GROUND BEEF: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. BEEF INDUSTRY

Livestock Production/Industries,

Tax Cuts and Employment Growth in New Jersey: Lessons From a Regional Analysis

The Whitman Administration’s 30 percent reduction in New Jersey’s personal income taxes from 1994-96 is prominently cited as a role model for state fiscal policy. We investigate whether the growth benefits attributed to the Whitman tax cuts are warranted. Panel data methods are applied to annual observations of county-level employment growth from New Jersey and the surrounding economic region. Our analysis does not support the hypothesis that tax cuts stimulated employment growth in New Jersey. While New Jersey did experience substantial employment growth subsequent to the tax cuts, most of this growth was shared by the nearby Economic Areas.Tax cuts, economics growth

On Estimating Marginal Tax Rates and Tax Progressivities for U.S. States

This research presents a simple procedure for improving state-specific estimates of marginal tax rates (MTR’s). Most research employing MTR’s follows a procedure developed by Koester and Kormendi (K&K, 1987). Unfortunately, the time-invariant nature of the K&K estimates precludes their use as explanatory variables in panel data studies. Furthermore, their estimates are not based on statutory tax parameters. In contrast, our procedure produces timevarying estimates of MTR’s that are directly related to observed changes in statutory tax parameters. Using comprehensive data on state tax policy parameters, our procedure produces state-specific MTR’s estimates for all 50 states over the years 1977-2004. We compare our refined MTR’s to alternative estimates and evaluate implications for estimating tax progressivity for US states.State tax revenues; Marginal tax rates; Tax burden; Tax progressivity; Economic growth.

In-Store Evaluation of Consumer Willingness to Pay for “Farm-Raised†Pre-Cooked Roast Beef: A Case Study

A choice-based conjoint experiment was used to examine consumer willingness to pay for a farm-raised pre-cooked roast beef product. Consumers were contacted in a grocery store and provided a sample of the pre-cooked product. Findings indicate there is a small, but statistically significant willingness-to-pay premium for the farm-raised product, suggesting that some product differentiation may result in higher prices for these products. The study outlines an approach to marketing research.beef, conjoint, convenience foods, experiments, in-store tests, surveys, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

A Competing Values Framework for Analyzing Presentational Communication in Management Contexts

Communication specialists have long been interested in analyzing messages. More recently, they have stressed the need for evaluative tools that account for situational ex pectations and constraints. Drawing from the literature on organizational and managerial effectiveness, we constructed an empirical model applicable to presenta tional communication. Over 100 communication professors evaluated the relevance of descriptors for six different types of business presentations: three oral and three writ ten. Their judgments were used to create similarity scores, which were submitted to multidimensional scaling. A three-dimensional model emerged. This "competing values model" illustrates the dynamic interplay between the highly contrasting charac teristics of four general types of presentational communication: relational, information al, instructional, and transformational. In conclusion, we discuss the benefits of the model and suggest its usefulness as an evaluative tool, particularly for the training of managers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68906/2/10.1177_002194369102800303.pd

Satellite Imagery in the Study and Forecast of Malaria

More than 30 years ago, human beings looked back from the Moon to see the magnificent spectacle of Earthrise. The technology that put us into space has since been used to assess the damage we are doing to our natural environment and is now being harnessed to monitor and predict diseases through space and time. Satellite sensor data promise the development of early-warning systems for diseases such as malaria, which kills between 1 and 2 million people each year

Inhibition of Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation with a class of TAGE-triazole conjugates

This is the published version. Copyright Royal Society of ChemistryA chemically diverse library of TAGE-triazole conjugates was synthesized utilizing click chemistry on the TAGE scaffold. This library of small molecules was screened for anti-biofilm activity and found to possess the ability of inhibiting biofilm formation against Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One such compound in this library demonstrated the most potent inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation that has been displayed by any 2-aminoimidazole derivative

Faces and Facets:Variability of Emotion Recognition in Psychopathy Reflect its Affective and Antisocial Features

Psychopathy consists of a constellation of affective-interpersonal features including lack of empathy, callousness, manipulativeness and interpersonal charm, impulsiveness and irresponsibility. Despite its theoretical and predictive value in forensic contexts, the relationships between the psychometric dimensions of psychopathy, including its antisocial features, and the construct’s neuropsychological characteristics remain uncertain. In this study, 685 personality-disordered prisoners with histories of serious violent or sexual offenses were assessed for psychopathy before completing a computerized and well-validated assessment of the ability to recognize emotional expressions in the face. Prisoners with more of the affective features of psychopathy, and prisoners with more of its antisocial manifestations, showed relatively poor recognition accuracy of fearfulness and disgust. These relationships were independent and modest but were still evident following correction for demographic features (e.g., ethnicity and socioeconomic status), mental illness (e.g., substance and alcohol misuse), personality disorders (other than antisocial personality disorder) and treatment status. By contrast, the associations between these dimensions of psychopathy and emotion recognition were diminished by controlling for cognitive ability. These findings demonstrate that variability in the ability of high-risk personality-disordered prisoners to recognize emotional expressions in the face—in particular, fear and disgust—reflects both the affective and antisocial aspects of psychopathy, and is moderated by cognitive ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved

A novel drug management system in the Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial:A description of a pharmacy system designed to supply medications directly to patients within a prospective multicenter randomised clinical trial

Background: Trials of investigational medicinal products are required to adhere to strict guidelines with regard to the handling and supply of medication. Information technology offers opportunities to approach clinical trial methodology in new ways. This report summarises a novel pharmacy system designed to supply trial medications directly to patients by post in the Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial.Method: A bespoke web-based software package was designed to facilitate the direct supply of trial medications to Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial participants from a pharmacy based in the Medicines Monitoring Unit, University of Dundee.Results: To date, 65,467 packs of medication have been dispensed using the system to 3978 patients. Up to 238 packs per day have been dispensed.Conclusion: The Medicines Monitoring Unit Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial drug management system is an effective method of administering the complex drug supply requirements of a large-scale clinical trial with advantages over existing arrangements. A low rate of loss to follow-up in the Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial may be attributable to the drug management system.</p

Electrostatic Levitation for Studies of Materials for Additive and In-Space Manufacturing

The electrostatic levitation (ESL) laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a unique facility for investigators studying high-temperature materials. Electrostatic levitation minimizes gravitational effects and allows materials to be studied without contact with a container or instrumentation