Are State-Ranking Indicators Correlated with State Economic Performance?

A variety of rankings appear regularly in the popular press.  Such rankings purport to indicate livability, economic well-being, crime propensity, obesity, and business climate, to name a few.  An investigation was conducted to assess whether state-ranking indicators developed by Forbes would be correlated with overall economic performance. We find that labor and quality of life have relatively high correlation with per capita gross state product; that business costs, the economic climate, and quality of life are well correlated with the unemployment rate; and the negative impact of high business costs on the growth rate of civilian employment is relatively high. The correlation coefficient between business costs and per capita gross state product has an unexpected sign. Growth prospects exhibit little correlation with state overall economic performance. The relatively low correlation coefficient between overall ranking and per capita gross state product or the growth rate of civilian employment suggests that it is not a good predictor for state workforce productivity or employment growth

Calculation of vortex-flap aerodynamic characteristics

The lateral-directional characteristics for configurations with vortex flaps were calculated by the VORSTAB code. In view of the poor correlation between the VORSTABL results and the data, it was decided to examine in detail the reasons behind the discrepancy. After corrections in the data, the characteristics were recalculated. The prediction of dihedral effect is now largely improved

The Xi(2230) Meson and The Pomeron Trajectory

We examine the possibility that the xi(2230) meson is a member of the Pomeron trajectory. A method of connecting the xi --> p pbar decay width and the pp cross sections through the Pomeron residue function is presented. We have used a relativistic, singularity-free form factor to make the analytic continuation of the residue function between crossed channels. We predict that if the xi(2230) meson is a Pomeron, then it should have a xi --> p pbar decay width of about 2 MeV.Comment: 9 page

Body size and the risk of biliary tract cancer: a population-based study in China

Though obesity is an established risk factor for gall bladder cancer, its role in cancers of the extrahepatic bile ducts and ampulla of Vater is less clear, as also is the role of abdominal obesity. In a population-based case–control study of biliary tract cancer in Shanghai, China, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for biliary tract cancer in relation to anthropometric measures, including body mass index (BMI) at various ages and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), adjusting for age, sex, and education. The study included 627 patients with biliary tract cancer (368 gall bladder, 191 bile duct, 68 ampulla of Vater) and 959 healthy subjects randomly selected from the population. A higher BMI at all ages, including early adulthood (ages 20–29 years), and a greater WHR were associated with an increased risk of gall bladder cancer. A high usual adult BMI (⩾25) was associated with a 1.6-fold risk of gall bladder cancer (95% CI 1.2–2.1, P for trend <0.001). Among subjects without gallstones, BMI was also positively associated with gall bladder cancer risk. Regardless of BMI levels, increasing WHR was associated with an excess risk of gall bladder cancer risk, with those having a high BMI (⩾25) and a high WHR (>0.90) having the highest risk of gall bladder cancer (OR=12.6, 95% CI 4.8–33.2), relative to those with a low BMI and WHR. We found no clear risk patterns for cancers of the bile duct and ampulla of Vater. These results suggest that both overall and abdominal obesity, including obesity in early adulthood, are associated with an increased risk of gall bladder cancer. The increasing prevalence of obesity and cholesterol stones in Shanghai seems at least partly responsible for the rising incidence of gall bladder cancer in Shanghai

Macroeconomic Policies And Economic Growth: The Case Of Costa Rica

Applying the well-known GARCH/ARCH (Engle, 1982, 2001) model, we find that real output in Costa Rica is positively affected by real M2 money, the expected inflation rate, and the U.S. output and negatively influenced by the depreciation of the colon. Consistent with the Barro-Ricardo (1989) hypothesis, deficit spending does not affect real output. Therefore, the Costa Rican government may need to pursue a balanced budget and maintain the stability of the colon because the costs of currency depreciation outweigh the benefits. &nbsp

Impacts Of Changing Financial And International Market Conditions On Output For Colombia

Potential effects of financial stock values, world market demand, exchange rate fluctuations and other factors on output variations for Colombia are examined. An open macroeconomic model is developed to include the goods market, the monetary policy, and the formulation of inflation. The sample consists of quarterly data ranging from 1994.Q1 to 2007.Q2 with a total of 54 observations. A generalized least squares (GLS) method is employed in order to correct for both heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation simultaneously. The results indicate a higher stock market value, real appreciation of the peso, higher world market demand, a lower U.S. real interest rate, and a lower expected inflation rate would increase real output for Colombia. Increased deficit spending would not help raise real output, suggesting that fiscal prudence may be needed

Addressing A Compensation Anomaly In An Academic Setting

Faculty compensation is a serious matter.&nbsp; Rewards for performance are an expectation.&nbsp; Managers recognize that rewards often drive performance and productivity.&nbsp; Faculty members who perform well expect to be rewarded well.&nbsp; Faculty members expend considerable time and effort developing evaluation instruments and procedures for assessing and rewarding peer performance.&nbsp; Depending on how the reward process is implemented faculty performance rewards may not result as expected. &nbsp;This paper contrasts faculty compensation models including one that produces a high performance, low compensation anomaly for higher paid faculty

Effect of Animal Manure on Forage Yield and Quality of Pangolagrass and Soil Fertility

Animal wastes may cause environmental pollution. Lu & Hsu (2004) reported that N utilisation in the manure by pangolagrass was 10-28%. Objectives of this study were to determine the effect of animal manure on forage yield and quality of pangolagrass and soil fertility

Heads Or Tails (Success Or Failure)? Using Logit Modeling To Predict Student Retention And Progression

Using a sample of 2,137 university students and applying the logit model, we find that the probability for students to return in fall 2008 is higher with a higher cumulative GPA, a higher grade for SE 101, and a returning status in the previous semester.&nbsp; Several other explanatory variables are tested and have insignificant coefficients. A few variables such as the Board of Regent&rsquo;s core requirements (CORE) and high school graduating GPA (HSGPA) have the expected signs and z-statistics closer to one, suggesting that the correlation coefficient may rise if the sample size were larger.&nbsp; The findings suggest that the cumulative GPA is a dominant factor and that the large number of failures in SE 101 may need to be examined in order to fulfill its described purpose: &ldquo;a&nbsp;course designed to ensure first-year student success.&rdquo