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Selected AbstractsTHE EFFECT OF COUNTY-LEVEL PRISON POPULATION GROWTH ON CRIME RATES,CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 2 2006TOMISLAV V. KOVANDZIC Research Summary: Prior macro-level studies examining the impact of prison population growth on crime rates have produced widely varying results. Studies using national-level time series data find large impacts of prison growth on crime, whereas those using state panel data find more modest ones. Critics of the former studies maintain that the estimates are implausibly large, arguing that the effects are instead due to analysts' inability to control for potential confounding factors. Conversely, critics of the latter studies argue that they underestimate the total impacts of imprisonment by failing to account for potential free-riding effects. This study uses panel data for 58 Florida counties for 1980 to 2000 to reexamine the link between prison population growth and crime. Unlike previous studies, we find no evidence that increases in prison population growth covary with decreases in crime rates. Policy Implications: Our findings suggest that Florida policymakers carefully weigh the costs and benefits of their continued reliance on mass incarceration against the potential costs and benefits of alternatives. If the costs of mass incarceration do not return appreciable benefits, i.e., a reduction in crime, it is time to reconsider our approach to crime and punishment. Other research offers evidence of crime prevention programs operating inside the criminal justice system and in communities that hold promise for reducing crime; our findings indicate that policymakers carefully consider these options as a way to achieve their goals. [source] What Explains the Bid-Ask Spread Decline after Nasdaq Reforms?FINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 5 2003By Yan He This paper examines whether the decrease in bid-ask spreads on Nasdaq after the 1997 reforms is due to a decrease in market-making costs and/or an increase in market competition for order flows. Unlike previous studies, we jointly examine how competition and trading costs affect bid-ask spreads. In addition, we separate the effects of informed trading and liquidity costs on bid-ask spreads. Informed trading cost is directly estimated for each Nasdaq stock using a Bayesian theoretic model. Empirical results show that market-making costs and competition significantly affect bid-ask spreads. The post-reform decrease in bid-ask spreads is largely due to both an increase in competition and a decrease in informed trading and liquidity costs on Nasdaq. [source] Randal Heeb Innovation and Vertical Integration in Complementary MarketsJOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 3 2003Randal Heeb This paper studies vertical integration by an essential-good monopolist into complementary markets. Unlike previous studies of complementary products, consumers are allowed to purchase some components of a complementary basket, but not others. Two different pricing strategies by the integrated firm may emerge. In mass-market equilibria, the price of the complement under integration is zero and it is given away with the essential good. Niche-market equilibria have more conventional pricing. This dichotomy is consistent with consumer software pricing. Integration enhances consumer and total surplus, unless it leads to exit by the higher-quality rival, in which case welfare is reduced. Exit is most likely when it is least damaging to consumer welfare. Integration reduces innovation by the rival firm. The effect on innovation by the integrated firm is ambiguous, but numerical computation of an extended model indicates that integration increases the innovation of the integrated firm and enhances welfare. [source] More on the effectiveness of public spending on health care and education: a covariance structure modelJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2003Emanuele Baldacci Using data for a sample of developing countries and transition economies, this paper estimates the relationship between government spending on health care and education and selected social indicators. Unlike previous studies, where social indicators are used as proxies for the unobservable health and education status of the population, this paper estimates a latent variable model. The findings suggest that public spending is an important determinant of social outcomes, particularly in the education sector. Overall, the latent variable approach yields better estimates of a social production function than the traditional approach, with higher elasticities of social indicators with respect to income and spending, therefore providing stronger evidence that increases in public spending do have a positive impact on social outcomes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Acid decomposition of omeprazole in the absence of thiol: A differential pulse polarographic study at the static mercury drop electrode (SMDE)JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2006Ali M. Qaisi Abstract The reactions of omeprazole, a potent proton pump inhibitor (PPI), were investigated in the absence of a nucleophile. Reactions were monitored, using differential pulse polarography (DPP) at the static mercury drop electrode (SMDE), in solutions buffered to pH values ranging from 2.0 to 8.0. The fast, sensitive, and selective electrochemical technique facilitated to repeat recordings of successive voltammograms [peak current (nA) vs. peak potential (volts vs. Ag/AgCl saturated with 3.0 M KCl)]. The DPP signals of omeprazole and its degradation products, believed to be due to sulfur functional group (the principal site of electrode reaction), gave advantages over the previously employed UV detection technique. The latter primarily relied on pyridine and benzimidazole analytical signals, which are common reaction products of PPI in aqueous acidic solutions. After peak identification, the resulting current (nA)-time (s) profiles, demonstrated that omeprazole undergoes degradation to form two main stable compounds, the first is the cyclic sulfenamide (D+), previously believed to be the active inhibitor of the H+, K+ -ATPase, the second is omeprazole dimer. This degradation is highly dependant on pH. Unlike previous studies which reported that the lifetime of D+ is few seconds, the cyclic sulfenamide (D+) was found to be stable for up to 5,20 min. The results further indicated that omeprazole converts into the cyclic sulfenamide in an irreversible reaction, consequently, D+ and sulfenic acid (an intermediate which rapidly converts into D+) were not interconvertable. The present work suggested that the sulfenic acid is the active inhibitor in vivo. In addition, the omeprazole reactions, in the absence of the thiol, were not as complicated as were previously reported. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 95:384,391, 2006 [source] The Implementation of Target Costing in the United States: Theory Versus PracticeJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Lisa M. Ellram SUMMARY Target costing has been touted as a process that can significantly improve new product development results in the accounting, engineering, operations management, and purchasing literature. The target costing process considers the voice of the customer, incorporates earlier supplier involvement and concurrent engineering, utilizes cross-functional teams, and focuses on creating a good or service that is both desirable and affordable to the customer and profitable to the producing organization. Unlike previous studies, which have focused on Japanese firms, or used single case studies, this paper uses the findings from case studies of 11 organizations actively engaged in the target costing process. This paper explores how the target costing process is used in practice in the United States, comparing it with the popular theoretical model of target costing. It helps shed light on to target costing practices of U.S. and other Western firms, and highlights the often overlooked role of the purchasing function in successful target costing efforts. [source] Gender-incompatible liver transplantation is not a risk factor for patient survivalLIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2009Frank Lehner Abstract Background/Aims: Clinical data may be suggestive for differences in patient survival in gender-incompatible orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), but findings are inconsistent and are putatively linked to circulating hormones. We therefore investigated patient survival as well as metabolism of steroids to identify possible causes of improved graft survival in gender-mismatched OLT. Methods: We examined our single-centre database of 1355 recipients of first liver transplants for overall patient survival by non-parametric and parametric analysis of multivariance taking the age of recipient and donor, ischaemia time, underlying liver disease and the time period of transplantation into account. Furthermore, the metabolism of androgens in gender-incompatible OLT was studied in cultures of primary human hepatocytes obtained from male and female patients. Results: Unlike previous studies we were unable to determine overall significant differences in patient survival in gender-incompatible OLT, even though a statistically significant improved patient survival was observed when male donor livers were transplanted into female recipients in univariant analysis (P=0.047). However, when the overall patient management was taken into account no difference in survival was determined in multivariant analysis. Importantly, the metabolism of testosterone did not differ between male and female hepatocyte cultures, except for the production of 6-,-hydroxy-testosterone (P<0.001). Conclusions: Taken collectively, clinical observations may tend to suggest a slightly improved patient survival in gender-incompatible OLT but this cannot be explained on the bases of androgen metabolism. Overall, we view gender-incompatible liver transplantation not to be a confounder in patient survival after OLT. [source] Simulations of instability in fiber spinning of polymersPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 7 2010Atanas Gagov This work determines the critical regimes beyond which the melt fiber spinning for noncrystallizable polymeric liquids becomes unstable. The critical draw ratio of the process is established using linear stability analysis for both isothermal and nonisothermal fiber spinning regimes. In addition, nonlinear isothermal analysis describes the complete range of the stable and unstable conditions for fiber spinning. Unlike previous studies, this research uses quite realistic viscoelastic constitutive equations extensively tested for five polymer liquids, which provides a good comparison of our calculations with available experimental data. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Prospective Multicenter Bronchiolitis Study: Predicting Intensive Care Unit AdmissionsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2008Dorothy Damore MD Abstract Objectives:, The authors sought to identify predictors of intensive care unit (ICU) admission among children hospitalized with bronchiolitis for ,24 hours. Methods:, The authors conducted a prospective cohort study during two consecutive bronchiolitis seasons, 2004 through 2006, in 30 U.S. emergency departments (EDs). All included patients were aged <2 years and had a final diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Regular floor versus ICU admissions were compared. Results:, Of 1,456 enrolled patients, 533 (37%) were admitted to the regular floor and 50 (3%) to the ICU. Comparing floor and ICU admissions, multivariate ED predictors of ICU admission were age <2 months (26% vs. 53%; odds ratio [OR] = 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1 to 8.3), an ED visit the past week (25% vs. 40%; OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1 to 4.4), moderate/severe retractions (31% vs. 48%; OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.3 to 5.2), and inadequate oral intake (31% vs. 53%; OR = 3.3; 95% CI = 1.6 to 7.1). Unlike previous studies, no association with male gender, socioeconomic factors, insurance status, breast-feeding, or parental asthma was found with ICU admission. Conclusions:, In this prospective multicenter ED-based study of children admitted for bronchiolitis, four independent predictors of ICU admission were identified. The authors did not confirm many putative risk factors, but cannot rule out modest associations. [source] INFLATION TARGETING AND THE STATIONARITY OF INFLATION: NEW RESULTS FROM AN ESTAR UNIT ROOT TESTBULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Andros Gregoriou E31; C22 ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the time series properties of inflation in seven countries that have adopted inflation targeting. Unlike previous studies, we utilize a non-linear mean reverting adjustment mechanism for inflation and we discover that, although deviations of inflation from the target can exhibit a region of non-stationary behaviour, overall they are stationary indicating successful targeting implementation. [source] The relationship between cultural values and individual work values in the hospitality industryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 4-5 2005Christopher White Abstract This paper examines the relationship between cultural values and individual work values. Two-hundred and seventy-six hospitality management students from mainland China and western Europe were surveyed and grouped according to their value orientations and multiple discriminate analysis was used to identify differences in work value preferences between the groups. The results indicated that a group consisting of mainly Chinese participants valued characteristics that have been associated with developed Western nations, and unlike previous studies, both groups viewed intrinsic as well as extrinsic work values as being important. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Demyelination secondary to chronic nerve compression injury alters Schmidt,Lanterman incisuresJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 1 2006Brent L. Berger Abstract The role of Schmidt,Lanterman incisures (SLIs) within the myelin sheath remains the subject of much debate. Previous studies have shown a positive correlation between the number of SLIs per internode and internodal width for both normal and pathological myelin internodes. As chronic nerve compression (CNC) injury induces demyelination, we sought to evaluate if CNC injury altered the occurrence of SLIs using nerve-teasing techniques and light microscopy. Rigorous examination of the teased axons from nerves subjected to CNC injury for 1 month, 2 months or 8 months revealed that there is indeed a positive correlation between the number of SLIs per internode and the internodal width. However, unlike previous studies, the degree of positive correlation between these two parameters was greater in the internodes that had undergone remyelination in response to CNC injury as compared with the internodes from control nerves. These findings support the theory that SLIs are likely to assist in the metabolic processes of the myelin sheath, including growth and maintenance of the myelin sheath. 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