University of Notre Dame

About: University of Notre Dame is a education organization based out in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 22238 authors who have published 55201 publications receiving 2032925 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Notre Dame du Lac & University of Notre Dame, South Bend.

Institutional Environment, Community Government, and Corporate Governance: Understanding China's Township-Village Enterprises

Abstract: We study China's township-village enterprises (TVEs) from an organizational perspective with a focus on governance. Unlike most previous studies, we interpret the firm boundaries of TVEs at the community level rather than the enterprise level. From this perspective, we analyze the central role that community governments play in TVE governance as an organizational response to the imperfect institutional environment of both state and market. Specifically, we show that the community government's involvement in TVEs helps overcome the problems of state predation and under-financing of private enterprises. We also explain why TVE governance leads to harder budget constraints than state-owned enterprises.

Nitrogen Retention, Removal, and Saturation in Lotic Ecosystems

Abstract: Increased nitrogen (N) loading to lotic ecosystems may cause fundamental changes in the ability of streams and rivers to retain or remove N due to the potential for N saturation. Lotic ecosystems will saturate with sustained increases in the N load, but it is unclear at what point saturation will occur. Rates of N transformation in lotic ecosystems will vary depending on the total N load and whether it is an acute or chronic N load. Nitrogen saturation may not occur with only pulsed or short-term increases in N. Overall, saturation of microbial uptake will occur prior to saturation of denitrification of N and denitrification will become saturated prior to nitrification, exacerbating increases in nitrate concentrations and in N export downstream. The rate of N export to downstream ecosystems will increase proportionally to the N load once saturation occurs. Long term data sets showed that smaller lotic ecosystems have a greater capacity to remove instream N loads, relative to larger systems. Thus, denitrification is likely to become less important as a N loss mechanism as the stream size increases. There is a great need for long-term studies of N additions in lotic ecosystems and clear distinctions need to be made between ecosystem responses to short-term or periodic increases in N loading and alterations in ecosystem functions due to chronic N loading.

Susceptibility to Leishmania major Infection in Interleukin-4-Deficient Mice

Abstract: Interleukin-4 (IL-4), a pleiotropic cytokine, is a major regulator of the immune system and is considered crucial for the development of T helper cell type 2 (TH2) responses. The susceptibility of BALB/c mice to infection with Leishmania major has been associated with a polarized TH2 response and an inability to down-modulate IL-4 production. The role of IL-4 in vivo was examined directly by disrupting the IL-4 gene in BALB/c embryonic stem cells. Despite the absence of IL-4, the genetically pure BALB/c mutant mice remained susceptible to L. major infection, showed no signs of lesion healing or parasite clearance, and did not switch to a TH1 phenotype.

KELT-1b: A STRONGLY IRRADIATED, HIGHLY INFLATED, SHORT PERIOD, 27 JUPITER-MASS COMPANION TRANSITING A MID-F STAR

Abstract: We present the discovery of KELT-1b, the first transiting low-mass companion from the wide-field Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope-North (KELT-North) transit survey. A joint analysis of the spectroscopic, radial velocity, and photometric data indicates that the V = 10.7 primary is a mildly evolved mid-F star with Teff = 6516±49 K, log g = 4.228 +0.014 −0.021, and [Fe/H] = 0.052±0.079, with an inferred mass M∗ = 1.335 ± 0.063 M� and radius R∗ = 1.471 +0.045 −0.035 R� . The companion is a low-mass brown dwarf or a super-massive planet with mass MP = 27.38 ± 0.93 MJup and radius RP = 1.116 +0.038 −0.029 RJup. The companion is on a very short (∼29 hr) period circular orbit, with an ephemeris Tc(BJDTDB) = 2455909.29280 ± 0.00023 and P = 1.217501 ± 0.000018 days. KELT-1b receives a large amount of stellar insolation, resulting in an estimated equilibrium temperature assuming zero albedo and perfect redistribution of Teq = 2423 +3427 K. Comparison with standard evolutionary models suggests that the radius of KELT-1b is likely to be significantly inflated. Adaptive optics imaging reveals a candidate stellar companion to KELT-1 with a separation of 588 ± 1 mas, which is consistent with an M dwarf if it is at the same distance as the primary. Rossiter–McLaughlin measurements during transit imply a projected spin–orbit alignment angle λ = 2 ± 16 deg, consistent with a zero obliquity for KELT-1. Finally, the v sin I∗ = 56 ± 2k m s −1 of the primary is consistent at ∼2σ with tidal synchronization. Given the extreme parameters of the KELT-1 system, we expect it to provide an important testbed for theories of the emplacement and evolution of short-period companions, as well as theories of tidal dissipation and irradiated brown dwarf atmospheres.