Analog VLSI-Based Modeling of the Primate Oculomotor System

One way to understand a neurobiological system is by building a simulacrum that replicates its behavior in real time using similar constraints. Analog very large-scale integrated (VLSI) electronic circuit technology provides such an enabling technology. We here describe a neuromorphic system that is part of a long-term effort to understand the primate oculomotor system. It requires both fast sensory processing and fast motor control to interact with the world. A one-dimensional hardware model of the primate eye has been built that simulates the physical dynamics of the biological system. It is driven by two different analog VLSI chips, one mimicking cortical visual processing for target selection and tracking and another modeling brain stem circuits that drive the eye muscles. Our oculomotor plant demonstrates both smooth pursuit movements, driven by a retinal velocity error signal, and saccadic eye movements, controlled by retinal position error, and can reproduce several behavioral, stimulation, lesion, and adaptation experiments performed on primates

The use of accruals to manage reported earnings: theory and evidence

This paper develops a model in which firm managers maximize their own compensation by using accruals to manage reported earnings. The results of the model suggest that the form of the managerial compensation function and managerial time preferences may have an important influence on the relationship between accruals and latent earnings. Among the possible relationships suggested by the model are strategies we call Smooth Income, Occasional Big Bath, Live for Today, and Maximize Variability, each of which suggests a different reporting strategy pursued by managers. Most empirical tests of accruals are inconsistent with this and other theoretical models because they include a single earnings variable in a linear regression analysis. Instead, we document the reporting of accruals by two firms, Sunbeam and Citicorp, that is consistent with the “Live for Today” and “Occasional Big Bath” strategies.Investments

Manuscript 2193 and its Text of the Gospel According to John

This thesis examines manuscript 2193 and its text of the Gospel according to John and contributes valuable information to the ongoing studies in New Testament textual criticism. The introduction (Chapter 1) defines the topic, surveys the status of the question, and .. In Chapter 2 the manuscript and external criteria are described. Special attention is paid to scribal conventions such as contractions, abbreviations, ligatures, punctuation, and nomina sacra. A significant discourse classifying the minuscule script according to the work of Thompson and Hatch is also provided. The chapter concludes with a subsection discussing the presence of multiple correctors who have amended John\u27s text in manuscript 2193. Chapter 3 explores the history of Family 1 label which was first applied to a group of manuscripts by Kirsopp Lake in 1902. A historical survey reveals that no standardized criteria were ever established for what constitutes a Family 1 manuscript. This resulted in a large disparity among the manuscripts granted the Family 1 label by scholars in the ensuing years. The inherent complications that accompany the Family 1 label were identified, and manuscript 2193is examined in the light of these concerns. Chapter 4 begins with a brief survey of scholars\u27 attempts to group manuscripts based on their texts. The text of John in manuscript 2193 is then explored in detail with an emphasis of clarifying the Family 1 label as it applies to John\u27s text in manuscript 2193. Chapter 5 discusses the Pericope de adulterae. In manuscript 2193 the Pericope de adulterae appears as a post-script to the Gospel of John. A relationship between the Pericope de adulterae and the second corrector of John in manuscript 2193 is identified. Chapter 6 provides a full collation of John\u27s text in manuscript 2193. Chapter 7 concludes the thesis with a brief summary of the findings that resulted from the research that was done to complete this project. An appendix provides a shorthand description of the corrections that occur in manuscript2193 and its text of the Gospel according to John

What Do We Work For? An Anatomy of Pre- and Post-Tax Earnings Growth

Promotions and cross-firm mobility provide substantial gains in earnings – a well established finding based on gross income data. Yet, what matters for incentives is how much an individual can consume or save after taxation. We show that net and gross income growth patterns may differ substantially when a progressive tax system allows for deduction opportunities. Exploiting unique matched employer-employee data with information on tax payments and employee mobility, we find that gross income gains from promotions and cross-firm mobility do not translate into significantly higher net income growth, because employees adjust their tax-shielded consumption and savings (in particular, deductible private pension contributions and mortgage-financed housing) to maintain constant net income growth.earnings growth, promotions, mobility, taxable income, dynamic panel data models, matched employer-employee data

Device for selecting lightwave ranges via computer control for studying building material properties via goniophotometer

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007."June 2007."Includes bibliographical references (p. 21).To enable the fast and accurate cataloging of material samples, I designed a filtration device for selecting specific visible and near-infrared light wavelengths related to the red, green, and blue sensitivity peaks of a visible detection camera and the pixel response for a near-infrared camera. This filter device functions in conjunction with the Department of Architecture's Daylighting Laboratory goniophotometer to profile the complete reflection and transmission properties for sample building materials. The resulting data is used in computer simulations and material optimization. The goniophotometer uses two types of detection cameras, color and infrared, to measure the light that is transmitted or reflected off a sample of material. The spectral sensitivity variances of the cameras create inaccuracies in the resulting data when full-spectrum light is used. To remove these inaccuracies, the light is filtered into smaller sections of the full spectrum and the data is recombined by software, to remove these inaccuracies. The device to filter the light is the subject of this thesis. The final filter design uses a geneva drive to index wheels containing pairs of high-pass and low-pass filters into the light path between the light source and the test specimen.(cont.) The device satisfies the design specifications dictated by the usability, function and spatial constraints. This design should prove to be very reliable and flexible through its continued use in studying building materials. As the project is advanced, future work includes installation of the control system and integration into the software used to coordinate the goniophotometer components.by Timothy David Koch.S.B

Organisational climate and its effect on job engagement: exploring the mediating effect of employees level of job satisfaction

This study examined two under-researched organisational climate facets, integration and family-focused supervisor support, as predictors of employees' job engagement. It further set out to explore the extent to which job satisfaction mediated these relationships. Results were based on self-reported survey data from 226 South African employees in the publishing, distribution and advertising industries. Standard multiple regression analysis showed that climates of both integration and family-focused supervisor support were significant predictors of job engagement. Baron and Kenny's four-step approach to mediation revealed that job satisfaction fully meditated the relationships between each of the organisational climate facets and job engagement. Implications for organisational climate research and managers are discussed

On the uniqueness of community banks

To the public, all banks seem alike. But banking insiders make important distinctions between community banks and all other banks. Policymakers worry that community banks’ unique characteristics threaten their survival in the face of industry consolidation. However, despite dramatic regulatory and technological changes in the industry in the past two decades, community banks have not only survived but often prospered. ; This article explores the differences between community banks and larger banks to discover what makes community banks unique. Large banks engage primarily in transactional banking—the provision of highly standardized intermediation services, such as gathering deposits and extending loans, that require little human input to manage. Community banks, in contrast, typically focus on relationship banking, which requires more human input, more detailed credit evaluation, and localized decision making. ; Examining profit and risk measures for the 1998–2002 period for both community banks and large banking organizations, the authors find evidence that small banks were generally profitable. In all but the smallest size category, community banks have performed as well as, and often better than, large banks in managing net interest margins, aggregate profits, and credit risk. Also, community banks are more likely to adopt Subchapter S tax status, which allows them to avoid direct federal income taxation and pass tax benefits on to shareholders. These institutions typically have relatively higher returns on both equity and assets than larger banks do. Whether community banks will be able to sustain this good performance will depend, the authors conclude, on how well managers find valuable relationship lending niches, invest bank capital, and balance asset quality with growth.Community banks