Root locus diagrams by digital computer

Adaptation of root locus method to programming on IBM 7074 digital compute

An Empirical Investigation of Corporate Voluntary Disclosure of Management\u27s Responsibilities for Financial Reporting

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandates senior management to certify under oath that information contained in SEC filings is accurate and complete, and attest to the effectiveness of the internal control system. This study examines the factors that influenced senior management to voluntarily issue a statement of responsibilities in annual reports for a five-year period prior to this legislation. Exploring these factors sheds light on three major issues: (1) identifying the environment under which the new legislation would better achieve its objectives; (2) probing into the concerns of firms that must comply with the new legislation; and (3) highlighting implications for the external auditor in planning the audit and assessing audit risk. We hypothesize that confidence in internal control and monitoring mechanisms at larger firms, corporate profitability, business risk and volatility, ownership structure, leverage, and governance monitoring are critical factors in management\u27s decision to report on its responsibilities in financial statements. The results reveal that senior management at larger firms were more likely to voluntarily disclose its responsibilities, ostensibly to maintain credibility with third parties and mitigate sensitivity to political costs. Moreover, management presiding over more-profitable firms were forthcoming with such disclosures, demonstrating a desire to signal its successful stewardship and organizational success. Lastly, senior management of firms in more volatile or uncertain environments displayed an aversion to risk that negatively influenced its disclosure decision. Monitoring by institutional owners, audit committees, and independent auditors displayed little influence on management\u27s disclosure decision

Toward third order ghost imaging with thermal light

Recently it has been suggested that an enhancement in the visibility of ghost images obtained with thermal light can be achieved exploiting higher order correlations [3]. This paper reports on the status of an higher order ghost imaging experiment carried on at INRIM labs exploiting a pseudo-thermal source and a CCD camera.Comment: To be published in Proceedings of Recent advances in Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Informatio

An Examination of the Determinants and Contents of Corporate Voluntary Disclosure of Management\u27s Responsibilities For Financial Reporting

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (S-O Act) of 2002 requires principal officers to certify under oath to the veracity of information contained in SEC filings and opine on the effectiveness of the internal control system. This study examines the determinants and contents of corporate voluntary disclosure of management\u27s responsibilities during the five-year period preceding the S-O Act. We predict that the voluntary disclosure of management\u27s responsibilities for financial information signals certain incentives and characteristics of the reporting firm that are relevant to financial statement users and regulators. Consistent with our predictions, our findings reveal significant differences between issuing and non-issuing firms as to the effectiveness of an individual firm\u27s internal control system, access to capital markets, audit committee characteristics, and ownership structure. An empirical analysis of the contents of these assertions also reveals different areas of emphasis and selectivity by management, which represents an informative link to existing disclosure mandates. The results of this study contribute to our knowledge of management\u27s motivations for voluntary disclosure and lend credence to the mandatory certification requirements and related disclosure reforms established in the post-Enron era

Systematic analysis of SNR in bipartite Ghost Imaging with classical and quantum light

We present a complete and exhaustive theory of signal-to-noise-ratio in bipartite ghost imaging with classical (thermal) and quantum (twin beams) light. The theory is compared with experiment for both twin beams and thermal light in a certain regime of interest

<b><i>Topoisomerase 1</i></b> Promoter Variants and Benefit from Irinotecan in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

Objective: Topoisomerase 1 (topo-1) is an important target for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between topo-1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and clinical outcome in metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients. Methods: With the use of specific software (PROMO 3.0), we performed an in silico analysis of topo-1 promoter SNPs; the rs6072249 and rs34282819 SNPs were included in the study. DNA was extracted from 105 mCRC patients treated with FOLFIRI ± bevacizumab in the first line. SNP genotyping was performed by real-time PCR. Genotypes were correlated with clinical parameters (objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival). Results: No single genotype was significantly associated with clinical variables. The G allelic variant of rs6072249 topo-1 SNP is responsible for GC factor and X-box-binding protein transcription factor binding. The same allelic variant showed a nonsignificant trend toward a shorter progression-free survival (GG, 7.5 months; other genotypes, 9.3 months; HR 1.823, 95% CI 0.8904-3.734; p = 0.1). Conclusion: Further analyses are needed to confirm that the topo-1 SNP rs6072249 and transcription factor interaction could be a part of tools to predict clinical outcome in mCRC patients treated with irinotecan-based regimens

Full characterization of Gaussian bipartite entangled states by a single homodyne detector

We present the full experimental reconstruction of Gaussian entangled states generated by a type--II optical parametric oscillator (OPO) below threshold. Our scheme provides the entire covariance matrix using a single homodyne detector and allows for the complete characterization of bipartite Gaussian states, including the evaluation of purity, entanglement and nonclassical photon correlations, without a priori assumptions on the state under investigation. Our results show that single homodyne schemes are convenient and robust setups for the full characterization of OPO signals and represent a tool for quantum technology based on continuous variable entanglement.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, slightly longer version of published PR

The FDA “black box” warning on antidepressant suicide risk in young adults: More harm than benefits?

The decision made in the year 2004 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require a boxed warning on antidepressants regarding the risk of suicidality in young adults still represents a matter of controversy. The FDA warning was grounded on industry-sponsored trials carried one decade ago or earlier. However, within the past decade, an increasing number of reports have questioned the actual validity of the FDA warning, especially considering a decline in the prescription of the antidepressant drugs associated with an increase in the rate of suicidal events among people with severe depression. The present report provides an overview of the FDA black box warning, also documenting two Major Depressive Disorder patients whose refusal to undergo a pharmacological antidepressant treatment possibly led to an increased risk for suicidal behaviors. The concerns raised by the FDA black box warning need to be considered in real-world clinical practice, stating the associated clinical and public health implications