Boston College

About: Boston College is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 9749 authors who have published 25406 publications receiving 1105145 citations. The organization is also known as: BC.

Investment, Finacial Factors and Cash Flow: Evidence From UK Panel Data

Abstract: In this paper we provide some econometric evidence on the impact of financial factors like cash flow, debt and stock measures of liquidity on the investment decisions of U. K. firms. These variables are introduced via an extension of the Q model of investment which explicitly includes agency/financial distress costs. We discuss if the significance of cash flow may be due to the fact that it proxies for output or because it is a better measure of market fundamentals than Q. Moreover we investigate if the effect of financial factors varies across different types of firms, according to size, age, and type of industry (growing and declining). We analyze the determinants of the magnitude of the cash flow effect and explain why caution must be exercised in attributing inter-firm differences only to differences in the importance of agency or financial distress costs.

Sequencing of Culex quinquefasciatus Establishes a Platform for Mosquito Comparative Genomics

Abstract: Culex quinquefasciatus (the southern house mosquito) is an important mosquito vector of viruses such as West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus, as well as of nematodes that cause lymphatic filariasis. C. quinquefasciatus is one species within the Culex pipiens species complex and can be found throughout tropical and temperate climates of the world. The ability of C. quinquefasciatus to take blood meals from birds, livestock, and humans contributes to its ability to vector pathogens between species. Here, we describe the genomic sequence of C. quinquefasciatus: Its repertoire of 18,883 protein-coding genes is 22% larger than that of Aedes aegypti and 52% larger than that of Anopheles gambiae with multiple gene-family expansions, including olfactory and gustatory receptors, salivary gland genes, and genes associated with xenobiotic detoxification.

Causes and Consequences of Earnings Manipulation: An Analysis of Firms Subject to Enforcement Actions by the Sec

Abstract: This study investigates firms subject to accounting enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for alleged violations of GAAP We investigate: (i) the extent to which the alleged earnings manipulations can be explained by extant earnings management hypotheses; (ii) the relation between the earnings manipulations and weaknesses in the firms' internal governance structures; and (iii) the capital market consequences experienced by the firms when the alleged earnings manipulations are made public We find that an important motivation for earnings manipulation is the desire to attract external financing at low cost We show that this motivation remains significant after controlling for contracting motives proposed in the academic literature We also find that firms manipulating earnings are: (i) more likely to have boards of directors dominated by management; (ii) more likely to have a CEO who simultaneously serves as Chairman of the Board; (iii) more likely to have a CEO who is also the firm's founder; (iv) less likely to have an audit committee; and (v) less likely to have an outside blockholder Finally, we document that firms manipulating earnings experience significant increases in their costs of capital when the manipulations are made public

Self efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between pain intensity, disability and depression in chronic pain patients.

Abstract: To clarify the relationships between physical, and psychosocial components of chronic pain, a path analytic model was tested conceptualizing self efficacy as a mediator of disability. In turn, disability was hypothesized to mediate depression. This model could help explain the circumstances under which disability develops and why so many chronic pain patients become depressed. Questionnaires from 126 chronic pain patients (without prior depression) were reviewed from three pain clinics. Hypothesized and alternate models were tested using separate regression equations to identified models which best fit these data. Regression analysis supported that self efficacy partially mediates the relationship between pain intensity and disability. This model accounted for 47% of the explained variance in disability ( P R 2 =0.56), with gender and pain location paths remaining significant. In separate regression analyses, disability was found to partially mediate the relationship between pain intensity and depression (b=0.47–0.33). This model accounted for 26% of the explained variance in depression. The addition of self efficacy to this model supported it as a stronger mediator ( R 2 =0.32), and suggested that support for disability as a mediator of depression was a spurious finding. Both pain intensity and self efficacy contribute to the development of disability and depression in patients with chronic pain. Therefore, the lack of belief in ones own ability to manage pain, cope and function despite persistent pain, is a significant predictor of the extent to which individuals with chronic pain become disabled and/or depressed. Nevertheless, these mediators did not eliminate the strong impact that high pain intensity has on disability and depression. Therefore, therapy should target multiple goals, including: pain reduction, functional improvement and the enhancement of self efficacy beliefs.