Isolating causality between gender and corruption: An IV approach

We address the persistent reverse causality problem in estimating the causal effect of female labor force participation (FLFP) on corruption. Employing plow usage as an instrumental variable, an increase in FLFP by one standard deviation is suggested to improve the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI, ranging from zero to ten) by 0.52 points. This effect is stronger than a one standard deviation change of education levels, government size, or ethnic fractionalization

OPERA REVIEW: Middlemarch in Spring, a two-act opera by composer Alien Shearer, libretto by Claudia Stevens. First performance San Francisco, Z Space, 19 March 2015

George Eliot consistently paid meticulous attention to matters of \u27voice\u27, typically providing precise descriptions of her characters\u27 voices, whether speaking or singing. Dorothea Brooke\u27s harp-like voice is, of course, one of the qualities that first transfixes Will Ladislaw. Eliot\u27s novels also resound with allusions to the operatic repertoire, from Caterina Sarti\u27s impassioned renditions of Gluck in \u27Mr Gilfil\u27s Love Story\u27 through to the elaborate operatic analogies that characterize the social milieu of Daniel Deronda. Despite these deeply-threaded affinities with opera, this is the first operatic adaptation of Middlemarch

Ruthenium Catalyzed Oxidative Cleavage of High Oleic Sunflower Oil: Considerations Regarding the Synthesis of a Fully Biobased Triacid

Tricarboxylic acids are molecules of interest for the synthesis of highly cross-linked polymers, for instance, for the curing of epoxy resins. Herein, a synthesis route to a novel high oleic sunflower oil based triacid is described by applying a ruthenium catalyzed oxidative cleavage of its double bonds. A statistical concept is devised for the prediction of the yields of mono-, di-, and trifunctional derivatives that can be formed from high oleic sunflower oil, depending on the overall conversion of double bonds into this functional group and the overall oleic acid content of the used oil. This concept proved to be highly useful for the explanation of seemingly moderate triacid yields, which are inherently dependent on the unsaturated fatty acid content of the used oil. All obtained sunflower oil based polyacids are fully analyzed by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), $^1$H, $^{13}$C, and quantitative $^{31}$P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition, a more sustainable purification procedure is developed to obtain a polymerizable mixture of polyacids containing more than 2.0 carboxylic acids per molecule in average. Practical applications: Tricarboxylic acids are valuable monomers for the synthesis of cross-linked polymers. The herein reported procedure represents a hitherto unknown synthesis route towards a new triacid and polyacid mixture directly from high oleic sunflower oil

An evaluation of tight-pitch PWR cores

Originally presented as the author's thesis, Ph.D. in the M.I.T. Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1979.The impact of tight pitch cores on the consumption of natural uranium ore has been evaluated for two systems of coupled PWR's namely one particular type of thorium system-U-235/U02: Pu/Th02: U-233/ThO2--and the conventional recycle-mode uranium system- U-235/U02: Pu/UO . The basic parameter varied was the fuel-to-moderator volume ratio (F/M) o the (uniform) lattice for the last core in each sequence. Although methods and data verification in the range of present interest, 0.5 (current lattices)< F/M < 4.0 are limited by the scarcity of experiments with F/M > l.0,the EPRI-LEOPARD and LASER programs used for the thorium and uranium calculations, respectively, were successfully benchmarked against several of the more pertinent experiments. It was found that by increasing F/M to "3 the uranium ore usage for the uranium system can be decreased by as much as 60% compared to the same system with conventional recycle (at F/M 0.5). Equivalent savings for the thorium system of the type examined here are much smaller (10%) because of the poor performance of the intermediate Pu/ThO2 core--which is not substantially improved by increasing F/M. Although fuel cycle costs (calculated at the indifference value of bred fissile species) are rather insensitive to the characteristics of the tight pitch cores, system energy production costs do not favor the low discharge burnups which might other- wise allow even greater ore savings (80%). Temperature and void coefficients of reactivity for the tight pitch cores were calculated to be negative. Means for implementing tight lattice use were investigated, such as the use of stainless steel clad in place of zircaloy; and alternatives achieving the same objective were briefly examined, such as the use of D20/H20 mixtures as coolant. Major items identified requiring further work are system redesign to accommodate higher core pressure drop, and transient and accident thermal-hydraulics.DOE Contract no. EN-77-S O2-4570

Social Innovation and Local Development: An Analysis in an Agroenergy Condominium for the Family Agriculture

This article aims to verify how the process of social innovation, resulting from the constitution of an agroenergy condominium in Brazil, was responsible for the promotion of local development. We consider that social innovation promotes development in its multiparadigmatic concept and is an economic means of governance creation. The results show that there were positive implications for the families, the environment and for the technological development. The use of biofuels is an option to the Brazilian energy scenario, since it has reduced transaction costs. But one challenge is the better use of biodigestion residues, used as biofertilizers. This is a developing and costly process compared to traditional fertilizers. There are also challenges regarding the standardization of the distribution of generated energy and technology for the generation of this energy resource. Finally, a model of local development generation based on greater promotion of social innovation is proposed. The findings from this Brazilian research are not limited for use in Brazil only and can be adopted/adapted for application in other countries provided local cultural differences are considered

The role of the audit in the prevention and detection of corruption events: Evidence of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Purpose: This research aimed to analyze the Public Choice Theory, from the opportunism point of view, and the actions related to evidence of corruption practices. As a focus of investigated policy, the study was focused on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games held in Brazil and the services hiring procedures. Design/methodology: This was a qualitative and quantitative research, looking for official data and media information. The analyzed data were the audit reports issued by the Comptroller General of Brazil (CGU) and the news published by The Guardian and Le Monde, both from 2009 to 2016. Findings: Regarding the audit reports, from 41 units, 17 presented inconsistencies about the bidding process or execution after such procedure, and in some cases concomitantly, that indicates corruption practices. Changing to the news, 34 from a sample of 38 units were analyzed. Research limitations/implications: The research focuses on 2009 to 2016, but even with this limitation, it shows the main period that the news and investigations happened regarded to the Olympics in Rio. Practical implications: The results show that, according to the Public Choice Theory, the public agents tend to make decisions that bring benefits only for themselves, not to the public in general. It is worse when talking about a global event, like the Olympics, when all the eyes from the world are in only one specific place. Social implications: These documents presented actions related to bribes, illegalities in bidding processes and investigations related to politics in Brazil, corroborating the Public Choice Theory regarding opportunistic practices of managers in the primacy for one policy over others. Even with some politicians and public managers arrested at first, it didn’t last long. After some months, most of them were free or under probation. Originality/value: As the main contribution, this research shows the results of a set of media news and official reports investigating the expenditures for hiring some key services for the Olympics that happened in Rio 2016. Fraud and corruption evidences were found in most of the cases analyzed between 2009 and 2016.Peer Reviewe

Effect of fibers and whole grain content on quality attributes of extruded cereals

Incorporation of fiber in cereals may lead to quality issues, thus decreasing consumer acceptance. This is partially due to deterioration of the microstructure, one of the primary quality attributes of cereals. The objective of this study was to better understand the mechanisms by which dietary fibers affect the quality of cereal products during extrusion-cooking. The study quantified the effect of amount and type of fiber and whole grain on (i) texture, (ii) structure, and (iii) rehydration properties of extruded cereals. New innovative methods were applied and combined with traditional techniques to characterize both the structure and the rehydration properties. Extruded cereals were produced using a starch-based recipe (whole and wheat flours) and two sources of fibers (oat bran concentrate and wheat bran). The oat and wheat bran levels used in this study were 0, 10, and 20%. The different mixtures were extruded in a pilot twin-screw extruder BC21 (Clextral) and then sugar coated after drying. Mechanical properties of extruded cereals were investigated by compression test. The cellular structure was observed by X-ray tomography. The quality of coating (thickness, homogeneity) was analyzed by optical coherence tomography. The rehydration properties of such cereals in milk were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherence tomography. This work revealed that structure assessment of extruded cereals may lead to a better understanding of the effect of fiber addition on texture and rehydration properties. The application of innovative methods, such as optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, was found to be useful to quantify the structural properties