CDM) cosmology are used in order to follow the building-up of the colour,magnitude relation in two clusters and in 12 groups. We have found that galaxies, starting from the more massive, move to the red sequence (RS) as they get aged over times and eventually set upon a ,dead sequence' (DS) once they have stopped their bulk star formation activity. Fainter galaxies keep having significant star formation out to very recent epochs and lie broader around the RS. Environment plays a role as galaxies in groups and cluster outskirts hold star formation activity longer than the central cluster regions. However, galaxies experiencing infall from the outskirts to the central parts keep star formation on until they settle on to the DS of the core galaxies. Merging contributes to mass assembly until z, 1, after which major events only involve the brightest cluster galaxies. The emerging scenario is that the evolution of the colour,magnitude properties of galaxies within the hierarchical framework is mainly driven by star formation activity during dark matter haloes assembly. Galaxies progressively quenching their star formation settle to a very sharp ,red and dead' sequence, which turns out to be universal, its slope and scatter being almost independent of the redshift (since at least z, 1.5) and environment. Differently from the DS, the operatively defined RS evolves more evidently with z, the epoch when it changes its slope being closely corresponding to that at which the passive galaxies population takes over the star-forming one: this goes from z, 1 in clusters down to 0.4 in normal groups. [source] How Many Traditional Chinese Medicine Components Have Been Recognized by Modern Western Medicine?CHEMMEDCHEM, Issue 2 2008A Chemoinformatic Analysis, Implications for Finding Multicomponent Drugs Merging east and west. Through a global structural comparison between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) components and modern Western drugs, it is revealed that a certain part of TCM components have been recognized by modern Western medicine, which suggests that TCM, at least in part, has a scientific basis. [source] Managing Complexity: The Executive MBA at the Zollverein SchoolDESIGN MANAGEMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2007Andrej Kupetz President In this new and innovative program, management is viewed as a design task that engages the creative disciplines, as well as traditional skills in business and engineering. Andrej Kupetz, with students Martin Mangold and Miriam Selbeck, summarize the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum, as well as its merging of theory and practice, and illustrate outcomes with the discussion of two real-world thesis projects. [source] Building Peace with Conflict Diamonds?DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2009Development in Sierra Leone, Merging Security ABSTRACT This article examines the merging of security and development agendas in primary commodity sectors, focusing on the case of peace-building reforms in Sierra Leone's diamond sector. Reformers frequently assume that reforming the diamond sector through industrializing alluvial diamond mining will reduce threats to security and development, thereby contributing to peace building. Our findings, however, suggest that the industrialization of alluvial diamond mining that has taken place in Sierra Leone has not reduced threats to security and development, as it has entailed human rights abuses and impoverishment of local communities without consolidating state fiscal revenues and trust in local authorities. This suggests alternative strategies for resource-related peace-building initiatives, which we consider at the end of the article: the decriminalization of informal economic activities; the prioritization of local livelihoods and development needs over central government fiscal priorities and foreign direct investment; and better integration between local economies and industrial resource exploitation. [source] Ictal Brain Hyperperfusion Contralateral to Seizure Onset: The SPECT Mirror ImageEPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2006Gilles Huberfeld Summary:,Purpose: Ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) may help localize the seizure-onset zone (SOZ) by detecting changes in regional cerebral blood flow induced by epileptic discharges. This imaging method also reveals hyperperfusions in areas of seizure propagation, including the hemisphere contralateral to the SOZ. We have studied the occurrence, the topography, and the clinical value of such contralateral ictal hyperperfusion areas (HPAs). Methods: We examined data from presurgical evaluations of 36 consecutive patients with pharmacoresistant partial epilepsy of various localizations. Ictal and interictal SPECT examinations were made with 99mTc-ECD, and the scans were processed for coregistration, normalization, subtraction, and merging with MRI images. Results: Contralateral HPAs were observed in 72% of the patients: 50% of mesiotemporal epilepsy cases with hippocampal sclerosis, 85.7% of the other mesiotemporal epilepsies, 85.7% of neocortical lateral temporal epilepsies, and 87.5% of extratemporal epilepsies. Contralateral HPAs were usually symmetrical to the SOZ, forming a mirror image, observed in 57.1% of the patients. They could be slightly asymmetrical in mesiotemporal epilepsies, perhaps because of the particular anatomic pathways linking temporal lobes. In neocortical epilepsies, they were located in the cortex homotopic to the SOZ. Conclusions: We show that the symmetrical nature of the mirror image usually does not disturb SPECT interpretation. It can confirm the location of the SOZ (11 patients) and even occasionally improve the precision of its definition (nine patients) by restraining several potential SOZ-related HPAs to a single one or by permitting a restricted localization of the SOZ in a large HPA. [source] How Elephants are Opening Doors: Developmental Neuroethology, Attachment and Social ContextETHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007G. A. Bradshaw Ethology's renewed interest in developmental context coincides with recent insights from neurobiology and psychology on early attachment. Attachment and social learning are understood as fundamental mechanisms in development that shape core processes responsible for informing behaviour throughout a lifetime. Each field uniquely contributes to the creation of an integrated model and encourages dialogue between Tinbergen's four analytical levels: ethology in its underscoring of social systems of behaviour and context, psychology in its emphasis on socio-affective attachment transactions, and neuroscience in its explication of the coupled development of brain and behaviour. We review the relationship between developmental context and behaviour outcome as a topic shared by the three disciplines, with a specific focus on underlying neuroethological mechanisms. This interdisciplinary convergence is illustrated through the example of abnormal behaviour in wild African elephants (Loxodonta africana) that has been systematically observed in human-caused altered social contexts. Such disruptions impair normative socially mediated neuroendocrinological development leading to psychobiological dysregulation that expresses as non-normative behaviour. Aberrant behaviour in wild elephants provides a critical field example of what has been established in ex situ and clinical studies but has been largely absent in wild populations: a concrete link between effects of human disturbance on social context, and short- and long-term neuroethology. By so doing, it brings attention to the significant change in theories of behaviour that has been occurring across disciplines , namely, the merging of psychobiological and ethological perspectives into common, cross-species, human inclusive models. [source] Synthesis, Characterization and Electrochemistry of the Novel Dawson-Type Tungstophosphate [H4PW18O62]7, and First Transition Metal Ions DerivativesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2004Israel-Martyr Mbomekalle Abstract Following the synthesis of pure [H4PW18O62]7, (PW18), its derivatives monosubstituted with M (M = MoVI, VIV, VV, MnII, FeIII, CoII, NiII CuII and ZnII) were obtained. All compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV/visible and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Their cyclic voltammetry properties were studied as a function of pH and systematically compared with those of their analogs derived from the symmetrical species, [P2W18O62]6,(P2W18). Comparison of the two unsubstituted precursors revealed that the merging of the first two waves of the monophosphate occurred in a less acidic medium than for the diphosphate. The observations point to the higher basicity of the reduced forms of PW18 compared with those of P2W18. The fingerprint pattern observed for ,2 -P2W17M derivatives in media of pH = 3 consisted of the splitting of the third W redox system into two one-electron closely spaced waves which is in contrast to the same system in ,1 -P2W17M. This peculiarity was also obtained for several of the present ,2 -PW17M systems in media of pH = 3 and confirmed that ,2 -substituted derivatives were indeed formed. The absence of this peculiar behavior in some other derivatives is consistent with smooth variations of acid-base properties from one derivative to the next. The electrocatalytic properties of all the compounds are illustrated by the reduction of nitrite by reduced PW18 and of nitrate by reduced ,2 -PW17Cu. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004) [source] Merging of E2 and E1cb Reaction Mechanisms: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental StudyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 32 2009Edoardo Mosconi Abstract By combining the results of kinetic measurements with DFT calculations we provide a clear-cut evidence of the merging between the E2 and E1cb reaction mechanisms for a large series of leaving groups. Our results solve a long-debated issue in chemical reactivity with profound implications both from a fundamental and biological point of view, thus paving the way to further investigations with different substrates.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Marital Research in the 20th Century and a Research Agenda for the 21st CenturyFAMILY PROCESS, Issue 2 2002John M. Gottman Ph.D. In this article we review the advances made in the 20th century in studying marriages. Progress moved from a self-report, personality-based approach to the study of interaction in the 1950s, following the advent of general systems theory. This shift led, beginning in the 1970s, to the rapid development of marital research using a multimethod approach. The development of more sophisticated observational measures in the 1970s followed theorizing about family process that was begun in the decade of the 1950s. New techniques for observation, particularly the study of affect and the merging of synchronized data streams using observational and self-report perceptual data, and the use of sequential and time-series analyses produced new understandings of process and power. Research in the decades of the 1980s and 1990s witnessed the realization of many secular changes in the American family, including the changing role of women, social science's discovery of violence and incest in the family, the beginning of the study of cultural variation in marriages, the expansion of the measurement of marital outcomes to include longevity, health, and physiology (including the immune system), and the study of co-morbidities that accompany marital distress. A research agenda for the 21st century is then described. [source] A Self-Report Measure of Clinicians' Orientation toward Integrative MedicineHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 5p1 2005An-Fu Hsiao Objective. Patients in the U.S. often turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and may use it concurrently with conventional medicine to treat illness and promote wellness. However, clinicians vary in their openness to the merging of treatment paradigms. Because integration of CAM with conventional medicine can have important implications for health care, we developed a survey instrument to assess clinicians' orientation toward integrative medicine. Study Setting. A convenience sample of 294 acupuncturists, chiropractors, primary care physicians, and physician acupuncturists in academic and community settings in California. Data Collection Methods. We used a qualitative analysis of structured interviews to develop a conceptual model of integrative medicine at the provider level. Based on this conceptual model, we developed a 30-item survey (IM-30) to assess five domains of clinicians' orientation toward integrative medicine: openness, readiness to refer, learning from alternate paradigms, patient-centered care, and safety of integration. Principal Findings. Two hundred and two clinicians (69 percent response rate) returned the survey. The internal consistency reliability for the 30-item total scale and the five subscales ranged from 0.71 to 0.90. Item-scale correlations for the five subscales were higher for the hypothesized subscale than other subscales 75 percent or more of the time. Construct validity was supported by the association of the IM-30 total scale score (0,100 possible range, with a higher score indicative of greater orientation toward integrative medicine) with hypothesized constructs: physician acupuncturists scored higher than physicians (71 versus 50, p<.001), dual-trained practitioners scored higher than single-trained practitioners (71 versus 62, p<.001), and practitioners' self-perceived "integrativeness" was significantly correlated (r=0.60, p<.001) with the IM-30 total score. Conclusion. This study provides support for the reliability and validity of the IM-30 as a measure of clinicians' orientation toward integrative medicine. The IM-30 survey, which we estimate as requiring 5 minutes to complete, can be administered to both conventional and CAM clinicians. [source] On surface tension modelling using the level set methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 2 2009Sergey V. Shepel Abstract The paper describes and compares the performance of two options for numerically representing the surface tension force in combination with the level set interface-tracking method. In both models, the surface tension is represented as a body force, concentrated near the interface, but the technical implementation is different: the first model is based on a traditional level set approach in which the force is distributed in a band around the interface using a regularized delta function, whereas in the second, the force is partly distributed in a band around the interface and partly localized to the actual computational cells containing the interface. A comparative study, involving analysis of several two-phase flows with moving interfaces, shows that in general the two surface tension models produce results of similar accuracy. However, in the particular case of merging and pinching-off of interfaces, the traditional level set model of surface tension produces an error that results in non-converging solutions for film-like interfaces (i.e. ones involving large contact areas). In contrast, the second model, based on the localized representation of the surface tension force, displays consistent first-order convergence. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Patterns of variability in the satellite microwave sounding unit temperature record: comparison with surface and reanalysis dataINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 15 2003Giovanni Sturaro Abstract Principal component analysis is applied to global temperature records to study the differences in the patterns of variability between surface and troposphere. Surface, Microwave Sounding Unit (lower troposphere, channel 2 and channel 4) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction,National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis thickness data are studied in the common period 1979,2000. The patterns of variability are classified into geographical regions and compared. The series of their time coefficients are correlated to assess the existence of common and significant climate-change signals in the form of climatic trends. The objective is to identify the physical processes determining the records' variations and the differences between the surface and the satellite records that might be related to the discrepancy in their globally averaged trend. Major differences were found in the Tropics, where the surface warming is not paralleled in any other record. The surface record has two major patterns over the Tropics, one of which is connected to El Niño,southern oscillation. Satellite variability is instead described by only one pattern, most probably deriving from the merging of the two distinct patterns found for the near-surface records. In the eastern Antarctic a higher troposphere and lower stratosphere negative trend is found connected to ozone depletion. This signal prevails in the satellite record, despite evidence that it is confined only above 500 hPa. A pattern over Siberia is linked to the ,Euro-Siberian oscillation', i.e. the change in the pressure field determining the tracks of the Atlantic storms over the area Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Understanding heterogeneity in meta-analysis: the role of meta-regressionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 10 2009W. L. Baker Summary Background:, Meta-regression has grown in popularity in recent years, paralleling the increasing numbers of systematic reviews and meta-analysis published in the biomedical literature. However, many clinicians and decision-makers may be unfamiliar with the underlying principles and assumptions made within meta-regression leading to incorrect interpretation of their results. Aims:, This paper reviews the appropriate use and interpretation of meta-regression in the medical literature, including cautions and caveats to its use. Materials & Methods:, A literature search of MEDLINE (OVID) from 1966-February 2009 was conducted to identify literature relevant to the topic of heterogeneity and/or meta-regression in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Results:, Meta-analysis, a statistical method of pooling data from studies included in a systematic review, is often compromised by heterogeneity of its results. This could include clinical, methodological or statistical heterogeneity. Meta-regression, said to be a merging of meta-analytic and linear regression principles, is a more sophisticated tool for exploring heterogeneity. It aims to discern whether a linear relationship exists between an outcome measure and on or more covariates. The associations found in a meta-regression should be considered hypothesis generating and not regarded as proof of causality. Conclusions:, The current review will enable clinicians and healthcare decision-makers to appropriately interpret the results of meta-regression when used within the constructs of a systematic review, and be able to extend it to their clinical practice. [source] Merging databases: Problems and examplesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 10 2001Laurence Cholvy This paper focuses on databases merging, which is one particular case of data fusion. Databases merging is the process which consists of integrating, physically or virtually, the data provided by several databases. With examples throughout the paper, we stress the main problems raised by databases merging and we present, not exhaustively, some solutions. The topics receiving deepest study are: cases matching, inconsistency handling and summarizing data. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Preparing a large data set for analysis: using the Minimum Data Set to study perineal dermatitisJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 4 2005Kay Savik MS Aim., The aim of this paper is to present a practical example of preparing a large set of Minimum Data Set records for analysis, operationalizing Minimum Data Set items that defined risk factors for perineal dermatitis, our outcome variable. Background., Research with nursing home elders remains a vital need as ,baby boomers' age. Conducting research in nursing homes is a daunting task. The Minimum Data Set is a standardized instrument used to assess many aspects of a nursing home resident's functional capability. United States Federal Regulations require a Minimum Data Set assessment of all nursing home residents. These large data would be a useful resource for research studies, but need to be extensively refined for use in most statistical analyses. Although fairly comprehensive, the Minimum Data Set does not provide direct measures of all clinical outcomes and variables of interest. Method., Perineal dermatitis is not directly measured in the Minimum Data Set. Additional information from prescribers' (physician and nurse) orders was used to identify cases of perineal dermatitis. The following steps were followed to produce Minimum Data Set records appropriate for analysis: (1) identification of a subset of Minimum Data Set records specific to the research, (2) identification of perineal dermatitis cases from the prescribers' orders, (3) merging of the perineal dermatitis cases with the Minimum Data Set data set, (4) identification of Minimum Data Set items used to operationalize the variables in our model of perineal dermatitis, (5) determination of the appropriate way to aggregate individual Minimum Data Set items into composite measures of the variables, (6) refinement of these composites using item analysis and (7) assessment of the distribution of the composite variables and need for transformations to use in statistical analysis. Results., Cases of perineal dermatitis were successfully identified and composites were created that operationalized a model of perineal dermatitis. Conclusion., Following these steps resulted in a data set where data analysis could be pursued with confidence. Incorporating other sources of data, such as prescribers' orders, extends the usefulness of the Minimum Data Set for research use. [source] Observing freeway ramp merging phenomena in congested trafficJOURNAL OF ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION, Issue 2 2007Majid Sarvi This work conducts a comprehensive investigation of traffic behavior and characteristics during freeway ramp merging under congested traffic conditions. On the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, traffic congestion frequently occurs at merging bottleneck sections, especially during heavy traffic demand. The Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway public corporation, generally applies different empirical strategies to increase the flow rate and decrease the accident rate at the merging sections. However, these strategies do not rely either on any behavioral characteristics of the merging traffic or on the geometric design of the merging segments. There have been only a few research publications concerned with traffic behavior and characteristics in these situations. Therefore, a three-year study is undertaken to investigate traffic behavior and characteristics during the merging process under congested situations. Extensive traffic data capturing a wide range of traffic and geometric information were collected using detectors, videotaping, and surveys at eight interchanges in Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway. Maximum discharged flow rate from the head of the queue at merging sections in conjunction with traffic and geometric characteristics were analyzed. In addition, lane changing maneuver with respect to the freeway and ramp traffic behaviors were examined. It is believed that this study provides a thorough understanding of the freeway ramp merging dynamics. In addition, it forms a comprehensive database for the development and implementation of congestion management techniques at merging sections utilizing Intelligent Transportation System. [source] The On-Road Difficulties of Older Drivers and Their Relationship with Self-Reported Motor Vehicle CrashesJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2009Joanne M. Wood PhD OBJECTIVES: To quantify the driving difficulties of older adults using a detailed assessment of driving performance and to link this with self-reported retrospective and prospective crashes. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: On-road driving assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty-seven community-living adults aged 70 to 88 randomly recruited through the electoral roll. MEASUREMENTS: Performance on a standardized measure of driving performance. RESULTS: Lane positioning, approach, and blind spot monitoring were the most common error types, and errors occurred most frequently in situations involving merging and maneuvering. Drivers reporting more retrospective or prospective crashes made significantly more driving errors. Driver instructor interventions during self-navigation (where the instructor had to brake or take control of the steering to avoid an accident) were significantly associated with higher retrospective and prospective crashes; every instructor intervention almost doubled prospective crash risk. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that on-road driving assessment provides useful information on older driver difficulties, with the self-directed component providing the most valuable information. [source] PRIMUS: a Windows PC-based system for small-angle scattering data analysisJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2003Petr V. Konarev A program suite for one-dimensional small-angle scattering data processing running on IBM-compatible PCs under Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP is presented. The main program, PRIMUS, has a menu-driven graphical user interface calling computational modules to perform data manipulation and analysis. Experimental data in binary OTOKO format can be reduced by calling the program SAPOKO, which includes statistical analysis of time frames, averaging and scaling. Tools to generate the angular axis and detector response files from diffraction patterns of calibration samples, as well as binary to ASCII transformation programs, are available. Several types of ASCII files can be directly imported into PRIMUS, in particular, sasCIF or ILL-type files are read without modification. PRIMUS provides basic data manipulation functions (averaging, background subtraction, merging of data measured in different angular ranges, extrapolation to zero sample concentration, etc.) and computes invariants from Guinier and Porod plots. Several external modules coupled with PRIMUSvia pop-up menus enable the user to evaluate the characteristic functions by indirect Fourier transformation, to perform peak analysis for partially ordered systems and to find shape approximations in terms of three-parametric geometrical bodies. For the analysis of mixtures, PRIMUS enables model-independent singular value decomposition or linear fitting if the scattering from the components is known. An interface is also provided to the general non-linear fitting program MIXTURE, which is designed for quantitative analysis of multicomponent systems represented by simple geometrical bodies, taking shape and size polydispersity as well as interparticle interference effects into account. [source] Junior: The Stanford entry in the Urban ChallengeJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 9 2008Michael Montemerlo This article presents the architecture of Junior, a robotic vehicle capable of navigating urban environments autonomously. In doing so, the vehicle is able to select its own routes, perceive and interact with other traffic, and execute various urban driving skills including lane changes, U-turns, parking, and merging into moving traffic. The vehicle successfully finished and won second place in the DARPA Urban Challenge, a robot competition organized by the U.S. Government. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] EFFECT OF BREADING PARTICLE SIZE ON COATING ADHESION IN BREADED, FRIED CHICKEN BREASTSJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 2 2004MOHAMAD YUSOF MASKAT ABSTRACT The effect of particle size on coating adhesion was measured for battered chicken breasts. Bread crumbs were separated into small (, 250 ,m), medium (250 ,m-850 ,m), and large (> 850 ,m) particles. Chicken breasts were battered, breaded, and deep-fat fried for 240 s at 160C. Fried products were analyzed for coating adhesion, moisture content, and yield parameters. Coating adhesion was highest in coatings formed from small particle size breading, and lowest in those made from large particle size breading. Chicken breasts coated using small particle size breading had higher moisture in the surface region of the meat as well as in the coating. SEM of the coatings showed greater merging between the breading and the batter with decreasing breading particle size. No significant differences were observed in coating pickup, cooking loss, or yield between samples coated with different particle size breading. [source] The Impact of the Big 8 Mergers on Market Power: Evidence from the Hong Kong MarketJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTING, Issue 1 2005Dominica Suk-yee Lee This study examines the impact of the Big 8 mergers on market power in an audit market where the merging firms have little presence. Audit fee changes for each merger participating firm are identified and fee changes for several post-merger years are examined. The pre-merger differential market power between the merging and non-merging long-established Big 8 firms (Price Waterhouse and KPMG Peat Marwick) in Hong Kong provides a unique opportunity to examine whether the mergers could help the merging firms to increase their market power. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that the audit fees of the merging firms were significantly lower than that of the non-merging, long-established Big 8 firms before the mergers, but the audit fees of the merged firms increased significantly to a level comparable with that of the latter group after the mergers. In addition, the market share of the merged firms increased significantly after the mergers. However, no association is found between market concentration and market power. Overall, the results show that the Big 8 mergers have helped the merged firms increase their market power and market share in the Hong Kong audit market where they had little presence. [source] MassBank: a public repository for sharing mass spectral data for life sciencesJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 7 2010Hisayuki Horai Abstract MassBank is the first public repository of mass spectra of small chemical compounds for life sciences (<3000 Da). The database contains 605 electron-ionization mass spectrometry(EI-MS), 137 fast atom bombardment MS and 9276 electrospray ionization (ESI)-MSn data of 2337 authentic compounds of metabolites, 11 545 EI-MS and 834 other-MS data of 10 286 volatile natural and synthetic compounds, and 3045 ESI-MS2 data of 679 synthetic drugs contributed by 16 research groups (January 2010). ESI-MS2 data were analyzed under nonstandardized, independent experimental conditions. MassBank is a distributed database. Each research group provides data from its own MassBank data servers distributed on the Internet. MassBank users can access either all of the MassBank data or a subset of the data by specifying one or more experimental conditions. In a spectral search to retrieve mass spectra similar to a query mass spectrum, the similarity score is calculated by a weighted cosine correlation in which weighting exponents on peak intensity and the mass-to-charge ratio are optimized to the ESI-MS2 data. MassBank also provides a merged spectrum for each compound prepared by merging the analyzed ESI-MS2 data on an identical compound under different collision-induced dissociation conditions. Data merging has significantly improved the precision of the identification of a chemical compound by 21,23% at a similarity score of 0.6. Thus, MassBank is useful for the identification of chemical compounds and the publication of experimental data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Observations on the histochemistry and ultrastructure of regenerating caudal epidermis of the tuatara Sphenodon punctatus (Sphenodontida, Lepidosauria, Reptilia)JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Lorenzo Alibardi Abstract Study of the histology, histochemistry, and fine structure of caudal epidermal regeneration in Sphenodon punctatus through restoration of a scaled form reveals that the processes involved resemble those known in lizards. Following establishment of a wound epithelium (WE), subjacent scale neogenesis involves epidermal downgrowths into the dermis. Although the process is extremely slow, and most new scales do not overlap, their epidermal coverings reestablish epidermal generation (EG) formation. As in lizards, the flat, ,-keratogenic, WE cells contain lipids as revealed by their affinity for Sudan III. A few mucous cells that store large PAS-positive mucus-like granules also occur in WE. During differentiation of WE cells, among the bundles of 70-nm tonofilaments are many lamellar bodies (LBs) and mucous granules (MGs) that discharge their contents into the cytoplasm and extracellular spaces producing a strongly PAS-positive keratinized tissue. Richness of epidermal lipids coexistent with mucus is a primitive characteristic for amniote vertebrates, probably related to functions as a barrier to cutaneous water loss (CWL). As scale neogenesis begins, beneath the superficial WE appear 3,5 layers of irregularly shaped cells. These contain tonofilament bundles surrounded by small, round keratohyalin-like granules (KHLGs) and a keratinized matrix with ,-keratin packets and a 3,5-nm thick keratin granulation. This mixture of ,- and ,-keratogenic capacities resembles that seen in the innermost cells of a normal tuatara epidermal generation. As in the latter, but in contrast to both normal and regenerating lizard epidermis, no definable shedding complex with interdigitating clear layer and oberhautchen cells occurs (Alibardi and Maderson, 2003). The tortuous boundaries, and merging ,-keratin packets, identify subjacent keratinizing cells as precursors of the typical stratified, squamous ,-layer seen in long-term regenerated caudal skin wherein the entire vertical sequence of epidermal layers resembles that of normal scales. The sequence of events in caudal epidermal regeneration in S. punctatus resembles that documented for lizards. Observed differences between posttrauma scale neogenesis and scale embryogenesis are responses to functional problems involved in, respectively, restoring, or forming, a barrier to CWL while accommodating rapid somatic growth. J. Morphol. 256:134,145, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Solubility islands for polymer blends , a new option to homogenize incompatible polymers?MACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2003Attila R. Imre Abstract Experimental results of liquid-liquid phase equilibrium in a polydisperse blend of two polyalkylsiloxane are presented here. The UCST has an unusual pressure dependence: pressure induced miscibility at moderate pressures and pressure induced immiscibility at higher pressures, above a double critical point. The cloud point curve has two maxima in (concentration, temperature) as well as in (concentration, pressure) space. Approaching the double critical point, the high and low pressure branches of the cloud point curve merge and in a certain stage of this merging, they form a miscibility island located inside the two-phase region. Islands of this kind can give us a new tool to mix virtually immiscible blends. [source] Global properties of the rich cluster ABCG 209 at z, 0.2. Spectroscopic and photometric catalogueMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2008A. Mercurio ABSTRACT This paper is aimed at giving an overview of the global properties of the rich cluster of galaxies ABCG 209. This is achieved by complementing the already available data with new medium-resolution spectroscopy and near-infrared (NIR) photometry which allow us to (i) analyse in detail the cluster dynamics, distinguishing among galaxies belonging to different substructures and deriving their individual velocity distributions, using a total sample of 148 galaxies in the cluster region, of which 134 belonging to the cluster; (ii) derive the cluster NIR luminosity function; (iii) study the Kormendy relation and the photometric plane of cluster early-type galaxies (ETGs). Finally we provide an extensive photometric (optical and NIR) and spectroscopic data set for such a complex system to be used in further analyses investigating the nature, formation and evolution of rich clusters of galaxies. The present study shows that the cluster is characterized by a very high value of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion: ,v= 1268+93,84 km s,1, that results in a virial mass of Mvir= 2.95+0.80,0.78× 1015 h,170 M, within Rvir= 3.42 h,170 Mpc. The analysis of the velocity dispersion profile shows that such high value of ,v is already reached in the central cluster region. There is evidence of three significant substructures, the primary one having a velocity dispersion of ,v= 847+52,49 km s,1, which makes it consistent with mass estimates from weak lensing analyses. This observational scenario confirms that ABCG 209 is presently undergoing strong dynamical evolution with the merging of two or more subclumps. This interpretation is also supported by the detection of a radio halo suggesting that there is a recent or ongoing merging. Cluster ETGs follow a Kormendy relation whose slope is consistent with previous studies both at optical and NIR wavelengths. We investigate the origin of the intrinsic scatter of the photometric plane due to trends of stellar populations, using line indices as indicators of age, metallicity and ,/Fe enhancement. We find that the chemical evolution of galaxies could be responsible for the intrinsic dispersion of the photometric plane. [source] Is AGN feedback necessary to form red elliptical galaxies?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008A. Khalatyan ABSTRACT We have used the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code gadget-2 to simulate the formation of an elliptical galaxy in a group-size cosmological dark matter halo with mass Mhalo, 3 × 1012 h,1 M, at z= 0. The use of a stellar population synthesis model has allowed us to compute magnitudes, colours and surface brightness profiles. We have included a model to follow the growth of a central black hole and we have compared the results of simulations with and without feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). We have studied the interplay between cold gas accretion and merging in the development of galactic morphologies, the link between colour and morphology evolution, the effect of AGN feedback on the photometry of early-type galaxies, the redshift evolution in the properties of quasar hosts, and the impact of AGN winds on the chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium (IGM). We have found that the early phases of galaxy formation are driven by the accretion of cold filamentary flows, which form a disc galaxy at the centre of the dark matter halo. Disc star formation rates in this mode of galaxy growth are about as high as the peak star formation rates attained at a later epoch in galaxy mergers. When the dark matter halo is sufficiently massive to support the propagation of a stable shock, the gas in the filaments is heated to the virial temperature, cold accretion is shut down, and the star formation rate begins to decline. Mergers transform the spiral galaxy into an elliptical one, but they also reactivate star formation by bringing gas into the galaxy. Without a mechanism that removes gas from the merger remnants, the galaxy ends up with blue colours, which are atypical for its elliptical morphology. We have demonstrated that AGN feedback can solve this problem even with a fairly low heating efficiency. Our simulations support a picture where AGN feedback is important for quenching star formation in the remnant of wet mergers and for moving them to the red sequence. This picture is consistent with recent observational results, which suggest that AGN hosts are galaxies in migration from the blue cloud to the red sequence on the colour,magnitude diagram. However, we have also seen a transition in the properties of AGN hosts from blue and star forming at z, 2 to mainly red and dead at z, 0. Ongoing merging is the primary but not the only triggering mechanism for luminous AGN activity. Quenching by AGN is only effective after the cold filaments have dried out, since otherwise the galaxy is constantly replenished with gas. AGN feedback also contributes to raising the entropy of the hot IGM by removing low-entropy tails vulnerable to developing cooling flows. We have also demonstrated that AGN winds are potentially important for the metal enrichment of the IGM a high redshift. [source] Black hole growth in hierarchical galaxy formationMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Rowena K. Malbon ABSTRACT We incorporate a model for black hole growth during galaxy mergers into the semi-analytical galaxy formation model based on ,CDM proposed by Baugh et al. Our black hole model has one free parameter, which we set by matching the observed zero-point of the local correlation between black hole mass and bulge luminosity. We present predictions for the evolution with redshift of the relationships between black hole mass and bulge properties. Our simulations reproduce the evolution of the optical luminosity function of quasars. We study the demographics of the black hole population and address the issue of how black holes acquire their mass. We find that the direct accretion of cold gas during starbursts is an important growth mechanism for lower mass black holes and at high redshift. On the other hand, the re-assembly of pre-existing black hole mass into larger units via merging dominates the growth of more massive black holes at low redshift. This prediction could be tested by future gravitational wave experiments. As redshift decreases, progressively less massive black holes have the highest fractional growth rates, in line with recent claims of ,downsizing' in quasar activity. [source] Supermassive black hole merger rates: uncertainties from halo merger theoryMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006Adrienne L. Erickcek ABSTRACT The merger of two supermassive black holes is expected to produce a gravitational-wave signal detectable by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna(LISA). The rate of supermassive-black-hole mergers is intimately connected to the halo merger rate, and the extended Press-Schechter (EPS) formalism is often employed when calculating the rate at which these events will be observed by LISA. This merger theory is flawed and provides two rates for the merging of the same pair of haloes. We show that the two predictions for the LISA supermassive-black-hole-merger event rate from EPS merger theory are nearly equal because mergers between haloes of similar masses dominate the event rate. An alternative merger rate may be obtained by inverting the Smoluchowski coagulation equation to find the merger rate that preserves the Press,Schechter halo abundance, but these rates are only available for power-law power spectra. We compare the LISA event rates derived from the EPS merger formalism to those derived from the merger rates obtained from the coagulation equation and find that the EPS LISA event rates are 30 per cent higher for a power spectrum spectral index that approximates the full , cold dark matter result of the EPS theory. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||