Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Georgia

This report documents the intergovernmental fiscal system in Georgia, with a focus on the expenditure, revenue, and intergovernmental grant system in the state. FRC Report 14

Selected Fiscal and Economic Implications of Aging

This report considers pressures and potential benefits of an increased elderly population in Georgia. FRC Report 16

On the Interface Between Operations and Human Resources Management

Operations management (OM) and human resources management (HRM) have historically been very separate fields. In practice, operations managers and human resource managers interact primarily on administrative issues regarding payroll and other matters. In academia, the two subjects are studied by separate communities of scholars publishing in disjoint sets of journals, drawing on mostly separate disciplinary foundations. Yet, operations and human resources are intimately related at a fundamental level. Operations are the context that often explains or moderates the effects of human resource activities such as pay, training, communications and staffing. Human responses to operations management systems often explain variations or anomalies that would otherwise be treated as randomness or error variance in traditional operations research models. In this paper, we probe the interface between operations and human resources by examining how human considerations affect classical OM results and how operational considerations affect classical HRM results. We then propose a unifying framework for identifying new research opportunities at the intersection of the two fields

NASA Langley Research Center National Aero-Space Plane Mission simulation profile sets

To provide information on the potential for long life service of oxidation resistant carbon-carbon (ORCC) materials in the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) airframe environment, NASP ascent, entry, and cruise trajectories were analytically flown. Temperature and pressure profiles were generated for 20 vehicle locations. Orbital (ascent and entry) and cruise profile sets from four locations are presented along with the humidity exposure and testing sequences that are being used to evaluate ORCC materials. The four profiles show peak temperatures during the ascent leg of an orbital mission of 2800, 2500, 2000, and 1700 F. These profiles bracket conditions where carbon-carbon might be used on the NASP vehicle

Financing an Increased State Role in Funding K-12 Education: An Analysis of Issues and Options

This report presents an analysis of replacing school property tax with alternative state revenue sources. FRC Report 11

Gaseous Mediators in Gastrointestinal Mucosal Defense and Injury

Of the numerous gaseous substances that can act as signaling molecules, the best characterized are nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. Contributions of each of these low molecular weight substances, alone or in combination, to maintenance of gastrointestinal mucosal integrity have been established. There is considerable overlap in the actions of these gases in modulating mucosal defense and responses to injury, and in some instances they act in a cooperative manner. Each also play important roles in regulating inflammatory and repair processes throughout the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of novel anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective drugs that exploit the beneficial activities of one or more of these gaseous mediators

Novel Targets for Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Until the cause(s) of inflammatory bowel disease are identified, improvements in therapy will likely come from improved anti-inflammatory therapy or improved drug delivery systems. There are many potential targets for anti-inflammatory therapy, including the synthesis of specific inflammatory mediators. This review focuses on the potential for developing therapy aimed at three targets: nerves and neuropeptides; coagulation and thrombosis; and adhesion molecules. In each case, evidence is presented from clinical and/or experimental studies that supports the hypothesis that these are rational targets for anti-inflammatory drug development

Plant extract efficacy on mosquito mortality: preliminary studies on the effect of Ailanthus altissima extract on adult Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus

Abstract Due to the negative environmental impact and resistance to synthetic insecticides, the development of biological control has increased significantly over the past half century with the potential of plant extracts only recently attracting attention. The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the potential of Ailanthus altissima extract as a botanical insecticide on adult mosquitoes. Two species of mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus) and a non-target lepidopteran species, Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) were treated with A. altissima extract from new, mature, and senesced leaflets using serial dilutions (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%) of extract via two application methods (aerosol and sugar feeding). We found that application method and leaf age had significant effects on mosquito mortality at high concentrations. These findings indicate that while mortality was not significantly high compared to commercial products, there may be potential to use an invasive plant extract as a bio-control tool for mosquito vectors of human disease pathogens

An Analysis of the Acquisition and Disposition of Real Estate Assets

This research studies the acquisition and disposition of real estate assets by non-real estate firms from 1981 through 1986. Contrary to previous studies of real estate assets, we find no abnormal performance associated with the buyers of real estate assets and only weak evidence of excess returns for sellers. When combining our results with previous work, we conclude that real estate assets themselves offer the market no unique opportunity to earn excess return. However, it appears that selected organizational forms may be preferred for managing some real estate assets. Thus, when the acquisition or disposition of a realty asset has no change in the management structure of the assets, as in this study, no excess return is found. Our study is limited by the relatively small number of sellers available for analysis.