Showing papers by "York University published in 2007"
Macaulay Institute1, King Juan Carlos University2, University of Montana3, York University4, University of Concepción5, University of Tübingen6, University of Aberdeen7, Duke University8, Institut national de la recherche agronomique9, Spanish National Research Council10, Umeå University11, University of Potsdam12
TL;DR: There is substantial scope for exploring indirect facilitative effects in plant communities, including their impacts on diversity and evolution, and future studies should connect the degree of non-transitivity in plant competitive networks to community diversity and facilitative promotion of species coexistence.
Abstract: Summary 1 Once neglected, the role of facilitative interactions in plant communities has received considerable attention in the last two decades, and is now widely recognized It is timely to consider the progress made by research in this field 2 We review the development of plant facilitation research, focusing on the history of the field, the relationship between plant‐plant interactions and environmental severity gradients, and attempts to integrate facilitation into mainstream ecological theory We then consider future directions for facilitation research 3 With respect to our fundamental understanding of plant facilitation, clarification of the relationship between interactions and environmental gradients is central for further progress, and necessitates the design and implementation of experiments that move beyond the clear limitations of previous studies 4 There is substantial scope for exploring indirect facilitative effects in plant communities, including their impacts on diversity and evolution, and future studies should connect the degree of non-transitivity in plant competitive networks to community diversity and facilitative promotion of species coexistence, and explore how the role of indirect facilitation varies with environmental severity 5 Certain ecological modelling approaches (eg individual-based modelling), although thus far largely neglected, provide highly useful tools for exploring these fundamental processes 6 Evolutionary responses might result from facilitative interactions, and consideration of facilitation might lead to re-assessment of the evolution of plant growth forms
1,496 citations
University of California, Berkeley1, Bryn Mawr College2, Food and Agriculture Organization3, San Francisco State University4, University of Rochester5, York University6, University of Reading7, University of Virginia8, University of Bayreuth9, University of Montana10, University of California, Davis11, University of Texas at Austin12, University of Göttingen13, University of California, Santa Barbara14
TL;DR: A conceptual model for exploring how one mobile-agent-based ecosystem service (MABES), pollination, is affected by land-use change, and then generalize the model to other MABES is developed.
Abstract: Many ecosystem services are delivered by organisms that depend on habitats that are segregated spatially or temporally from the location where services are provided. Management of mobile organisms contributing to ecosystem services requires consideration not only of the local scale where services are delivered, but also the distribution of resources at the landscape scale, and the foraging ranges and dispersal movements of the mobile agents. We develop a conceptual model for exploring how one such mobile-agent-based ecosystem service (MABES), pollination, is affected by land-use change, and then generalize the model to other MABES. The model includes interactions and feedbacks among policies affecting land use, market forces and the biology of the organisms involved. Animal-mediated pollination contributes to the production of goods of value to humans such as crops; it also bolsters reproduction of wild plants on which other services or service-providing organisms depend. About onethird of crop production depends on animal pollinators, while 60–90% of plant species require an animal pollinator. The sensitivity of mobile organisms to ecological factors that operate across spatial scales makes the services provided by a given community of mobile agents highly contextual. Services vary, depending on the spatial and temporal distribution of resources surrounding the site, and on biotic interactions occurring locally, such as competition among pollinators for resources, and among plants for pollinators. The value of the resulting goods or services may feed back via market-based forces to influence land-use policies, which in turn influence land management practices that alter local habitat conditions and landscape structure. Developing conceptual
1,277 citations
26 Dec 2007
TL;DR: This paper describes face data as resulting from a generative model which incorporates both within- individual and between-individual variation, and calculates the likelihood that the differences between face images are entirely due to within-individual variability.
Abstract: Many current face recognition algorithms perform badly when the lighting or pose of the probe and gallery images differ. In this paper we present a novel algorithm designed for these conditions. We describe face data as resulting from a generative model which incorporates both within-individual and between-individual variation. In recognition we calculate the likelihood that the differences between face images are entirely due to within-individual variability. We extend this to the non-linear case where an arbitrary face manifold can be described and noise is position-dependent. We also develop a "tied" version of the algorithm that allows explicit comparison across quite different viewing conditions. We demonstrate that our model produces state of the art results for (i) frontal face recognition (ii) face recognition under varying pose.
1,099 citations
Bradley University1, University of Tartu2, National Institutes of Health3, University of California4, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile5, University of Louisville6, University of Latvia7, Pennsylvania State University8, Slovak Academy of Sciences9, University of San Carlos10, University of Malta11, Ghent University12, Clemson University13, Laval University14, University of Buenos Aires15, Osaka University16, Illinois State University17, National Autonomous University of Mexico18, University of Brasília19, University of Western Australia20, University of Lima21, Boğaziçi University22, University of Kassel23, York University24, University of Queensland25, Åbo Akademi University26, Al Akhawayn University27, University of Hawaii at Manoa28, University of Catania29, University of Otago30, University of Dhaka31, Chemnitz University of Technology32, Knox College33, Comenius University in Bratislava34, University of Rijeka35, University of Malaya36, Vilnius University37, American University of Beirut38, Kwangju Health College39, University of Salzburg40, Utrecht University41, National Computerization Agency42, City University of Hong Kong43, University of Idaho44, University of Zimbabwe45, University of Lisbon46, University of Central Lancashire47, Loyola Marymount University48, University of KwaZulu-Natal49, University of Granada50, University of Botswana51, Babeș-Bolyai University52, University of Cyprus53, University of Belgrade54, KPMG55, University of Montpellier56, University of Zurich57, University of Alabama58, Baylor University59, Queen's University Belfast60, University of Ljubljana61, University of Haifa62, University of La Serena63, Florida Atlantic University64, University of California, Davis65, University of Dar es Salaam66, Ramapo College67, Cyprus College68, Middle East Technical University69, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń70, University of the South Pacific71, Vrije Universiteit Brussel72, University at Albany, SUNY73, University of the Aegean74, University of Lethbridge75, University of Vienna76, University of Hong Kong77, Yuan Ze University78, Charles University in Prague79, Chonnam National University80, Indian Institutes of Technology81
TL;DR: The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is a self-report measure designed to assess the high-order personality traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is a self-report measure designed to assess the high-order personality traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, the BFI was translated from English into 28 languages and administered to 17,837 individuals from 56 nations. The resulting cross-cultural data set was used to address three main questions: Does the factor structure of the English BFI fully replicate across cultures? How valid are the BFI trait profiles of individual nations? And how are personality traits distributed throughout the world? The five-dimensional structure was robust across major regions of the world. Trait levels were related in predictable ways to self-esteem, sociosexuality, and national personality profiles. People from the geographic regions of South America and East Asia were significantly different in openness from those inhabiting other world regions. The discussion focuses on limitations of t...
876 citations
TL;DR: Applied researchers are encouraged to use propensity score matching and IPTW using the propensity score when estimating the relative effect of treatment on time-to-event outcomes, as both approaches allow for the estimation of marginal hazard ratios with minimal bias.
Abstract: Propensity score methods are increasingly being used to reduce or minimize the effects of confounding when estimating the effects of treatments, exposures, or interventions when using observational or non-randomized data. Under the assumption of no unmeasured confounders, previous research has shown that propensity score methods allow for unbiased estimation of linear treatment effects (e.g., differences in means or proportions). However, in biomedical research, time-to-event outcomes occur frequently. There is a paucity of research into the performance of different propensity score methods for estimating the effect of treatment on time-to-event outcomes. Furthermore, propensity score methods allow for the estimation of marginal or population-average treatment effects. We conducted an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulations to examine the performance of propensity score matching (1:1 greedy nearest-neighbor matching within propensity score calipers), stratification on the propensity score, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using the propensity score, and covariate adjustment using the propensity score to estimate marginal hazard ratios. We found that both propensity score matching and IPTW using the propensity score allow for the estimation of marginal hazard ratios with minimal bias. Of these two approaches, IPTW using the propensity score resulted in estimates with lower mean squared error when estimating the effect of treatment in the treated. Stratification on the propensity score and covariate adjustment using the propensity score result in biased estimation of both marginal and conditional hazard ratios. Applied researchers are encouraged to use propensity score matching and IPTW using the propensity score when estimating the relative effect of treatment on time-to-event outcomes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
821 citations
TL;DR: The Fifth Data Release (DR5) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) was released in 2005 June and represents the completion of the SDSS-I project as mentioned in this paper, which includes five-band photometric data for 217 million objects selected over 8000 deg 2 and 1,048,960 spectra of galaxies, quasars, and stars selected from 5713 deg 2 of imaging data.
Abstract: This paper describes the Fifth Data Release (DR5) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). DR5 includes all survey quality data taken through 2005 June and represents the completion of the SDSS-I project (whose successor, SDSS-II, will continue through mid-2008). It includes five-band photometric data for 217 million objects selected over 8000 deg^2 and 1,048,960 spectra of galaxies, quasars, and stars selected from 5713 deg^2 of that imaging data. These numbers represent a roughly 20% increment over those of the Fourth Data Release; all the data from previous data releases are included in the present release. In addition to "standard" SDSS observations, DR5 includes repeat scans of the southern equatorial stripe, imaging scans across M31 and the core of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies, and the first spectroscopic data from SEGUE, a survey to explore the kinematics and chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The catalog database incorporates several new features, including photometric redshifts of galaxies, tables of matched objects in overlap regions of the imaging survey, and tools that allow precise computations of survey geometry for statistical investigations.
811 citations
TL;DR: Estimates of the observational association of cardiac catheterization with long-term AMI mortality are highly sensitive to analytic method, and compared with standard modeling, instrumental variable analysis may produce less biased estimates of treatment effects, but is more suited to answering policy questions than specific clinical questions.
Abstract: ContextComparisons of outcomes between patients treated and untreated in observational studies may be biased due to differences in patient prognosis between groups, often because of unobserved treatment selection biases.ObjectiveTo compare 4 analytic methods for removing the effects of selection bias in observational studies: multivariable model risk adjustment, propensity score risk adjustment, propensity-based matching, and instrumental variable analysis.Design, Setting, and PatientsA national cohort of 122 124 patients who were elderly (aged 65-84 years), receiving Medicare, and hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 1994-1995, and who were eligible for cardiac catheterization. Baseline chart reviews were taken from the Cooperative Cardiovascular Project and linked to Medicare health administrative data to provide a rich set of prognostic variables. Patients were followed up for 7 years through December 31, 2001, to assess the association between long-term survival and cardiac catheterization within 30 days of hospital admission.Main Outcome MeasureRisk-adjusted relative mortality rate using each of the analytic methods.ResultsPatients who received cardiac catheterization (n = 73 238) were younger and had lower AMI severity than those who did not. After adjustment for prognostic factors by using standard statistical risk-adjustment methods, cardiac catheterization was associated with a 50% relative decrease in mortality (for multivariable model risk adjustment: adjusted relative risk [RR], 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.52; for propensity score risk adjustment: adjusted RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.53-0.55; and for propensity-based matching: adjusted RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.52-0.56). Using regional catheterization rate as an instrument, instrumental variable analysis showed a 16% relative decrease in mortality (adjusted RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79-0.90). The survival benefits of routine invasive care from randomized clinical trials are between 8% and 21%.ConclusionsEstimates of the observational association of cardiac catheterization with long-term AMI mortality are highly sensitive to analytic method. All standard risk-adjustment methods have the same limitations regarding removal of unmeasured treatment selection biases. Compared with standard modeling, instrumental variable analysis may produce less biased estimates of treatment effects, but is more suited to answering policy questions than specific clinical questions.
778 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2007TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a framework for framing business ethics: Corporate Responsibility, Stakeholders, and Citizenship, and Evaluating Business Ethics: Normative Ethical Theories.
Abstract: PART A: UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS ETHICS 1. Introducing Business Ethics 2. Framing Business Ethics: Corporate Responsibility, Stakeholders, and Citizenship 3. Evaluating Business Ethics: Normative Ethical Theories 4. Making Decisions in Business Ethics: Descriptive Ethical Theories 5. Managing Business Ethics: Tools and Techniques of Business Ethics Management PART B: CONTEXTUALIZING BUSINESS ETHICS 6. Shareholders and Business Ethics 7. Employees and Business Ethics 8. Consumers and Business Ethics 9. Suppliers, Competitors, and Business Ethics 10. Civil Society and Business Ethics 11. Government, Regulation, and Business Ethics 12. Conclusions and Future Perspectives
703 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors address impediments to sharing as well as incentives that may encourage more sharing of both tangible and intangible goods in both traditional and virtual worlds. But, they do not address the potential benefits of sharing in the virtual world.
Abstract: Sharing is an alternative form of distribution to commodity exchange and gift giving. Compared to these alternative modes, sharing can foster community, save resources, and create certain synergies. Yet outside of our immediate families, we do little sharing. Even within the family, there is increased privatization. This article addresses impediments to sharing as well as incentives that may encourage more sharing of both tangible and intangible goods. Two recent developments, the Internet and intellectual property rights doctrines, are locked in a battle that will do much to determine the future of sharing. Businesses may lead the way with virtual corporations outsourcing the bulk of their operations. Whether virtual consumers sharing some of their major possessions are a viable counterpart remains an open question.
670 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that strategic alliances serve an important legitimating function for firms and that this role, mediated by alliance governance structure and partner selection preferences, has a significant influence on firm and alliance performance.
Abstract: Drawing on an institutional perspective, this paper suggests that strategic alliances serve an important legitimating function for firms and that this role, mediated by alliance governance structure and partner selection preferences, has a significant influence on firm and alliance performance. A theoretical framework is proposed that identifies five types of legitimacy associated with strategic alliances and the specific conditions under which legitimation may be an important outcome of strategic alliances. Propositions are developed to explain when firms are most likely to enter into alliances for legitimacy purposes and how the legitimating role of strategic alliances contributes to firm and alliance performance. The paper concludes with a summary and implications of a legitimacy-based view of alliances. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
659 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the effects of stress, social support, and self-esteem on adjustment to university and found that increased social support from friends, but not from family, predicted improved adjustment.
Abstract: The current study examined the joint effects of stress, social support, and self-esteem on adjustment to university. First-year undergraduate students (N = 115) were assessed during the first semester and again 10 weeks later, during the second semester of the academic year. Multiple regressions predicting adjustment to university from perceived social support (friends and family), self-esteem (academic, social, and global), and stress were conducted. From the fall to winter semesters, increased social support from friends, but not from family, predicted improved adjustment. Decreased stress predicted improved overall, academic, personal-emotional, and social adjustment. Increased global, academic, and social self-esteem predicted decreased depression and increased academic and social adjustment. Results are discussed with respect to potential mechanisms through which support and self-esteem may operate.
01 Jan 2007
University of Regina1, University of Iowa2, University of Washington3, University of Utah4, University of Rochester5, University of Melbourne6, Emory University7, University of Pittsburgh8, University of British Columbia9, Saint Louis University10, City of Hope National Medical Center11, University of California, Los Angeles12, University of Florida13, York University14, University of Saskatchewan15, Duke University16, McGill University17
TL;DR: Recommendations are provided regarding the physical examination and the assessment of pain using self-report and observational methods (suitable for seniors with dementia) and the physical and emotional functioning of older adults experiencing pain.
Abstract: This paper represents an expert-based consensus statement on pain assessment among older adults. It is intended to provide recommendations that will be useful for both researchers and clinicians. Contributors were identified based on literature prominence and with the aim of achieving a broad representation of disciplines. Recommendations are provided regarding the physical examination and the assessment of pain using self-report and observational methods (suitable for seniors with dementia). In addition, recommendations are provided regarding the assessment of the physical and emotional functioning of older adults experiencing pain. The literature underlying the consensus recommendations is reviewed. Multiple revisions led to final reviews of 2 complete drafts before consensus was reached.
Villanova University1, Natural Environment Research Council2, University of New Hampshire3, Paul Scherrer Institute4, University of California, Davis5, Georgia Institute of Technology6, Environment Canada7, California Institute of Technology8, University of Cambridge9, Langley Research Center10, Joseph Fourier University11, University of California, Merced12, Harvard University13, University of Leeds14, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research15, Michigan Technological University16, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research17, Masaryk University18, University of Houston19, York University20, Max Planck Society21, Purdue University22, University of Alaska Fairbanks23, University College Cork24, Peking University25
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the nature of snow at a fundamental, physical level; photochemical processes within snow and the caveats needed for comparison to atmospheric photochemistry; our current understanding of nitrogen, oxidant, halogen and organic photochemistry within snow; the current limitations faced by the field and implications for the future.
Abstract: It has been shown that sunlit snow and ice plays an important role in processing atmospheric species. Photochemical production of a variety of chemicals has recently been reported to occur in snow/ice and the release of these photochemically generated species may significantly impact the chemistry of the overlying atmosphere. Nitrogen oxide and oxidant precursor fluxes have been measured in a number of snow covered environments, where in some cases the emissions significantly impact the overlying boundary layer. For example, photochemical ozone production (such as that occurring in polluted mid-latitudes) of 3–4 ppbv/day has been observed at South Pole, due to high OH and NO levels present in a relatively shallow boundary layer. Field and laboratory experiments have determined that the origin of the observed NOx flux is the photochemistry of nitrate within the snowpack, however some details of the mechanism have not yet been elucidated. A variety of low molecular weight organic compounds have been shown to be emitted from sunlit snowpacks, the source of which has been proposed to be either direct or indirect photo-oxidation of natural organic materials present in the snow. Although myriad studies have observed active processing of species within irradiated snowpacks, the fundamental chemistry occurring remains poorly understood. Here we consider the nature of snow at a fundamental, physical level; photochemical processes within snow and the caveats needed for comparison to atmospheric photochemistry; our current understanding of nitrogen, oxidant, halogen and organic photochemistry within snow; the current limitations faced by the field and implications for the future.
TL;DR: Lipocalin-2 is an inflammatory marker closely related to obesity and its metabolic complications and might be useful for evaluating the outcomes of various clinical interventions for obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Abstract: Background: Lipocalin-2, a 25-kDa secreted glycoprotein, is a useful biomarker for early detection of various renal injuries. Because lipocalin-2 is abundantly expressed in adipose tissue and liver, we investigated its relevance to obesity-related pathologies.
Methods: We used real-time PCR and in-house immunoassays to quantify the mRNA and serum concentrations of lipocalin-2 in C57BL/KsJ db/db obese mice and their age- and sex-matched lean littermates. We analyzed the association between serum lipocalin-2 concentrations and various metabolic and inflammatory variables in 229 persons (121 men and 108 women) recruited from a previous cross-sectional study, and we evaluated the effect of the insulin-sensitizing drug rosiglitazone on serum lipocalin-2 concentrations in 32 diabetic patients (21 men and 11 women).
Results: Compared with the lean littermates, lipocalin-2 mRNA expression in adipose tissue and liver and its circulating concentrations were significantly increased in db/db diabetic/obese mice ( P <0.001). These changes were normalized after rosiglitazone treatment. In humans, circulating lipocalin-2 concentrations were positively correlated ( P <0.005) with adiposity, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, and the insulin resistance index, but negatively correlated ( P = 0.002) with HDL cholesterol. There was also a strong positive association between lipocalin-2 concentrations and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), independent of age, sex, and adiposity ( P = 0.007). Furthermore, rosiglitazone-mediated decreases in lipocalin-2 concentrations correlated significantly with increases in insulin sensitivity ( r = 0.527; P = 0.002) and decreases in hs-CRP concentrations ( r = 0.509; P = 0.003).
Conclusions: Lipocalin-2 is an inflammatory marker closely related to obesity and its metabolic complications. Measurement of serum lipocalin-2 might be useful for evaluating the outcomes of various clinical interventions for obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Pennsylvania State University1, York University2, Drexel University3, Johns Hopkins University4, Princeton University5, University of Washington6, University of Arizona7, Max Planck Society8, University of Southampton9, Microsoft10, University of Chicago11, Adler Planetarium12, Fermilab13, New Mexico State University14, New York University15, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign16, Spanish National Research Council17, Eötvös Loránd University18, University of Tokyo19, Pedagogical University20, United States Department of the Navy21, Ohio State University22
TL;DR: The fourth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar catalog as mentioned in this paper contains 77,429 objects, which is an increase of over 30,000 entries since the previous edition; the catalog consists of the objects in the SDSS Fifth Data Release that have luminosities larger than Mi = -22.0, and have highly reliable redshifts.
Abstract: We present the fourth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog. The catalog contains 77,429 objects; this is an increase of over 30,000 entries since the previous edition. The catalog consists of the objects in the SDSS Fifth Data Release that have luminosities larger than Mi = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1, ΩM = 0.3, and ΩΛ = 0.7), have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km s-1 or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i ≈ 15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The area covered by the catalog is ≈5740 deg2. The quasar redshifts range from 0.08 to 5.41, with a median value of 1.48; the catalog includes 891 quasars at redshifts greater than 4, of which 36 are at redshifts greater than 5. Approximately half of the catalog quasars have i < 19; nearly all have i < 21. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.2'' rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains basic radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 A at a spectral resolution of 2000; the spectra can be retrieved from the public database using the information provided in the catalog. The average SDSS colors of quasars as a function of redshift, derived from the catalog entries, are presented in tabular form. Approximately 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS.
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of singularity for characterizing hydrothermal mineralization processes was proposed and a spatial singularity mapping technique was developed based on the local singularity involved in the context of multifractal theory.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the development of a three-dimensional, fully transient, physics-based computer simulation approach for modelling fire spread through surface fuels and compare the results from Australian experiments.
Abstract: Physics-based coupled fire–atmosphere models are based on approximations to the governing equations of fluid dynamics, combustion, and the thermal degradation of solid fuel. They require significantly more computational resources than the most commonly used fire spread models, which are semi-empirical or empirical. However, there are a number of fire behaviour problems, of increasing relevance, that are outside the scope of empirical and semi-empirical models. Examples are wildland–urban interface fires, assessing how well fuel treatments work to reduce the intensity of wildland fires, and investigating the mechanisms and conditions underlying blow-up fires and fire spread through heterogeneous fuels. These problems are not amenable to repeatable full-scale field studies. Suitably validated coupled atmosphere–fire models are one way to address these problems. This paper describes the development of a three-dimensional, fully transient, physics-based computer simulation approach for modelling fire spread through surface fuels. Grassland fires were simulated and compared to findings from Australian experiments. Predictions of the head fire spread rate for a range of ambient wind speeds and ignition line-fire lengths compared favourably to experiments. In addition, two specific experimental cases were simulated in order to evaluate how well the model predicts the development of the entire fire perimeter.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the relation between differences in accounting standards across countries and foreign analyst following and forecast accuracy and find that the extent to which GAAP differs between two countries is negatively related to both foreign analyst follow-up and forecasting accuracy.
Abstract: This paper investigates the relation between differences in accounting standards across countries and foreign analyst following and forecast accuracy. We develop two measures of differences in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for 1,176 country-pairs. We then examine the impact of these measures of accounting differences on foreign analysts. In so doing, we utilize a unique database that identifies the location of financial analysts around the world, creating a sample that covers 6,888 foreign analysts making a total of 43,968 forecasts for 6,169 firms from 49 countries during 1998 - 2004. We find that the extent to which GAAP differs between two countries is negatively related to both foreign analyst following and forecast accuracy. Our results suggest that GAAP differences are associated with economic costs for financial analysts.
TL;DR: The results suggest that ω‐3 PUFAs are an attractive adjunctive treatment for joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and dysmenorrhea.
Abstract: Between 40% and 60% of Americans use complementary and alternative medicine to manage medical conditions, prevent disease, and promote health and well-being. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (x-3 PUFAs) have been used to treat joint pain associated with several inflammatory conditions. We conducted a meta-analysis of 17 randomized, controlled trials assessing the pain relieving effects of x-3 PUFAs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or joint pain secondary to inflammatory bowel disease and dysmenorrhea. Meta-analysis was conducted with Cochrane Review Manager 4.2.8. for six separate outcomes using standardized mean differences (SMDs) as a measure of effect size: (1) patient assessed pain, (2) physician assessed pain, (3) duration of morning stiffness, (4) number of painful and/or tender joints, (5) Ritchie articular index, and (6) nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption. Supplementation with x-3 PUFAs for 3–4 months reduces patient reported joint pain intensity (SMD: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.03, p = 0.03), minutes of morning stiffness (SMD: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.72 to 0.15, p = 0.003), number of painful and/or tender joints (SMD: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.10, p = 0.003), and NSAID consumption (SMD: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.72 to 0.08, p = 0.01). Significant effects were not detected for physician assessed pain (SMD: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.22, p = 0.45) or Ritchie articular index (SMD: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.49, p = 0.40) at 3–4 months. The results suggest that x-3 PUFAs are an attractive adjunctive treatment for joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and dysmenorrhea. 2007 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
TL;DR: This article proposes that the SCM research community adopt such a dynamic and systems-level orientation that brings to the fore the adaptivity of firms and the complexity of their interrelations that are often inherent in supply networks.
Abstract: Supply networks are composed of large numbers of firms from multiple interrelated industries. Such networks are subject to shifting strategies and objectives within a dynamic environment. In recent years, when faced with a dynamic environment, several disciplines have adopted the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) perspective to gain insights into important issues within their domains of study. Research investigations in the field of supply networks have also begun examining the merits of complexity theory and the CAS perspective. In this article, we bring the applicability of complexity theory and CAS into sharper focus, highlighting its potential for integrating existing supply chain management (SCM) research into a structured body of knowledge while also providing a framework for generating, validating, and refining new theories relevant to real-world supply networks. We suggest several potential research questions to emphasize how a CAS perspective can help in enriching the SCM discipline. We propose that the SCM research community adopt such a dynamic and systems-level orientation that brings to the fore the adaptivity of firms and the complexity of their interrelations that are often inherent in supply networks.
TL;DR: In this article, a time-0 coherent risk measure is defined for value processes and two other constructions of measurement processes are given in terms of sets of test probabilities, when the sets fulfill a stability condition also met in multi-period treatment of ambiguity as in decision-making.
Abstract: Starting with a time-0 coherent risk measure defined for “value processes”, we also define risk measurement processes. Two other constructions of measurement processes are given in terms of sets of test probabilities. These latter constructions are identical and are related to the former construction when the sets fulfill a stability condition also met in multiperiod treatment of ambiguity as in decision-making. We finally deduce risk measurements for the final value of locked-in positions and repeat a warning concerning Tail-Value-at-Risk.
TL;DR: It is argued that the lack of information on private targets limits the breadth of the acquirer's search and increases its risk of not evaluating properly the assets of private targets, and the expectation that acquirer returns from their target choice (private/public) are not universal but depend on the acquiringr's type of search and on the merging firms' attributes.
Abstract: The acquisition of privately held firms is a prevalent phenomenon that has received little attention in mergers and acquisitions research. In this study, we examine three questions: (1) What drives the acquirer's choice between public and private targets? (2) Do acquisitions of private targets elicit a more positive stock market reaction than acquisitions of public targets, which, on average, destroy value for acquirers' shareholders? (3) Do acquirers gain when their selection of a public or private target fits the theory? In this paper, we argue that the lack of information on private targets limits the breadth of the acquirer's search and increases its risk of not evaluating properly the assets of private targets. At the same time, less information on private targets creates more value-creating opportunities for exploiting private information, whereas the market of corporate control for public targets already serves as an information-processing and asset valuation mechanism for all potential bidders. Using an event study and survey data, we find that: (1) acquirers favor private targets in familiar industries and turn to public targets to enter new business domains or industries with a high level of intangible assets; (2) acquirers of private targets perform better than acquirers of public targets on merger announcement, after controlling for endogeneity bias; (3) acquirers of private firms perform better than if they had acquired a public firm, and acquirers of public firms perform better than if they had acquired a private firm. These results support the expectation that acquirer returns from their target choice (private/public) are not universal but depend on the acquirer's type of search and on the merging firms' attributes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In all nine children, early impairment in social-communicative development coexisted with atypical sensory and/or motor behaviors, as did a temperamental profile marked by irritability/distress and dysregulated state.
Abstract: The present paper documents the development of autism/autistic spectrum disorder in a consecutive series of nine high-risk infants followed prospectively from 6 months of age. Evidence is provided for two broadly defined subgroups: the first subgroup (n = 6) showed a decrease in IQ between 12 and 24 or 36 months (from average/near average to severe cognitive impairment), whereas the second subgroup (n = 3) continued to obtain average or near average IQs. Signs of autism emerged and/or were more striking earlier in the first subgroup. In all nine children, early impairment in social-communicative development coexisted with atypical sensory and/or motor behaviors, as did a temperamental profile marked by irritability/distress and dysregulated state. Discussion focuses on issues raised by the pattern of findings.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the two-point correlation function of a uniformly selected sample of luminous optical quasars with redshift 2.4 selected over 4041 deg2 from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Abstract: We study the two-point correlation function of a uniformly selected sample of 4426 luminous optical quasars with redshift 2.9 ≤ z ≤ 5.4 selected over 4041 deg2 from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We fit a power-law to the projected correlation function wp(rp) to marginalize over redshift-space distortions and redshift errors. For a real-space correlation function of the form ξ(r) = (r/r0)-γ, the fitted parameters in comoving coordinates are r0 = 15.2 ± 2.7 h-1 Mpc and γ = 2.0 ± 0.3, over a scale range 4 h-1 Mpc ≤ rp ≤ 150 h-1 Mpc. Thus high-redshift quasars are appreciably more strongly clustered than their z ≈ 1.5 counterparts, which have a comoving clustering length r0 ≈ 6.5 h-1 Mpc. Dividing our sample into two redshift bins, 2.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.5 and z ≥ 3.5, and assuming a power-law index γ = 2.0, we find a correlation length of r0 = 16.9 ± 1.7 h-1 Mpc for the former and r0 = 24.3 ± 2.4 h-1 Mpc for the latter. Strong clustering at high redshift indicates that quasars are found in very massive, and therefore highly biased, halos. Following Martini & Weinberg, we relate the clustering strength and quasar number density to the quasar lifetimes and duty cycle. Using the Sheth & Tormen halo mass function, the quasar lifetime is estimated to lie in the range ~4-50 Myr for quasars with 2.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.5, and ~30-600 Myr for quasars with z ≥ 3.5. The corresponding duty cycles are ~0.004-0.05 for the lower redshift bin and ~0.03-0.6 for the higher redshift bin. The minimum mass of halos in which these quasars reside is (2-3) × 1012 h-1 M⊙ for quasars with 2.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.5 and (4-6) × 1012 h-1 M⊙ for quasars with z ≥ 3.5; the effective bias factor beff increases with redshift, e.g., beff ~ 8 at z = 3.0 and beff ~ 16 at z = 4.5.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the relationship between the adoption of proactive environmental strategies and an organization's business performance and found that facilities whose environmental strategies are driven mainly by institutional pressures may improve their environmental performance.
Abstract: While the adoption of proactive environmental strategies has increased worldwide, there has been little research evaluating why facilities adopt these strategies across different countries. Moreover, the link between the adoption of a proactive environmental strategy and an organization's business performance has yet to be demonstrated. This study draws on institutional theory and the resource-based view of the firm to determine when an organization's environmental strategy may lead to improved environmental and business performance. We analyze these relationships using survey data from manufacturing facilities operating in Canada, Germany, Hungary, and the United States and structural equation modelling techniques. Our results support the notion that facilities whose environmental strategies are driven mainly by institutional pressures may improve their environmental performance. On the other hand, facilities that are driven primarily by their resources and capabilities observe both positive environmental and business performance.
TL;DR: It is proved that all predicates stably computable in this model of population protocols (and certain generalizations of it) are semilinear, answering a central open question about the power of the model.
Abstract: We consider the model of population protocols introduced by Angluin et al. (Computation in networks of passively mobile finite-state sensors, pp. 290–299. ACM, New York, 2004), in which anonymous finite-state agents stably compute a predicate of the multiset of their inputs via two-way interactions in the family of all-pairs communication networks. We prove that all predicates stably computable in this model (and certain generalizations of it) are semilinear, answering a central open question about the power of the model. Removing the assumption of two-way interaction, we also consider several variants of the model in which agents communicate by anonymous message-passing where the recipient of each message is chosen by an adversary and the sender is not identified to the recipient. These one-way models are distinguished by whether messages are delivered immediately or after a delay, whether a sender can record that it has sent a message, and whether a recipient can queue incoming messages, refusing to accept new messages until it has had a chance to send out messages of its own. We characterize the classes of predicates stably computable in each of these one-way models using natural subclasses of the semilinear predicates.
TL;DR: Results provided an excellent fit of the model to the data confirming the view that a personality trait like STR can only influence a physical condition like body weight indirectly by the way it co-varies with behaviours that contribute directly to variation in the outcome variable.
TL;DR: The physical and chemical aeronomy of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b has been investigated in this paper, where the escape and composition of the irradiated atmosphere were modeled by solving the equations of mass, momentum and energy conservation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors unpack notions of governmentality by reading it through the case of nature by highlighting three key aspects of government-ality -its analytics of power, biopolitics, and technologies of the self.
Abstract: This article seeks to unpack notions of governmentality by reading it through the case of nature By highlighting three key aspects of governmentality - its analytics of power, biopolitics, and technologies of the self - I argue that this approach presents a promising theoretical trend for those who study nature and its rule However, there have been critiques leveled at this approach which must be considered Using examples drawn from human/non-human interactions, I explore how the governmentality literature needs to be made more complex and attune to difference In the final analysis, I argue that the concept of governmentality is not only an effective tool for geographers, but that geography provides a particularly insightful lens with its attention to spatiality, scale, territory and human/non-human relations that enrich the analysis of the making of governable spaces