910 research outputs found

    A review of Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae) in New Zealand

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    Information about Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae), the most widespread and important New Zealand indigenous shrub species, is reviewed. L. scoparium is a variable species, requiring more study of the genetically based differences between New Zealand populations and the affinity of these populations to Australian populations and other closely allied Australian species. Improved understanding of the species’ variation will assist both its conservation roles and economic uses, and the need to sustain genetically distinct varieties is emphasised. Ecologically, the species has a dominant role in infertile and poorly drained environments, and a wider occurrence as a seral shrub species in successions to forest where it may be regarded as a woody weed of pasture or a useful species for erosion control, carbon sesquestration, and vegetation restoration. The main economic products derived from the species are ornamental shrubs, essential oils, and honey. The species’ development as an ornamental plant and further definition of the pharmacologically active components are recommended as priority areas for research

    The Diffusion of Merit Aid Programs Across State Lines

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    States award merit aid scholarships to motivate student achievement. Merit aid programs also eliminate the movement of high-performing students to out-of-state institutions and increase access to postsecondary education for low-income families. Despite the perceived benefits of adopting a program, only 34 states have chosen to do so. Using an event history analysis approach and data for all 50 states from 1992 to 2015, we explore how external mechanisms influence the decision of a state to adopt a program. The results show that states adopt to gain a competitive edge. However, that decision is heavily influenced by the decisions of others, with trends in regional and national adoptions increasing the likelihood of a state adopting

    Covid-19 is an unfolding health and financial crisis for US local governments

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    With disputes between the US federal and state governments as to how best to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing, many local governments have had to respond to the crisis on their own. Bruce D. McDonald, III and Sarah E. Larson write that for many of these local governments, Covid-19 is a double crisis. Not only is it a public health emergency, it is also a financial crisis as sales tax revenues plummet because of stay at home policies at the same time as health expenditures are on the rise

    Religious Attitudes and Charitable Donations

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    Forthcoming Journal of Applied Business and EconomicsNonprofit organizations play a vital role in the United States, often providing goods and services to populations where no alternative is available. We expand the understanding of nonprofit management by focusing on the influence of an individual’s religious attitude on their charitable donations. Using a survey of 1,530 households, we find that religiously conservative individuals contribute more than liberals both in terms of support to religiously affiliated nonprofits and total donations to nonprofit organizations. The findings of this study hold important implications for nonprofits in terms of the types of services they provide and the stipulations placed upon service recipients

    SnTox3 Acts in Effector Triggered Susceptibility to Induce Disease on Wheat Carrying the Snn3 Gene

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    The necrotrophic fungus Stagonospora nodorum produces multiple proteinaceous host-selective toxins (HSTs) which act in effector triggered susceptibility. Here, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of the SnTox3-encoding gene, designated SnTox3, as well as the initial characterization of the SnTox3 protein. SnTox3 is a 693 bp intron-free gene with little obvious homology to other known genes. The predicted immature SnTox3 protein is 25.8 kDa in size. A 20 amino acid signal sequence as well as a possible pro sequence are predicted. Six cysteine residues are predicted to form disulfide bonds and are shown to be important for SnTox3 activity. Using heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris and transformation into an avirulent S. nodorum isolate, we show that SnTox3 encodes the SnTox3 protein and that SnTox3 interacts with the wheat susceptibility gene Snn3. In addition, the avirulent S. nodorum isolate transformed with SnTox3 was virulent on host lines expressing the Snn3 gene. SnTox3-disrupted mutants were deficient in the production of SnTox3 and avirulent on the Snn3 differential wheat line BG220. An analysis of genetic diversity revealed that SnTox3 is present in 60.1% of a worldwide collection of 923 isolates and occurs as eleven nucleotide haplotypes resulting in four amino acid haplotypes. The cloning of SnTox3 provides a fundamental tool for the investigation of the S. nodorum-wheat interaction, as well as vital information for the general characterization of necrotroph-plant interactions.This work was supported by USDA-ARS CRIS projects 5442-22000-043-00D and 5442-22000-030-00D

    Does the Presence of Internal Audit Affect the Outcome of a Municipality’s Financial Audit?

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    Several recent studies have examined whether the presence of internal audit in the public sector affects the outcomes of external audits. The issue is important because all government leaders face pressure to justify program and organizational unit value in measurable ways or risk budget reductions and elimination. The earlier studies offer mixed conclusions focusing on larger cities and state agencies. Our study examines the same issue but focuses on larger and smaller cities. Using data from a population of Florida cities we test using logistic regression whether external audit outcomes differ between those cities with and those without an internal audit function. Our results show that cities with an internal audit function are more likely to receive a clean audit report than those without one

    The trough-system algorithm and its application to spatial modeling of Greenland subglacial topography

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    This is the published version. Copyright 2014 Herzfeld et al.Dynamic ice-sheet models are used to assess the contribution of mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet to sea-level rise. Mass transfer from ice sheet to ocean is in a large part through outlet glaciers. Bed topography plays an important role in ice dynamics, since the acceleration from the slow-moving inland ice to an ice stream is in many cases caused by the existence of a subglacial trough or trough system. Problems are that most subglacial troughs are features of a scale not resolved in most ice-sheet models and that radar measurements of subglacial topography do not always reach the bottoms of narrow troughs. The trough-system algorithm introduced here employs mathematical morphology and algebraic topology to correctly represent subscale features in a topographic generalization, so the effects of troughs on ice flow are retained in ice-dynamic models. The algorithm is applied to derive a spatial elevation model of Greenland subglacial topography, integrating recently collected radar measurements (CReSIS data) of the Jakobshavn Isbræ, Helheim, Kangerdlussuaq and Petermann glacier regions. The resultant JakHelKanPet digital elevation model has been applied in dynamic ice-sheet modeling and sea-level-rise assessment

    Missed orthopaedic injuries in adult trauma patients at a major trauma centre

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    Abstract Introduction: Despite advances in trauma care, missed injury remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma worldwide. In England, few have published their missed injury rates and there are no recent data for London. In 2010 London trauma networks were restructured and the impact on missed injury rates is not known. This study aimed to determine the incidence of missed orthopaedic injury for adult trauma patients at St George's Hospital, London, and to analyse missed injuries and comment on risk factors. Method: Trauma patients were recorded prospectively at the daily trauma meeting from July to September 2012. The researcher attended clinical activities and reviewed the patient notes and radiology reports daily whilst each patient was an inpatient until discharge. Missed injuries were defined as fractures or dislocations discovered more than 12 h after arrival in the emergency department. The notes for missed injury patients were reviewed again at six months. Missed injury details were recorded/analysed. Results: Three hundred and forty three adult trauma patients were referred to trauma and orthopaedics in the threemonth study period; 5 (1.5%) had a missed injury and 148 (43.1%) had an ISS>15. All missed injuries occurred in these major trauma patients, giving an incidence of 5/148 (3.4%). Four were extremity injuries and one was cervical. All missed injury patients had a GCS of 15/15, were admitted outside normal working hours, were direct admissions and had wholebody CT. Conclusions: At 3.4% our missed injury incidence is comparable to those published from similar major trauma centres. This provides recent London data following the restructuring of trauma networks

    Modeling a high mass turn down in the stellar initial mass function

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    Statistical sampling from the stellar initial mass function (IMF) for all star-forming regions in the Galaxy would lead to the prediction of ~1000 Msun stars unless there is a rapid turn-down in the IMF beyond several hundred solar masses. Such a turndown is not necessary for dense clusters because the number of stars sampled is always too small. Here we explore several mechanisms for an upper mass cutoff, including an exponential decline of the star formation probability after a turbulent crossing time. The results are in good agreement with the observed IMF over the entire stellar mass range, and they give a gradual turn down compared to the Salpeter function above ~100 Msun for normal thermal Jeans mass, M_J. The upper mass turn down should scale with M_J in different environments. A problem with the models is that they cannot give both the observed power-law IMF out to the high-mass sampling limit in dense clusters, as well as the observed lack of supermassive stars in whole galaxy disks. Either there is a sharper upper-mass cutoff in the IMF, perhaps from self-limitation, or the IMF is different for dense clusters than for the majority of star formation that occurs at lower density. Dense clusters seem to have an overabundance of massive stars relative to the average IMF in a galaxy.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures, Astrophysical Journal, Vol 539, August 10, 200
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