The Ursinus Weekly, November 8, 1973

Dr. Pancoast predicts much competition for teachers • Civil service commission announces test dates • Service organization shows true colors • Christmas concert • Campus Chest schedules fund raising activities • Concert cancellation • Editorial: When the life sciences become the death sciences • Letters to the editor: Beef over rhetoric; Physics dept. maintains status quo; A plea for silence; What are we doing here? • Alumni corner • Faculty Portrait: Mr. Ted Xaras • The stage: ProTheatre begins year with three one-act plays in new theatre • A bundle of letters • Film: “Jeremy” • Third team goes undefeated! • Football Bears tie, 21-21 • Once beaten Harriers enter MAC championship • Women’s volleyball team into actionhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1005/thumbnail.jp

The Ursinus Weekly, October 25, 1973

Fraternities select homecoming candidates; Students will vote for favorites today • Ursinus will make record books with giant banana split • Chemistry department gets $3000 grant • Longer hours suggested for noisy Myrin library • Volunteer service program begins work; Ken-Crest Center will be first effort • Editorial: Minority student speaks out on biological overpopulation • Faculty portrait: Mrs. Mary Anne Clausen • The Big Game • Alumni corner • Letter to the editor: Tradition and the individual • Lord Caradon, U.N. Representative, speaks on “obligation of optimism” • Shaw-Bernard art exhibit opens today • Placement office helpful for job-hunting seniors • Bearettes sweep south and extend wins to nine • Harriers return to winning ways • Sing wins tournament • Soccer team’s record now stands at 3-3-1 • Ursinus Bears win first game of the seasonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1003/thumbnail.jp

Association between cigarette smoking and the vaginal microbiota: a pilot study

Smoking has been identified in observational studies as a risk factor for bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition defined in part by decimation of Lactobacillus spp. The anti-estrogenic effect of smoking and trace amounts of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE) may predispose women to BV. BPDE increases bacteriophage induction in Lactobacillus spp. and is found in the vaginal secretions of smokers. We compared the vaginal microbiota between smokers and non-smokers and followed microbiota changes in a smoking cessation pilot study. In 2010–2011, 20 smokers and 20 non-smokers were recruited to a cross-sectional study (Phase A) and 9 smokers were enrolled and followed for a 12-week smoking cessation program (Phase B). Phase B included weekly behavioral counseling and nicotine patches to encourage smoking cessation. In both phases, participants self-collected mid-vaginal swabs (daily, Phase B) and completed behavioral surveys. Vaginal bacterial composition was characterized by pyrosequencing of barcoded 16S rRNA genes (V1-V3 regions). Vaginal smears were assigned Nugent Gram stain scores. Smoking status was evaluated (weekly, Phase B) using the semi-quantitative NicAlert® saliva cotinine test and carbon monoxide (CO) exhalation. In phase A, there was a significant trend for increasing saliva cotinine and CO exhalation with elevated Nugent scores (P value <0.005). Vaginal microbiota clustered into three community state types (CSTs); two dominated by Lactobacillus (L. iners, L. crispatus), and one lacking significant numbers of Lactobacillus spp. and characterized by anaerobes (termed CST-IV). Women who were observed in the low-Lactobacillus CST-IV state were 25-fold more likely to be smokers than those dominated by L. crispatus (aOR: 25.61, 95 % CI: 1.03-636.61). Four women completed Phase B. One of three who entered smoking cessation with high Nugent scores demonstrated a switch from CST-IV to a L.iners-dominated profile with a concomitant drop in Nugent scores which coincided with completion of nicotine patches. The other two women fluctuated between CST-IV and L. iners-dominated CSTs. The fourth woman had low Nugent scores with L. crispatus-dominated CSTs throughout. Smokers had a lower proportion of vaginal Lactobacillus spp. compared to non-smokers. Smoking cessation should be investigated as an adjunct to reducing recurrent BV. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-14-47

The Ursinus Weekly, November 15, 1973

First SFARC meeting yields suggestions for parking, Wismer • Banana split rated big success as news spreads across the country • Philadelphia soloists will play at forum • Career day planned for English majors • New Sturgis portrait dedicated at ceremony • Editorial: All that shivers is not cold • Spotlight: Mr. Scott Dempsey • Letters to the editor: SFARC member pledges interest; Faculty digs banana split • Alumni corner: U.C. graduate now holds position as ambassador • Tolstoy’s War and peace to be shown on PBS starting next Tuesday • Jazz: Buddy Rich strikes out • Believe it or not • A splendid time was guaranteed for all • The Zodiac: A preview to real astrology • Guard hired to check I.D.’s during open dorms • Ursinus women athletes make better lovers • Booters stand 6-6-1 • X-country wrap-up • Bears upset Grove Cityhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1006/thumbnail.jp

Depreciation in a model of probabilistic investment

A pervasive theme in both accounting and statistics is aggregation. However, in contrast to statistics, a customary standard for determining the best aggregation rule in accounting is unavailable or, at least, not explicitly defined. Also, most accounting procedures follow a well-specified recursive algorithm of updating a summarized history number (a beginning balance sheet number) by the current period's activities (changes). In this paper, we present a setting in which the best accounting aggregation rule arises naturally, resembles observed depreciation schedules, and proceeds recursively in a manner analogous to the above outlined stock-flow updating process. Our main results are (1) in every period, the performance of the BLU estimate based on active investments can be replicated by the period's depreciation amount and (2) in every period, the performance of the BLU estimate based on the entire history of investments can be replicated by a recursive procedure that updates the BLU estimate of the previous period with the current perioda's investment realization. Depreciation successfully satisfies multiple objectives - it serves as a periodic allocation of realized investment amounts and as a statistic for the unknown investment population mean. Depreciation schedules commonly used in practice, straight-line, accelerated and declining balance, are shown to be best in particular settings.

An Evaluation of Cost of Production Information Usage by County Agents

County agents receive cost of production information primarily from state extension services and then disseminate it to agricultural producers. A survey gathered data on agent usage of this information. A Poisson regression analysis using count data was performed to determine the factors influencing the number of times county agents directly referred to published cost of production (enterprise budget) information in a year. The agent\u27s understanding of budget information use in management decisions, the availability of budgets, and his/her receiving the budgets in multiple forms (e.g., sheets, booklets, or software) had significant positive impacts on the use of budgets by the agent

Depreciation in a model of probabilistic investment

A pervasive theme in both accounting and statistics is aggregation. However, in contrast to statistics, a customary standard for determining the best aggregation rule in accounting is unavailable or, at least, not explicitly defined. Also, most accounting procedures follow a well-specified recursive algorithm of updating a summarized history number (a beginning balance sheet number) by the current period's activities (changes). In this paper, we present a setting in which the best accounting aggregation rule arises naturally, resembles observed depreciation schedules, and proceeds recursively in a manner analogous to the above outlined stock-flow updating process. Our main results are (1) in every period, the performance of the BLU estimate based on active investments can be replicated by the period's depreciation amount and (2) in every period, the performance of the BLU estimate based on the entire history of investments can be replicated by a recursive procedure that updates the BLU estimate of the previous period with the current perioda's investment realization. Depreciation successfully satisfies multiple objectives - it serves as a periodic allocation of realized investment amounts and as a statistic for the unknown investment population mean. Depreciation schedules commonly used in practice, straight-line, accelerated and declining balance, are shown to be best in particular settings.