Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis dissertation explores the economics of regulation prior to and after 1980 in the United States. During the golden age of capitalism, regulation consisted of a set of rules of conduct that imposed mutually binding, socially beneficial restrictions on economic competition. It was widely believed this regulation would sanction those inclined to act opportunistically, making it possible for individual capitalists to act on their enlightened (rather than short-term opportunistic) self-interest. Confidence in the effectiveness of regulation was a commitment device, which allowed individual capitalists to act in concert with their collective class interests. However, the process of deregulation that began around 1980 gradually gave rise to an environment where free riding on others' cooperation became the dominant strategy. The dissertation revisits the theory of the State to highlight the role played by regulatory institutions with respect to the agency of the capitalist class. An analytical framework models the intensity of regulation as a commitment device that increases the likelihood of successful collective action. Theoretical predictions indicate that because deregulation is individually profitable in the short run, it makes collective action more difficult overall as capitalists act opportunistically. The empirical dimension of this research explores the State's relative autonomy, which is necessary if regulation is to be a credible commitment device. Empirical findings indicate that the relationship between the State and the rate of profit at the industry level changed significantly after 1980 compared to the period before. The empirical results, consistent with predictions of the analytic model and descriptive analysis, suggest that the relative autonomy of the State before 1980 and lack thereof after was an important component in capitalists' ability to act collectively

Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in barium injection experiments in space

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1989Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves are investigated in a charge-generated barium-shaped plasma directed parallel to the earth’s magnetic field. The barium plasma is generated as a result of a barium shape charge release in the upper F₂ region of the ionosphere undergoing photoionization, Using a differential velocity distribution given by Stenbaek-Nielsen et al., [1984], this situation has been modeled based on the condition of collisionless plasma. The instabilities were studied for cases with and without an ambient oxygen ion background. It was concluded that fast ionization in excess of photoionization due to the excitation of electrons by electrostatic ion cyclotron waves was not feasible for the ejection directed along the earth’s magnetic field nor would there be any contribution to Alfven’s critical velocity mechanism if the injection was directed perpendicular to the magnetic field

New global realities and their impact on the accounting profession

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/dl_proceedings/1079/thumbnail.jp

Communication Apprehension, Self-Efficacy, and Grades in the Basic Course: Correlations and Implications

This article presents a study examining the relationship among communication apprehension (CA), self-efficacy (S-E), and grades in the basic communication course. Data were gathered from 208 undergraduate students enrolled in a public speaking course that fulfills a university-wide core curriculum requirement. Respondents completed MCroskey\u27s (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), the Self-Efficacy in the Class scale (SECL) adapted from Pintrich and DeGroot\u27s (1990) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and two researcher-designed questions regarding S-E for college (SECOL). Results indicated that although trait and context CA are significantly correlated with final grades. In fact, multiple-regression showed that S-E contributed significant unique variance to grade. Implications for teaching the basic course are discussed

Bursts of ULF noise excited by sudden changes of solar wind dynamic pressure

International audienceWe present the results of analysis of the dayside magnetic pulsation response to a sudden change in solar wind dynamic pressure. We concentrate on the events when a burst or a series of short-lived bursts in the Pc1 frequency range with the repetition period of 7?15 min were observed on the ground around the local noon. Not every impulse of large amplitude caused this phenomenon. We have found that the ULF bursts were excited when the spectrograms of the DMSP satellites showed a signature of 10?30 keV ions in the vicinity of the magnetic flux tube of the ground observatory, that may be related to a geomagnetic storm preceding the event. In light of this finding a possible model of the phenomenon is suggested in which the hot protons influence significantly both the generation and modulation of Pc1 activity

Meat bone meal as nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer

Meat bone meal (MBM) contains considerable amount of nutrients (~8 % N, ~ 5 % P and ~ 10 Ca). To quantify and qualify MBM use as an N and P fertilizers, two field experiments were done on spring barley and oat in 2000 and 2001

Meat and bone meal as fertilizer for oats - From slaughter house waste to fertilizer

EU permitted in 2006 the use of meat bone meal(MBM) as fertilizer. MTT Agrifood Research Finland's Kannus conducted a field experiment from 2000 to 2003 with a supplement experiment in 2004. The fertilization effect was 24 % higher after MBM than after chemical fertilizers