Interpretive computer simulator for the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-2 (NSSC-2)

An Interpretive Computer Simulator (ICS) for the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-II (NSSC-II) was developed as a code verification and testing tool for the Annular Suspension and Pointing System (ASPS) project. The simulator is written in the higher level language PASCAL and implented on the CDC CYBER series computer system. It is supported by a metal assembler, a linkage loader for the NSSC-II, and a utility library to meet the application requirements. The architectural design of the NSSC-II is that of an IBM System/360 (S/360) and supports all but four instructions of the S/360 standard instruction set. The structural design of the ICS is described with emphasis on the design differences between it and the NSSC-II hardware. The program flow is diagrammed, with the function of each procedure being defined; the instruction implementation is discussed in broad terms; and the instruction timings used in the ICS are listed. An example of the steps required to process an assembly level language program on the ICS is included. The example illustrates the control cards necessary to assemble, load, and execute assembly language code; the sample program to to be executed; the executable load module produced by the loader; and the resulting output produced by the ICS

Funding Resilient Infrastructure in New Jersey: Attitudes Following a Natural Disaster

Recent major natural disasters in New Jersey have demonstrated the need to increase the resilience of transportation infrastructure. This research examines public attitudes toward revenue sources that can be dedicated to protecting vulnerable areas, most notably the transportation linkages on which the state depends. A statewide survey was conducted to gather data approximately four months following Superstorm Sandy, the costliest natural disaster in the state’s history. The authors’ objective was to sample public attitudes while the impacts of the disaster were still fresh. They found little support for temporary tax increases to improve resiliency, with the most positive support for taxing visitors (i.e., a hotel and recreational tax) and for a 30-year bond measure (i.e., taxing the future). This observation seemingly contradicts broad support for investing in new infrastructure, as well as maintaining and protecting existing infrastructure. Multivariate analysis to understand the underlying attitudes toward raising revenue found that more left-leaning or communitarian attitudes are associated with more support for gasoline, income, or sales taxes devoted to mitigating vulnerability. Those who supported investment in transit and protecting infrastructure also were more likely to support these taxes. There was no parallel finding of factors associated with taxing visitors or issuing bonds

The sum-of-years’ digits depreciation method: use by SEC filers

The sum-of-years’ digits depreciation method is an accelerated depreciation and amortization technique that is acceptable for financial reporting under U.S. and IASB accounting rules. Until 1981, it was an acceptable method for tax reporting in the U.S., and the aggressive nature of the method was an appealing characteristic for tax returns. Since 1981, little attention has been paid to its continued use in financial reporting. Academic research tends to group all accelerated depreciation methods together. However, declining balance depreciation methods are more appealing because they are more flexible, are easier to apply to partial periods, and have common characteristics with current U.S. tax depreciation law. This paper reports how SEC filers over the past four years have used the sum-of-years’ digits method. It shows what type of companies use this method, what types of assets it is applied to, and what length of asset life is typically chosen. Sum-of-years’ digits sees its most frequent use in the banking and regulated industries. It is primarily applied to intangible assets, such as acquired customer relationships. What is surprising for the non-regulated companies is that they are amortizing the assets more aggressively for financial reporting than they are for tax reporting. Possible motivations are discussed

An Introduction to the U.S. Municipal Bond Market

With a market value exceeding $2.6 trillion, the U.S. municipal securities market offers state and local governments many capital investment-financing opportunities. Many readers, however, may lack an understanding of the issuance process, the quality of the available information, or the inherent risks associated with these instruments. We describe the traditional municipal bonds process beginning with the initial offering preparations and the methods of sale. We discuss the types of interest costs and the use of the bond proceeds. We identify typical bond types and call provisions. We then turn to a discussion of the investment characteristics of municipal bonds. We explain credit ratings, credit enhancements, potential risks, and oversight and reporting. Our discussion is supplemented with data from the municipal bond market from 2001-2007. Our paper provides the reader with a basic understanding of the institutional structure, available information, and potential risks for this economically significant market

Go with The Flow: Testing the Effects of Emotional Flow on Psychophysiological, Attitudinal, and Behavioral Changes

Emotions are important constructs that affect the lives of everyone. Emotions play a particularly strong role in persuasion. This study examines the concept of emotional flow, a sequencing of specific discrete emotions in a strategic manner to affect attitudes and behaviors. In an experiment to understand the functions and applicability of emotional flow, an experiment was conducted using a public service announcement about melanoma that contained a sequence that flowed from humor to sadness to hope. This dissertation used both self-report as well as biometric measures of the emotional responses valence and arousal. Using Affect Priming Theory, Mood Management Theory, and Excitation Transfer Theory as guides, results showed that participants who viewed the humor-sadness-hope emotional flow had higher levels of arousal compared to those who viewed humor-sadness or humor-sadness-neutral emotional flows. The humorsadness- hope emotional flow resulted in higher levels of pleasure compared to those who viewed the humor-sadness emotional flow. Arousal was identified as a mediator between emotional flow and both message engagement and risk perceptions. Additionally, sadness was found to moderate the relationship between emotional flow and both attitude and message engagement

The normalization of sibling violence: Does gender and personal experience of violence influence perceptions of physical assault against siblings?

Despite its pervasive and detrimental nature, sibling violence (SV) remains marginalized as a harmless and inconsequential form of familial aggression. The present study investigates the extent to which perceptions of SV differ from those of other types of interpersonal violence. A total of 605 respondents (197 males, 408 females) read one of four hypothetical physical assault scenarios that varied according to perpetrator–victim relationship type (i.e., sibling vs. dating partner vs. peer vs. stranger) before completing a series of 24 attribution items. Respondents also reported on their own experiences of interpersonal violence during childhood. Exploratory factor analysis reduced 23 attribution items to three internally reliable factors reflecting perceived assault severity, victim culpability, and victim resistance ratings. A 4 × 2 MANCOVA—controlling for respondent age—revealed several significant effects. Overall, males deemed the assault less severe and the victim more culpable than did females. In addition, the sibling assault was deemed less severe compared to assault on either a dating partner or a stranger, with the victim of SV rated just as culpable as the victim of dating, peer, or stranger-perpetrated violence. Finally, respondents with more (frequent) experiences of childhood SV victimization perceived the hypothetical SV assault as being less severe, and victim more culpable, than respondents with no SV victimization. Results are discussed in the context of SV normalization. Methodological limitations and applications for current findings are also outlined

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Antitrust and Trade Regulation Law

This year witnessed the advance of a wide variety of antitrust and trade regulation theories, most of which met with little success. Of the antitrust cases, Continental Airlines waged a successful battle to eliminate carry-on baggage restrictions at Dulles Airport. Additionally, Maryland\u27s price-setting scheme for liquor was not accorded state action immunity. On the other side of the ledger, another antitrust litigant failed to overcome the requirement that efforts to petition the government must be objectively baseless in order to meet the sham exception to the Noerr-Pennington doctrine. Difficulties in proving an antitrust injury and the intent element of a section conspiracy to monopolize claim ended another long-pitched battle over limited vermiculite resources. The Fourth Circuit treated an exclusive supply case with the same sort of back-of-the-hand treatment accorded most vertical restraint cases over the past ten years. Likewise, regardless of the statutory or regulatory scheme, dealership and franchise termination cases met with little success. Finally, while the malice requirement in the Virginia Business Conspiracy Act (the Act ) has become ingrained in Virginia jurisprudence as the legal malice standard, courts are finding other ways to dispose of these claims. In doing so, courts have enunciated a clear and convincing evidence standard for cases under the Act

An Analysis and Comparison of Bankers' Perceptions of Stock Options in 1999 and 2005

Research to date on accounting for stock options has focused the analysis on a single group of corporate stakeholders, stockholders. This paper reports the results of a survey administered to another group of stakeholders, creditors. Commercial bankers were surveyed regarding the accounting treatment for stock options and the perceived impact of stock options on financial statements, firm valuation, and the loan decision. A unique aspect of our study is that we surveyed bankers during two distinct periods. We first surveyed bankers in 1999, well after the debate surrounding SFAS 123 (FASB, 1995), but before the resurgence of the debate leading up to SFAS 123(R) (FASB, 2004). We surveyed again in 2005, as companies were implementing SFAS 123(R). This allows us to comment on the impact of public debate preceding the rule revision on the perceptions of a group of well-informed financial statement users. We find bankers in both periods view stock options as compensation. The method of accounting does not matter if relevant information is disclosed. More experienced loan officers from 1999, and those who deal with stock options frequently from 2005, are less negative than others about the impact of stock options on shareholder interest in company assets