Advertising spending, firm performance, and the moderating impact of CSR

This article investigates the potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to influence the link between advertising spending and firm performance. Drawing upon the literature of CSR, we hypothesize that CSR positively moderates the relationship between advertising spending and firm performance. We focus on two types of firm performance: sales and firm value. Using two samples from both the hotel and restaurant industries, we found that firms with higher levels of CSR enjoy higher returns on advertising spending than firms with lower levels of CSR. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings and provide direction for future research

Solution-Phase Synthesis of Heteroatom-Substituted Carbon Scaffolds for Hydrogen Storage

This paper reports a bottom-up solution-phase process for the preparation of pristine and heteroatom (boron, phosphorus, or nitrogen)-substituted carbon scaffolds that show good surface areas and enhanced hydrogen adsorption capacities and binding energies. The synthesis method involves heating chlorine-containing small organic molecules with metallic sodium at reflux in high-boiling solvents. For heteroatom incorporation, heteroatomic electrophiles are added to the reaction mixture. Under the reaction conditions, micrometer-sized graphitic sheets assembled by 3−5 nm-sized domains of graphene nanoflakes are formed, and when they are heteroatom-substituted, the heteroatoms are uniformly distributed. The substituted carbon scaffolds enriched with heteroatoms (boron ~7.3%, phosphorus ~8.1%, and nitrogen ~28.1%) had surface areas as high as 900 m^2 g^(−1) and enhanced reversible hydrogen physisorption capacities relative to pristine carbon scaffolds or common carbonaceous materials. In addition, the binding energies of the substituted carbon scaffolds, as measured by adsorption isotherms, were 8.6, 8.3, and 5.6 kJ mol^(−1) for the boron-, phosphorus-, and nitrogen-enriched carbon scaffolds, respectively

Designing rigid carbon foams

We use ab initio density functional calculations to study the stability, elastic properties and electronic structure of sp2 carbon minimal surfaces with negative Gaussian curvature, called schwarzites. We focus on two systems with cubic unit cells containing 152 and 200 carbon atoms, which are metallic and very rigid. The porous schwarzite structure allows for efficient and reversible doping by electron donors and acceptors, making it a promising candidate for the next generation of alkali ion batteries. We identify schwarzite structures that act as arrays of interconnected quantum spin dots or become magnetic when doped. We introduce two interpenetrating schwarzite structures that may find their use as the ultimate super-capacitor.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Activation of Cytochrome C Peroxidase Function Through Coordinated Foldon Loop Dynamics upon Interaction with Anionic Lipids

Cardiolipin (CL) is a mitochondrial anionic lipid that plays important roles in the regulation and signaling of mitochondrial apoptosis. CL peroxidation catalyzed by the assembly of CL-cytochrome c (cyt c) complexes at the inner mitochondrial membrane is a critical checkpoint. The structural changes in the protein, associated with peroxidase activation by CL and different anionic lipids, are not known at a molecular level. To better understand these peripheral protein-lipid interactions, we compare how phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and CL lipids trigger cyt c peroxidase activation, and correlate functional differences to structural and motional changes in membrane-associated cyt c. Structural and motional studies of the bound protein are enabled by magic angle spinning solid state NMR spectroscopy, while lipid peroxidase activity is assayed by mass spectrometry. PG binding results in a surface-bound state that preserves a nativelike fold, which nonetheless allows for significant peroxidase activity, though at a lower level than binding its native substrate CL. Lipid-specific differences in peroxidase activation are found to correlate to corresponding differences in lipid-induced protein mobility, affecting specific protein segments. The dynamics of omega loops C and D are upregulated by CL binding, in a way that is remarkably controlled by the protein:lipid stoichiometry. In contrast to complete chemical denaturation, membrane-induced protein destabilization reflects a destabilization of select cyt c foldons, while the energetically most stable helices are preserved. Our studies illuminate the interplay of protein and lipid dynamics in the creation of lipid peroxidase-active proteolipid complexes implicated in early stages of mitochondrial apoptosis

Effects of uniaxial strain in LaMnO_3

The effects of uniaxial strain on the structural, orbital, optical, and magnetic properties of LaMnO_3 are calculated using a general elastic energy expression, along with a tight-binding parameterization of the band theory. Tensile uniaxial strain of the order of 2 % (i.e., of the order of magnitude of those induced in thin films by lattice mismatch with substrates) is found to lead to changes in the magnetic ground state, leading to dramatic changes in the band structure and optical conductivity spectrum. The magnetostriction effect associated with the Neel transition of bulk(unstrained) LaMnO_3 is also determined. Due to the Jahn-Teller coupling, the uniform tetragonal distortion mode is softer in LaMnO_3 than in doped cubic manganates. Reasons why the observed (\pi \pi 0) orbital ordering is favored over a (\pi \pi \pi) periodicity are discussed.Comment: 9 figures, submitted in Phys. Rev.

1999 Media Guide

1999 Men\u27s Track and Field Media Guide, George Fox College

Development and application of a couple-centered antenatal education program in Korea

Purpose This study was conducted to develop a couple-centered antenatal education program and to test the program’s feasibility. Methods With a preliminary-experimental study design, 33 pregnant couples who were expecting their first child participated in this study. The program consisted of four sessions (1 hour/session/week) of education and counseling. Data were collected before and after the intervention from September 2018 to April 2019 at a women’s hospital in Daejeon, Korea, with demographic data forms, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Maternal–Fetal Attachment Scale, Korean Newborn Care Confidence Scale, Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale-10. Results The pregnant women and their husbands were on average 32.30±3.10 and 33.21±6.25 years old, respectively. The mean marriage duration was 2.34±1.63 years, the gestational age was 31.30±2.66 weeks, and 78.8% of the couples had a planned pregnancy. After the program, both the pregnant women and their husbands showed significant improvements in attachment to the fetus and confidence in providing infant care. Prenatal depression, prenatal stress, and fear of childbirth in pregnant women significantly decreased after completing the program. However, the dyadic adjustment score did not change significantly either in the pregnant women or their husbands. Conclusion A couple-centered antenatal education program seems to be effective for couples adjusting to parenthood, but further studies should explore ways to have a positive impact on couples’ relationships

Genome-wide expression patterns associated with oncogenesis and sarcomatous transdifferentation of cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms of CC (cholangiocarcinoma) oncogenesis and progression are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the genome-wide expression of genes related to CC oncogenesis and sarcomatous transdifferentiation. METHODS: Genes that were differentially expressed between CC cell lines or tissues and cultured normal biliary epithelial (NBE) cells were identified using DNA microarray technology. Expressions were validated in human CC tissues and cells. RESULTS: Using unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of the cell line and tissue samples, we identified a set of 342 commonly regulated (>2-fold change) genes. Of these, 53, including tumor-related genes, were upregulated, and 289, including tumor suppressor genes, were downregulated (<0.5 fold change). Expression of SPP1, EFNB2, E2F2, IRX3, PTTG1, PPARγ, KRT17, UCHL1, IGFBP7 and SPARC proteins was immunohistochemically verified in human and hamster CC tissues. Additional unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of sarcomatoid CC cells compared to three adenocarcinomatous CC cell lines revealed 292 differentially upregulated genes (>4-fold change), and 267 differentially downregulated genes (<0.25 fold change). The expression of 12 proteins was validated in the CC cell lines by immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemical staining. Of the proteins analyzed, we found upregulation of the expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins VIM and TWIST1, and restoration of the methylation-silenced proteins LDHB, BNIP3, UCHL1, and NPTX2 during sarcomatoid transdifferentiation of CC. CONCLUSION: The deregulation of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and methylation-related genes may be useful in identifying molecular targets for CC diagnosis and prognosis

The interplay between double exchange, super-exchange, and Lifshitz localization in doped manganites

Considering the disorder caused in manganites by the substitution of Mn by Fe or Ga, we accomplish a systematic study of doped manganites begun in previous papers. To this end, a disordered model is formulated and solved using the Variational Mean Field technique. The subtle interplay between double exchange, super-exchange, and disorder causes similar effects on the dependence of T_C on the percentage of Mn substitution in the cases considered. Yet, in La$_{2/3}$Ca$_{1/3}$Mn$_{1-y}$Ga$_y$O$_3$ our results suggest a quantum critical point (QCP) for $y\approx 0.1-0.2$, associated to the localization of the electronic states of the conduction band. In the case of La$_x$Ca$_x$Mn$_{1-y}$Fe$_y$O$_3$ (with $x=1/3,3/8$) no such QCP is expected.Comment: 6 pages + 3 postscript figures. Largely extended discussio