The power of a single large shareholder in Iberianfirms: friend or for?

Agency costs as a result of the separation of ownership and control within a firm can be a hurdle to the performance and profitability. It has been suggested that these costs can be reduced by the presence of a single large shareholder monitoring management and their decisions. On the contrary it has also been argued that a large shareholder negatively affects firm performance by deriving personal benefits from the firm and making suboptimal decisions. This research aims to investigate the relationship between the profitability of a firm and the level to which the shares of that firm are concentrated into a single shareholder. A random effects GLS panel regression is used to determine the effect of a large shareholder being present in Spanish and Portuguese firms by studying firms listed on these bourses over the period 2005 – 2014. The results show that a large shareholder has a negative influence in the Portuguese market, and no statistically significant effect in the Spanish market

Bewitching semblance of something to be desired, A: advertising nostalgia and product involvement's relative influence on attitudes and purchase intent among young adults

2014 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Despite the recent rise of advertisements employing nostalgia, relatively few previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of nostalgic messages, especially as they might be applied to promote high- versus low-involvement products. Previous research has broadly conceptualized nostalgia without focusing on product-related or associational claims. This research used associational nostalgia where the nostalgic themes presented in the advertisements were not directly related to previous product usage. A quasi-experiment involving a convenience sample of undergraduates (n=201) in a large classroom setting was used to compare the effects of nostalgic versus non-nostalgic messages in ads for a fictitious high involvement product (laptop computer) and a fictitious low involvement product (paper notebooks). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and read a single ad. Product knowledge for laptops and notebooks (and two distractor products) were measured in a pretest questionnaire; dependent measures in the posttest results were measured in terms of three dependent measures: attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intent. Additionally, because previous research has yet to determine how nostalgic advertising is most likely to be cognitively processed, open-ended cognitive response items were also included to further investigate the type of processing that is most frequently occurring. Gender was included as a possible moderating variable. The results provide mixed support for the hypothesized relationships between product involvement and nostalgic advertising themes. Findings suggest that females are particularly responsive, in terms of attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand, to associational nostalgic claims for the low involvement product (notebooks). Cognitive response-thought listing results suggest that when the primary thought elicited from the advertisement was nostalgic in nature, other references to the product or the ad itself decreased. Implication and practical considerations for content creators in advertising as well as future research suggestions are also discussed

The Influence Of Soil Cryostructure On The Creep And Long Term Strength Properties Of Frozen Soils

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2008The time dependent mechanical properties of ice-rich frozen soils were studied in relation to their cryostructure. The CRREL permafrost tunnel was the primary source of the studied ice-rich soils. Mapping of the permafrost geology of the main adit of the CRREL permafrost tunnel was performed and reinterpreted in the context of a cryofacial approach. The cryofacial approach in based on the concept that cryostructure is dependent on how a soil was deposited and subsequently frozen. Three main soil cryostructures were determined to represent the main aspects of the permafrost geology. Soils with micro-lenticular cryostructure represent the original ice-rich syngenetic permafrost formed during the Pleistocene. Reworked sediment due to fluvial-thermal erosion resulted in soils with massive cryostructure and soils with reticulate-chaotic cryostructure. Ice bodies within the tunnel include syngenetic wedge ice and secondary thermokarst cave ice deposits. A testing program for determining the time dependent mechanical properties, including the creep and long term strength characteristics of permafrost in relation to soil cryostructure, was performed. Undisturbed frozen soils include silty soil containing micro-lenticular, reticulate-chaotic, and massive cryostructure. Remolded silt from the tunnel was used to create artificial samples with massive cryostructure for comparison to the undisturbed frozen soils. In addition to frozen silt, undisturbed ice facies were tested. These included syngenetic wedge ice, Matanuska basal glacial ice, and Matanuska glacial ice. Testing methods include uniaxial constant stress creep (CSC) tests and uniaxial relaxation tests. It was shown that soil cryostructure and ice facies influences the creep and long term strength properties of frozen soils. It was shown that remolded soils provide non-conservative creep and long term strength estimates when extrapolated to undisturbed frozen soils. Minimum strain rate flow laws show that at low stresses, undisturbed soils creep at a faster rate than remolded soils. At high stresses, frozen soils creep at a faster rate than ice. It was also shown that the unfrozen water content influences the mechanical properties of frozen soils and that the unfrozen water content is influenced by soil cryostructure. Through cryostructure, the permafrost geology is related to the time dependent mechanical properties of frozen soils

Changes in objectively measured BMI in children aged 4-11 years: Data from the National Child Measurement Programme

© 2015 The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected]. Background This study looked at the degree of weight gain between the first (Reception) and last year (Year 6) of primary school and how weight status in Reception predicts becoming overweight/obese by Year 6. Methods A longitudinal sample of 1863 children was created using two time points (2006/7, 2012/13) from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in South Gloucestershire. T-test and logistic regression were used to test the difference between the BMI z-scores and BMI percentiles, and predict the probability of being overweight (BMI ≥ 85th) or obese (≥95th) at Year 6 based on BMI percentile in Reception. Results Of those children who were obese at Reception age, 68% were obese at Year 6. Compared with children with a BMI in the 2nd to 49th percentile range, children between the 75th and 84th percentiles of BMI at Reception age were 10 times more likely (odds ratio (OR) = 10.18, P < 0.01), and those with a BMI between the 85th and 94th percentiles were 13 times more likely (OR = 13.38, P < 0.01), to become obese by Year 6. Boys were more likely than girls to revert to a healthy weight. Conclusions This is the first study to link data from the NCMP. It provides estimates of prevalence and offers new evidence on obesity emergence and gender differences

Investigating Arctic Cyclone-Tropopause Polar Vortex Interactions with Observing System Simulation Experiments

Tropopause polar vortices (TPVs) are upper-level cyclonic circulations that are common in high latitudes. TPVs most directly impact weather at the surface by providing baroclinic forcing for the development of Arctic cyclones (ACs), surface low-pressure systems over the Arctic Ocean and surrounding landmasses. ACs, in turn, help to drive the Arctic heat and moisture budgets via transport from the midlatitudes and govern sea ice variability on short timescales via dynamic and thermodynamic influences. Although prior studies have demonstrated and examined the link between TPVs and ACs, the exact role played by the TPV and its characteristics in the development of the surface cyclone has yet to be established. In the present study, we seek to take a step forward toward closing this gap using an idealized observing system simulation experiment (OSSE). This approach involves simulating dense dropsondes over a TPV as a surface cyclone is forming and examining the changes that the additional observations produce to the TPV and resulting surface cyclone. The ECMWF Cubic Octahedral grid Nature Run (ECO1280) is taken as the truth for the OSSE (all observations are simulated from the output of this model), and the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) is coupled with the Data Assimilation Research Testbed's (DART) ensemble adjustment Kalman filter in order to run numerical experiments. It is expected that the development of the TPV and surface cyclone will be especially sensitive to moisture observations, which influence TPV strength via diabatic processes, and that proper representation of mesoscale dynamic features along the tropopause will be key to accurate forecasts. In addition to a control in which only existing observations are simulated from ECO1280, we conduct four primary experiments assimilating additional dropsonde observations of (1) temperature, (2) humidity, (3) temperature and humidity, and (4) temperature and humidity over a broad region. All of the experiments reduce errors relative to the control throughout the atmosphere and at the surface, with Experiment 4 producing the most accurate forecast of the surface cyclone. The humidity observations lead to enhanced PV generation near the tropopause and, by the end of the forecast, a deeper surface cyclone. These improvements are more limited when temperature and humidity dropsondes are combined. Experiment 4 exhibits a much more accurate representation of the PV features surrounding the main TPV and other synoptic scale features surrounding the system (including a Rossby wave breaking into the Arctic from the midlatitudes), which may explain its better forecast performance with respect to the surface cyclone. Additionally, it is discovered that AC strength is linked to the accuracy of the modeled distance between the surface cyclone and the core of the TPV throughout its lifetime (an indicator of baroclinic growth potential). This TPV-AC distance is, in turn, controlled by a breaking midlatitude Rossby wave that was not directly observed in any of the experiments

High throughput genomic sequencing of bioaerosols in broiler chicken production facilities

Chronic inhalation exposure to agricultural dust promotes the development of chronic respiratory diseases among poultry workers. Poultry dust is composed of dander, chicken feed, litter bedding and microbes. However, the microbial composition and abundance has not been fully elucidated. Genomic DNA was extracted from settled dust and personal inhalable dust collected while performing litter sampling or mortality collection tasks. DNA libraries were sequenced using a paired-end sequencing-by-synthesis approach on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Sequencing data showed that poultry dust is predominantly composed of bacteria (64–67%) with a small quantity of avian, human and feed DNA (\u3c 2% of total reads). Staphylococcus sp. AL1, Salinicoccus carnicancri and Lactobacillus crispatus were the most abundant bacterial species in personal exposure samples of inhalable dust. Settled dust had a moderate relative abundance of these species as well as Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus salivarius. There was a statistical difference between the microbial composition of aerosolized and settled dust. Unlike settled dust composition, aerosolized dust composition had little variance between samples. These data provide an extensive analysis of the microbial composition and relative abundance in personal inhalable poultry dust and settled poultry dust

The Effects of Prices and Policies on the Demand for Marijuana: Evidence from the National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse

Recent studies have shown that efforts to curb alcohol use by increasing the price of alcohol and limiting youth's access have succeeded, but they may have had the unintended consequencce of increasing marijuana use. This possibility is troubling in light of a recent government report that shows that marijuana use among teens more than doubled between 1990 and 1997. What impact will the proposed large increase in cigarette prices have on the demand for other substances such as marijuana? To better understand how the demand for marijuana responds to changes in the policies and prices that affect its use, we explore the National Household Survy on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Overall, we find that marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco are complements, sot that increasing the price of any one will decrease the demand for marijuana. The results of this paper will help guide the creation of comprehensive policies that curb the use of marijuana in two ways: first, they quantify the effects of policies aimed at curbing the use of each substance, allowing policymakers to evaluate alternative policy options; and second, they clarify the dynamics and interactions between alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in response to government policies.

The operational role of Army National Guard Special Forces: optimizing an underutilized asset

The demands of the global war on terror have redefined the roles and requirements for Army National Guard Special Forces (ARNG SF). A part-time force, ARNG SF nonetheless participates in the full spectrum of ongoing operations making them an essential operational component of U.S. Army Special Forces. Despite previous operational contributions and future demands for employment; however, ARNG SF is underutilized and deficiencies consequently exist with readiness. Analysis of current policies, doctrine, guidance and directives reveal critical gaps in strategic guidance and force generation processes, contributing to these problems. The ability for ARNG SF to contribute strategic depth to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) can provide balanced and integrated special operations capabilities to the nation. But there is a need for strategic guidance and changes in the processes under which ARNG SF are utilized. This will reduce strains on the active component forces and their families. This thesis examines methods for enhancing ARNG SFs contribution to USSOCOM and USASOC operational forces, thereby maximizing capabilities in support of national objectives.http://archive.org/details/theoperationalro1094538885Major, Army National GuardApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The domestication of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium that has had widespread historical use in the dairy industry and more recently as a probiotic. Although L. acidophilus has been designated as safe for human consumption, increasing commercial regulation and clinical demands for probiotic validation has resulted in a need to understand its genetic diversity. By drawing on large, well-characterised collections of lactic acid bacteria, we examined L. acidophilus isolates spanning 92 years and including multiple strains in current commercial use. Analysis of the whole genome sequence data set (34 isolate genomes) demonstrated L. acidophilus was a low diversity, monophyletic species with commercial isolates essentially identical at the sequence level. Our results indicate that commercial use has domesticated L. acidophilus with genetically stable, invariant strains being consumed globally by the human population

Effects of a School-Based Gardening, Cooking, and Nutrition Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on Unprocessed and Ultra-Processed Food Consumption

BACKGROUND: School-based gardening and nutrition education interventions report improvements in dietary intake, notably through fruit and vegetables. However, gardening, cooking, and nutrition randomized controlled trials are limited in evaluating dietary quality, and none have examined processed food consumption to date. OBJECTIVES: The study examined the effects of Texas Sprouts (TX Sprouts), a gardening, cooking, and nutrition education intervention, compared with control on unprocessed and ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption in predominately low-income Hispanic children. METHODS: TX Sprouts was a school-based cluster randomized controlled trial that consisted of 16 elementary schools randomly assigned to either the TX Sprouts intervention (n = 8 schools) or control (delayed intervention; n = 8 schools) over 3 y (2016-2019). TX Sprouts schools received an outdoor teaching garden and 18 1-h lessons taught by trained educators throughout the school year. Dietary intake data via 2 24-h dietary recalls were collected on a random subsample (n = 468) at baseline and postintervention. All foods and beverages were categorized using the NOVA food classification system (e.g., unprocessed, processed, ultra-processed). Generalized linear mixed effects modeling tested changes in percent calories and grams of NOVA groups between the intervention and control estimates with schools as random clusters. RESULTS: Of the sample, 63% participated in the free and reduced-price lunch program, and 57% were Hispanic, followed by non-Hispanic White (21%) and non-Hispanic Black (12%). The intervention, compared to the control, resulted in an increase in consumption of unprocessed foods (2.3% compared with -1.8% g; P \u3c 0.01) and a decrease in UPF (-2.4% compared with 1.4% g; P = 0.04). In addition, Hispanic children in the intervention group had an increase in unprocessed food consumption and a decrease in UPF consumption compared to non-Hispanic children (-3.4% compared with 1.5% g; P \u3c 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that school-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition education interventions can improve dietary intake, specifically increasing unprocessed food consumption and decreasing UPF consumption