The impact of corporate philanthropy on reputation for corporate social performance

This study seeks to examine the mechanisms by which a corporation’s use of philanthropy affects its reputation for corporate social performance (CSP), which the authors conceive of as consisting of two dimensions: CSP awareness and CSP perception. Using signal detection theory (SDT), the authors model signal amplitude (the amount contributed), dispersion (number of areas supported), and consistency (presence of a corporate foundation) on CSP awareness and perception. Overall, this study finds that characteristics of firms' portfolio of philanthropic activities are a greater predictor of CSP awareness than of CSP perception. Awareness increases with signal amplitude, dispersion, and consistency. CSP perception is driven by awareness and corporate reputation. The authors’ contention that corporate philanthropy is a complex variable is upheld, as we find that CSP signal characteristics influence CSP awareness and perception independently and asymmetrically. The authors conclude by proposing avenues for future research

Setting a best practice for determining the EGR rate in hydrogen internal combustion engines

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is an effective way to reduce NOx-emissions and increase the efficiency of hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines. Knowledge of the exact amount of EGR is crucial to understand the effects of EGR. As the exhaust gas flow is pulsating and chemically aggressive, the flow rate is typically not measured directly and has to be derived from other quantities. For hydrocarbon fuels, the EGR rate is generally calculated from a molar CO2 balance, but for hydrogen engines this obviously cannot be used as there are no CO2 emissions, and consequently no standard practice has been established. This work considers three methods to calculate the amount of EGR in a hydrogen engine. The first one is based upon a volume balance in the mixing section of exhaust gases and fresh air. The second and third method uses a molar balance of O-2 and H2O respectively in this mixing section. The three methods are developed and tested for their accuracy with an error analysis. Additionally, the methods are applied to an experimental dataset gathered on a single cylinder hydrogen engine. Both the theoretical analysis and the experimental results confirm the method based on an O-2 molar balance as the most accurate one. The least practical method is the one based on an H2O balance as it requires additional relative humidity sensors and is less accurate than the others

Carbon Fiber Insoles Enhance Perception of Performance Despite Variable Objective Outcomes: Specific to the Moderately Active Individual

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 885-897, 2023. Carbon fiber insoles (CFIs) may benefit performance in elite athletes, however, their use in moderately active individuals has been adopted without evidence supporting such enhancements in this population. Fifteen male subjects performed vertical jump (VJ) and repeat treadmill sprint tests before and after a VO2peak while wearing 1) CFIs and 2) control insoles (CON). Subjects completed a subjective survey regarding their perceived performance abilities for both conditions. There were no significant differences between CFIs and CON in VJ height, sprint distance, heart rate following sprints; and rate of oxygen consumption, perceived fatigue, and perceived exertion at 85% of maximal speed (p \u3e 0.05) during the VO2peak. At maximal speed, although there was no difference between conditions in peak rate of oxygen consumption (95%CI [-4.85, 0.21]) and respiratory exchange ratio (95%CI [-0.01, 0.03]), CFIs resulted in a reduced level of perceived fatigue (95%CI [-1, 0]) and perceived exertion (95%CI [-2, 0]) compared to CON. Subjects subjectively reported increased feelings of “propulsion or explosiveness” (p = 0.026) and being able to “perform better while jumping” (p = 0.029) while wearing CFIs. Heightened perceptions of performance enhancements when wearing CFIs indicate, in the moderately active, perceptual benefits could be more influential for determining CFI use

The Dark Matter Density in the Solar Neighborhood reconsidered

Both the gas flaring and the dip in the rotation curve, which was recently reconfirmed with precise measurements using the VERA VLBI array in Japan, suggest doughnut-like substructure in the dark matter (DM) halo. A global fit to all available data shows that the data are indeed best described by an NFW DM profile complemented by two doughnut-like DM substructures with radii of 4.2 and 12.4 kpc, which coincide with the local dust ring and the Monocerus ring of stars, respectively. Both regions have been suggested as regions with tidal streams from "shredded" satellites. If real, the radial extensions of these nearby ringlike structures enhance the local dark matter density by a factor of four to about 1.3$\pm0.3$ GeV/cm$^3$. It is shown that i) this higher DM density is perfectly consistent with the local gravitational potential determining the surface density and the local matter density (Oort limit), ii) previous determinations of the surface density were biased by the assumption of a smoothly varying DM halo and iii) the s-shaped gas flaring is explained. Such a possible enhancement of the local DM density is of great interest for direct DM searches and would change the directional dependence for indirect DM searches.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, extended version, accepted for publication in JCA

Performances of Solid Oxide Cells with La0.97_{0.97}Ni0.5_{0.5}Co0.5_{0.5}O3−δ_{3-\delta} as Air-Electrodes

Based on previous studies of perovskites in the quasi-ternary system LaFeO$_{3}$–LaCoO$_{3}$–LaNiO$_{3}$, La$_{0.97}$Ni$_{0.5}$Co$_{0.5}$O$_{3}$ (LNC) is chosen as the most promising air-electrode material in the series for solid oxide cells (SOCs). The properties of the material itself have been investigated in detail. However, the evaluation of LNC97 air electrodes in practical SOCs is still at a very early stage. In the present study, SOCs were prepared based on LNC97 air electrodes. The I-U performance of the SOCs in both solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) modes, i.e. reversible SOCs (r-SOCs), was investigated systematically for different air-electrode designs, temperatures and fuel gases. In general, the performance of the r-SOCs tested in the present study is higher than the published results of other LaFeO$_{3}$–LaCoO$_{3}$–LaNiO$_{3}$-based SOCs and is comparable to or even better than state-of-the-art La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$Fe$_{1-y}$Co$_{y}$O$_{3}$ (LSCF)-based SOCs. Mid-term operation of about 1000 h for SOCs in both SOFC and SOEC modes primarily proved the stability of LNC97-based air electrodes. Impedance spectra were systematically applied to understand the polarization processes of the SOCs

Intentional replantation for the management of maxillary sinusitis

Aim. To present a case that emphasizes the importance of the use of intentional replantation as a technique to successfully treat a periapical lesion and an odontogenic maxillary sinusitis through the alveolus at the same time. Summary. This case report presents a patient with odontogenic maxillary sinusitis secondary to periapical disease of a maxillary molar that had previously received root canal treatment. The molar was extracted, with drainage and rinsing of the maxillary sinus. The apices were resected extra-orally, and the retrograde cavity was prepared with ultrasound and retrograde filling using silver amalgam. The tooth was then replanted. After 2 years, the patient was asymptomatic, periapical radiography showed no evidence of root resorption and computed tomography scanning demonstrated the resolution of maxillary sinusitis

Genetic diversity, demographic history and neo-sex chromosomes in the Critically Endangered Raso lark

Small effective population sizes could expose island species to inbreeding and loss of genetic variation. Here, we investigate factors shaping genetic diversity in the Raso lark, which has been restricted to a single islet for approximately 500 years, with a population size of a few hundred. We assembled a reference genome for the related Eurasian skylark and then assessed diversity and demographic history using RAD-seq data (75 samples from Raso larks and two related mainland species). We first identify broad tracts of suppressed recombination in females, indicating enlarged neo-sex chromosomes. We then show that genetic diversity across autosomes in the Raso lark is lower than in its mainland relatives, but inconsistent with long-term persistence at its current population size. Finally, we find that genetic signatures of the recent population contraction are overshadowed by an ancient expansion and persistence of a very large population until the human settlement of Cape Verde. Our findings show how genome-wide approaches to study endangered species can help avoid confounding effects of genome architecture on diversity estimates, and how present-day diversity can be shaped by ancient demographic events

Kinematics of Stellar Populations with RAVE Data

We study the kinematics of the Galactic thin and thick disk populations using stars from the RAVE survey's second data release together with distance estimates from Breddels et al. (2009). The velocity distribution exhibits the expected moving groups present in the solar neighborhood. We separate thick and thin disk stars by applying the X (stellar-population) criterion of Schuster et al. (1993), which takes into account both kinematic and metallicity information. For 1906 thin disk and 110 thick disk stars classified in this way, we find a vertical velocity dispersion, mean rotational velocity and mean orbital eccentricity of (sigma_W, Vphi, e)_thin = (18\pm0.3 km/s, 223\pm0.4 km/s, 0.07\pm0.07) and (sigma_W, Vphi, e)_thick = (35\pm2 km/s, 163\pm2 km/s, 0.31\pm0.16), respectively. From the radial Jeans equation, we derive a thick disk scale length in the range 1.5-2.2 kpc, whose greatest uncertainty lies in the adopted form of the underlying potential. The shape of the orbital eccentricity distribution indicates that the thick disk stars in our sample most likely formed in situ with minor gas-rich mergers and/or radial migration being the most likely cause for their orbits. We further obtain mean metal abundances of _thin = +0.03 \pm 0.17, and _thick = -0.51\pm0.23, in good agreement with previous estimates. We estimate a radial metallicity gradient in the thin disk of -0.07 dex/kpc, which is larger than predicted by chemical evolution models where the disk grows insideout from infalling gas. It is, however, consistent with models where significant migration of stars shapes the chemical signature of the disk, implying that radial migration might play at least part of a role in the thick disk's formation.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronom