Prometheus unbound: A study of the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport

The history of the controversies in the development of the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport is detailed. Present technological and organizational management problems are outlined. Maps and illustrations are included

Pricing Banner Advertisements in a Social Network of Political Weblogs

Abstract: This paper employs social network analysis to explain variation in the pricing of 846 banner advertisements appearing in a community formed by 89 “Liberal” and 84 “Conservative” weblogs. As predicted, weblogs that bridge “structural holes” between otherwise disconnected segments of the community command significantly higher prices for their advertisements. Also as predicted, the price of banner ads increases with the number of impressions received, with the size of the ad, when the ad is located higher on the page, and when fewer other ads appear

Technology and politics: The regional airport experience

The findings of a comparative study of the following six regional airports were presented: Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Tampa, and St. Louis. Each case was approached as a unique historical entity, in order to investigate common elements such as: the use of predictive models in planning, the role of symbolism to heighten dramatic effects, the roles of community and professional elites, and design flexibility. Some of the factors considered were: site selection, consolidation of airline service, accessibility, land availability and cost, safety, nuisance, and pollution constraints, economic growth, expectation of regional growth, the demand forecasting conundrum, and design decisions. The hypotheses developed include the following: the effect of political, social, and economic conflicts, the stress on large capacity and dramatic, high-technology design, projections of rapid growth to explain the need for large capital outlays

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN, ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING, AND THE MARKET VALUE OF THE FIRM

We compare market returns associated with firms' creation of new units focused on e-business. Two aspects of organization design - governance and leadership - are considered with regard to exploitation - and exploration-oriented organization learning. We find that exploitation in governance (high centralization) is associated with a lower mean and variance in returns; that exploitation in leadership (appointment of outsiders) is associated with the same mean yet higher variance; and, among units exhibiting both modes of learning, the variance of returns are not equal

Handbook on Virginia Civil Procedure, A Guide to Legal Research in Virginia

Professor Bryson\u27s Handbook on Virginia Civil Procedure ( Handbook ) which is now out in an expanded second edition, was written as an introduction to Virginia civil procedure for the students who study with him at the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. However, it will find an appreciative audience among two other distinct and occasionally overlapping groups of readers: active litigators who seek a ready reference on Virginia\u27s civil-law procedures and practices, and legal history buffs who enjoy an excursus on the Anglo-American antecedents of Virginia\u27s sometimes unique approach to civil litigation

Canine Sense and Sensibility: Tipping Points and Response Latency Variability as an Optimism Index in a Canine Judgement Bias Assessment

Recent advances in animal welfare science used judgement bias, a type of cognitive bias, as a means to objectively measure an animal\u27s affective state. It is postulated that animals showing heightened expectation of positive outcomes may be categorised optimistic, while those showing heightened expectations of negative outcomes may be considered pessimistic. This study pioneers the use of a portable, automated apparatus to train and test the judgement bias of dogs. Dogs were trained in a discrimination task in which they learned to touch a target after a tone associated with a lactose-free milk reward and abstain from touching the target after a tone associated with water. Their judgement bias was then probed by presenting tones between those learned in the discrimination task and measuring their latency to respond by touching the target. A Cox\u27s Proportional Hazards model was used to analyse censored response latency data. Dog and Cue both had a highly significant effect on latency and risk of touching a target. This indicates that judgement bias both exists in dogs and differs between dogs. Test number also had a significant effect, indicating that dogs were less likely to touch the target over successive tests. Detailed examination of the response latencies revealed tipping points where average latency increased by 100% or more, giving an indication of where dogs began to treat ambiguous cues as predicting more negative outcomes than positive ones. Variability scores were calculated to provide an index of optimism using average latency and standard deviation at cues after the tipping point. The use of a mathematical approach to assessing judgement bias data in animal studies offers a more detailed interpretation than traditional statistical analyses. This study provides proof of concept for the use of an automated apparatus for measuring cognitive bias in dogs

Picoradian deflection measurement with an interferometric quasi-autocollimator using weak value amplification

We present an "interferometric quasi-autocollimator" that employs weak value amplification to measure angular deflections of a target mirror. The device has been designed to be insensitive to all translations of the target. We present a conceptual explanation of the amplification effect used by the device. An implementation of the device demonstrates sensitivities better than 10 picoradians per root hertz between 10 and 200 hertz.Comment: To be published in Optics Letter

Standard and Null Weak Values

Weak value (WV) is a quantum mechanical measurement protocol, proposed by Aharonov, Albert, and Vaidman. It consists of a weak measurement, which is weighed in, conditional on the outcome of a later, strong measurement. Here we define another two-step measurement protocol, null weak value (NVW), and point out its advantages as compared to WV. We present two alternative derivations of NWVs and compare them to the corresponding derivations of WVs.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Quantum Theory: A Two-Time Success Story: Yakir Aharonov Festschrif

In search of progenitors for supernova-less GRBs 060505 and 060614: re-examination of their afterglows

GRB060505 and GRB060614 are nearby long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) without accompanying supernovae (SNe) down to very strict limits. They thereby challenge the conventional LGRB-SN connection and naturally give rise to the question: are there other peculiar features in their afterglows which would help shed light on their progenitors? To answer this question, we combine new observational data with published data and investigate the multi-band temporal and spectral properties of the two afterglows. We find that both afterglows can be well interpreted within the framework of the jetted standard external shock wave model, and that the afterglow parameters for both bursts fall well within the range observed for other LGRBs. Hence, from the properties of the afterglows there is nothing to suggest that these bursts should have another progenitor than other LGRBs. Recently, Swift-discovered GRB080503 also has the spike + tail structure during its prompt gamma-ray emission seemingly similar to GRB060614. We analyse the prompt emission of this burst and find that this GRB is actually a hard-spike + hard-tail burst with a spectral lag of 0.8$\pm$0.4 s during its tail emission. Thus, the properties of the prompt emission of GRB060614 and GRB080503 are clearly different, motivating further thinking of GRB classification. Finally we note that, whereas the progenitor of the two SN-less bursts remains uncertain, the core-collapse origin for the SN-less bursts would be quite certain if a wind-like environment can be observationally established, e.g, from an optical decay faster than the X-ray decay in the afterglow's slow cooling phase.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, ApJ in press; added Fig. 7 of the lag-luminosity relatio

Extensive telomere repeat arrays in mouse are hypervariable

In this study we have analysed mouse telomeres by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). A number of specific restriction fragments hybridising to a (TTA-GGG)4 probe in the size range 50-150kb can be detected. These fragments are devoid of sites for most restriction enzymes suggesting that they comprise simple repeats; we argue that most of these are likely to be (TTAGGG)n. Each discrete fragment corresponds to the telomere of an individual chromosome and segregates as a Mendelian character. However, new size variants are being generated in the germ line at very high rates such that inbred mice are heterozygous at all telomeres analysable. In addition we show that specific small (approximately 4-12kb) fragments can be cleaved within some terminal arrays by the restriction enzyme MnII which recognises 5'(N7)GAGG3'. Like the complete telomere-repeat arrays (TRA's) these fragments form new variants at high rates and possibly by the same process. We speculate on the mechanisms that may be involved