Marketing Control: Exogenous Aspects Of Price Variance

Marketers should compare the relative impact of changing their price and the impact of a changing market price using variance analysis. In 1977 Hulbert and Toy improved the traditional analysis of variance by expanding the quantity variance to include the variance in market share and the variance in the size of the market. They successfully argued that if managers were to understand the impact that changes in quantity were having on the differences between the planned profits and actual profits they should measure the impact that changing market size and changing market share have on revenues and contribution margins. In this paper we present a method for expanding the price variance to include the variances in the market price and the firm’s choice of relative market price

Rebuilding America's Communities: A Federal Community Wealth Building Proposal

Anyone concerned about the state of America's communities today must give serious thought to how public policy can support on-the-ground practitioners. This report from The Democracy Collaborative outlines an ambitious 10-year strategy to meet that goal

The Effects of Swathing Wheat on the Date of Harvest, Yield and Seed Quality

In 1975 approximately 350,000 acres were double-cropped using small grain and soybeans in Kentucky. Due to the low acreage of winter barley (48,000 acres) most of the soybeans were either planted by no-till or conventional means following winter wheat. The major problem with winter wheat in a double-cropping system is that the date of planting for soybeans is delayed. Research at the West Kentucky Experiment Station at Princeton indicates that this delay can reduce soybean yields from 7 to 11 bushels per acre depending upon the soybean variety used. The research at Princeton also indicates no reduction in soybean yields following Barsoy barley; however disease and winter-kill problems have reduced acreage in Kentucky in recent years. If barley fits the farming program, however, it could still be considered on part of the acreage double-cropped

In-The-Row Subsoiling of Tobacco

Tobacco is probably more adversely affected by soil compaction than, the other crops grown in Kentucky. ThIs Is due to the characteristIcs of the plant and the unusual cultural practIces under which it is grown. Soil compaction increases soil density while reducing pore space and root penetration. The reduced pore space reduces the aeration of the soil, which reduces tobacco growth especially during wet periods. The effects of soil compaction on tobacco are due to both impedance of root growth and lack of aeration

Methods of Monitoring Training Loads in Junior Tennis Players

High training volumes and injury risk with junior tennis players has gained much attention. In recent years, the ideas of monitoring training volume to provide guidance to coaches has been an area of interest to support the potential reduction in injury rates. In tennis several internal and external methods have been used to determine training loads. Often these methods vary in cost, ease, accuracy and reliability. As such this review provides information on training monitoring for junior tennis players using methods including heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), wellness questionnaires, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), global positioning systems (GPS), physical testing and wearable technologies

Chlamydia Hijacks ARF GTPases To Coordinate Microtubule Posttranslational Modifications and Golgi Complex Positioning.

The intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis develops in a parasitic compartment called the inclusion. Posttranslationally modified microtubules encase the inclusion, controlling the positioning of Golgi complex fragments around the inclusion. The molecular mechanisms by which Chlamydia coopts the host cytoskeleton and the Golgi complex to sustain its infectious compartment are unknown. Here, using a genetically modified Chlamydia strain, we discovered that both posttranslationally modified microtubules and Golgi complex positioning around the inclusion are controlled by the chlamydial inclusion protein CT813/CTL0184/InaC and host ARF GTPases. CT813 recruits ARF1 and ARF4 to the inclusion membrane, where they induce posttranslationally modified microtubules. Similarly, both ARF isoforms are required for the repositioning of Golgi complex fragments around the inclusion. We demonstrate that CT813 directly recruits ARF GTPases on the inclusion membrane and plays a pivotal role in their activation. Together, these results reveal that Chlamydia uses CT813 to hijack ARF GTPases to couple posttranslationally modified microtubules and Golgi complex repositioning at the inclusion.IMPORTANCEChlamydia trachomatis is an important cause of morbidity and a significant economic burden in the world. However, how Chlamydia develops its intracellular compartment, the so-called inclusion, is poorly understood. Using genetically engineered Chlamydia mutants, we discovered that the effector protein CT813 recruits and activates host ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) and ARF4 to regulate microtubules. In this context, CT813 acts as a molecular platform that induces the posttranslational modification of microtubules around the inclusion. These cages are then used to reposition the Golgi complex during infection and promote the development of the inclusion. This study provides the first evidence that ARF1 and ARF4 play critical roles in controlling posttranslationally modified microtubules around the inclusion and that Chlamydia trachomatis hijacks this novel function of ARF to reposition the Golgi complex

Mechanisms and outcome of severe mitral regulation after inoue balloon valvuloplasty

AbstractObjectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence, mechanism and outcome of severe mitral regurgitation after treatment of mitral stenosis with percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon.Background. Severe mitral regurgitation occurs in up to 15% of percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty procedures for acquired mitral stenosis. The incidence and mechanism of production of mitral regurgitation with the recently introduced single-ballon lnone technique have not been characterized.Methods. We examined the incidence, mechanism, predictors and outcome of severe mitral regurgitation after Inoue balloon valvuloplasty in 280 patients in the North American multicenter registry. Twenty-one patients who developed either clinically significant or angiographically severe regurgitation were identified, and their echocardiograms were reviewed to determine the mechanism of regurgitation. These patients were then compared with the remaining patients without severe regurgitation to identify predictors of this outcome.Results. The incidence of severe regurgitation in this study was 7.5%, and the mean grade of angiographic regurgitation in these patients increased from 0.9 ± 1.0 to 2.8 ± 0.7 (p < 0.05). The most common cause of regurgitation (43%) was rupture of clhordae tendineae to the anterior or posterior mitral leaflet. Tearing of a leaflet (usually the posterior one) occurred in 30% of patients; and no recognizable structural abnormality, with wide splitting of the commissures and a central regurgitant jet, was present in five patients (26%). All patients with definite posterior leaflet tears had heavily calcified leaflet. Patients who developed severe regurgitation had fewer balloon inflations and a higher grade of preexisting mitral regurgitation but were otherwish similar to the remaining patients without severe regurgitation. During 6-month follow-up, 71% of the patients with severe regurgitation were treated surgically; the grade of regurgitation decreased in four patients (19%), and five (24%) not required mitral valve replacement during 18 ± 5 month of follow-up.Conclusions. Severe mitral regurgitation is a relatively infrequent complication of Inoue balloon valvutoplasty and results from disruption of the valve integrity, chordal rapture and leaflet tearing. Careful balloon positioning may help avoid chordal rapture, and heavily calcified posterior lesflets may be at greater risk of tearing. Most patients who develop severe regurgitation will require nonemergency mitral valve replacement

Use of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate–Containing Medical Products and Urinary Levels of Mono(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Infants

Objective: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer used in medical products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and may be toxic to humans. DEHP is lipophilic and binds non-covalently to PVC, allowing it to leach from these products. Medical devices containing DEHP are used extensively in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Among neonates in NICUs, we studied exposure to DEHP-containing medical devices in relation to urinary levels of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), a metabolite of DEHP. Design: We used a cross-sectional design for this study. Participants: We studied 54 neonates admitted to either of two level III hospital NICUs for at least 3 days between 1 March and 30 April 2003. Measurements: A priori, we classified the infants’ exposures to DEHP based on medical products used: The low-DEHP exposure group included infants receiving primarily bottle and/or gavage feedings; the medium exposure group included infants receiving enteral feedings, intravenous hyperalimentation, and/or nasal continuous positive airway pressure; and the high exposure group included infants receiving umbilical vessel catheterization, endotracheal intubation, intravenous hyperalimentation, and indwelling gavage tube. We measured MEHP in the infants’ urine using automated solid-phase extraction/isotope dilution/high-performance liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Urinary MEHP levels increased monotonically with DEHP exposure. For the low-, medium-, and high-DEHP exposure groups, median (interquartile range) MEHP levels were 4 (18), 28 (58), and 86 ng/mL (150), respectively (p = 0.004). After adjustment for institution and sex, urinary MEHP levels among infants in the high exposure group were 5.1 times those among infants in the low exposure group (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Intensive use of DEHP-containing medical devices in NICU infants results in higher exposure to DEHP as reflected by elevated urinary levels of MEHP

Chem-Prep PZT 95/5 for neutron generator applications : development of laboratory-scale powder processing operations.

Chemical synthesis methods are being developed as a future source of PZT 95/5 powder for neutron generator voltage bar applications. Laboratory-scale powder processes were established to produce PZT billets from these powders. The interactions between calcining temperature, sintering temperature, and pore former content were studied to identify the conditions necessary to produce PZT billets of the desired density and grain size. Several binder systems and pressing aids were evaluated for producing uniform sintered billets with low open porosity. The development of these processes supported the powder synthesis efforts and enabled comparisons between different chem-prep routes