Market Response to Flood Risk: An Empirical Study of Housing Values Using Boundary Discontinuities

This paper presents one of the first studies on flood risk evaluation in the US Northeast - a region where we are likely going to see increasing precipitation variability and associated risk of flood in the coming decades. In the paper, a spatial difference-in-differences framework based on floodplain boundary discontinuities is proposed to control for unobserved heterogeneities. Using parcel-level data from Juniata County and Perry County in Pennsylvania, the paper finds that on average there is a 5-6 percent housing value reduction due to exposure to 1 percent annual chance of flooding within the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 100-year flood zone. For Juniata County, it shows that on average there is a $3.28/sqft (in 2015 USD) discount for a full-time SFR (single family residential) property located within the flood zone. For an average housing unit of 1430 sqft living space in the sample, the estimate translates to a$4690 housing value reduction. For Perry County, the corresponding estimates are $4.00/sqft (in 2015 USD) and$6320 for an average housing unit of 1580 sqft. The paper also shows that with similar specifications, a standard hedonic price model underestimates the flood risk impact on housing value by a substantial amount as a result of failing to control for unobserved heterogeneities

An Economic Impact Analysis of Oil and Natural Gas Development in the Permian Basin

This study analyzes the economic impact of oil and natural gas development in the Permian Basin with a focus on the NM part of the Basin. The analysis looks at the impacts on state revenue, local employment and income levels. Several existing economic impact reports from other states have been criticized by the peer-review literature that the impact estimates are very likely overstated due to questionable methodologies. In this analysis, a panel data regression model with county fixed effects and year effects is deployed to identify the impact of oil and natural gas production on employment and per job annual income at the county level. The analysis covers 62 counties (12 counties in NM and 50 counties in TX) for the time period of 1998 – 2016. The main findings of the analysis can be summarized as: 1. Over the last decade, according to different estimates the state revenue generated by the oil and natural gas industries in NM has been consistently exceeding one billion dollars per year. In the meantime, a large amount of intensive direct investment has been capitalized into the southeast NM. 2. In aggregate, per job annual income (in the real term) and the number of jobs have both experienced significant growth in the last two decades of active oil and natural gas development in the region. It is reasonable to speculate that much of the growth can be attributed to the ongoing energy development. 3. It is estimated that on average additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production brings 54 jobs and about $170 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job (or a 0.5 4. The intensive oil and natural gas production around the center of the basin (Lea County and Eddy County in NM) have had significant spatial spillover effects to the surrounding counties. Depending on the distance from the given county to the center of the Basin and for additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production, the employment effect ranges from 35 to 10 jobs and the income effect ranges from$170 to $90 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job. The paper also provides details on methodology and guidelines on how to interpret estimation results. The estimated economic impact coefficients can be used for prediction purpose with available future production scenarios. The paper includes instructions and suggestions on how the prediction may proceed

An Economic Impact Analysis of Oil and Natural Gas Development in the Permian Basin

This study analyzes the economic impact of oil and natural gas development in the Permian Basin with a focus on the NM part of the Basin. The analysis looks at the impacts on state revenue, local employment and income levels. Several existing economic impact reports from other states have been criticized by the peer-review literature that the impact estimates are very likely overstated due to questionable methodologies. In this analysis, a panel data regression model with county fixed effects and year effects is deployed to identify the impact of oil and natural gas production on employment and per job annual income at the county level. The analysis covers 62 counties (12 counties in NM and 50 counties in TX) for the time period of 1998 – 2016. The main findings of the analysis can be summarized as: 1. Over the last decade, according to different estimates the state revenue generated by the oil and natural gas industries in NM has been consistently exceeding one billion dollars per year. In the meantime, a large amount of intensive direct investment has been capitalized into the southeast NM. 2. In aggregate, per job annual income (in the real term) and the number of jobs have both experienced significant growth in the last two decades of active oil and natural gas development in the region. It is reasonable to speculate that much of the growth can be attributed to the ongoing energy development. 3. It is estimated that on average additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production brings 54 jobs and about $170 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job (or a 0.5 4. The intensive oil and natural gas production around the center of the basin (Lea County and Eddy County in NM) have had significant spatial spillover effects to the surrounding counties. Depending on the distance from the given county to the center of the Basin and for additional one million BBLs of oil equivalent production, the employment effect ranges from 35 to 10 jobs and the income effect ranges from$170 to $90 (2015 dollar) extra annual income per job. The paper also provides details on methodology and guidelines on how to interpret estimation results. The estimated economic impact coefficients can be used for prediction purpose with available future production scenarios. The paper includes instructions and suggestions on how the prediction may proceed

Understanding the Challenges Faced by Chinese International Graduate Students in Acquiring Information Literacy: The Impact of Internet Censorship

Previous research identified that Chinese international students face challenges in acquiring information literacy. However, few studies have addressed the influence of Internet censorship. Thus, this study aims to explore the adaptation of Chinese international postgraduate students during the transition from undergraduate study in China to postgraduate study in Canada, with reference to their information literacy skills under the impact of Internet censorship in China. Data collection for this study was comprised of two components: an online survey and individual interviews with four participants. Examined through the mechanism of Internet censorship in China created by Roberts (2018), the findings conclude that Internet censorship affects the Chinese international graduate students’ information literacy acquisition by restricting expression of and access to information. Finally, to enhance the development of students’ information literacy, it is vital that they seek support and advice from the university, and their teachers and peers

Determinants of Trademarking: Evidence from Arizona and New Mexico Startups

Trademarks are considered an important indicator of entrepreneurial innovation, especially among nontechnology-based service firms and startups. Therefore, it is essential to understand the motivations and drivers behind trademark applications to get a grasp of firm innovation behavior. This study focuses on the trademark decisions of startup firms. The paper assembles a unique dataset of startup firms linking firm trademark application and registration information with firm characteristics. The goal is to empirically examine the determinants of startup trademark decisions. The key results show that firm size is important, and startups of 51-200 employees have the highest propensity of seeking trademarks. Startup location, firm age, and firm type also matter. Within our study area, for example, startups in the Phoenix metro area are significantly more likely to file trademark applications than those in the Albuquerque metro area. Technology-related startups find trademarks less attractive compared to other startups

Servant leadership as a driver of employee service performance: Test of a trickle-down model and its boundary conditions

Previous research has demonstrated the role of servant leadership, a leadership style emphasizing serving others, in promoting frontline employees’ service performance. It is unclear, however, how servant leadership by leaders at different organizational levels would exert such an influence. Integrating insights from both social learning theory and the trickle-down paradigm of leadership, we develop a cross-level model in which we argue that servant leadership by high-level managers could cascade downward through the organizational hierarchy to influence frontline employees’ service performance and that this trickle-down effect is contingent on the extent to which subordinates identify their leaders as embodying the organization. Using a matched sample of 92 supervisors and 568 frontline employees across 92 sub-branches of a large banking company, we found that servant leadership by high-level managers could indeed promote employees’ in-role and extra-role service performance through its effect on low-level supervisors’ servant leadership. We also found that this trickle-down effect was stronger when high-level managers and low-level supervisors were perceived by their subordinates as more fully embodying the organization. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed

Effects of oral intake fruit or fruit extract on skin aging in healthy adults: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundIn recent years, oral various fruits or supplements of fruits natural extracts have been reported to have significant anti-aging effects on the skin (1, 2), However, despite many studies on this topic, there is often no clear evidence to support their efficacy and safety. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review and Meta-analysis of the evidence for the safety and efficacy of oral fruits and fruits extracts in improving skin aging.MethodsFour databases, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), were searched for relevant literature from 2000–01 to 2023–03. Seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of fruit intake or fruit extracts associated with anti-skin aging were screened for Meta-analysis.ResultsCompared to placebo, oral intake of fruit or fruit extracts showed significant statistical differences in skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), with a significant improvement in skin hydration and a significant decrease in TEWL. No significant statistical difference was observed in minimal erythema dose (MED), overall skin elasticity (R2), or wrinkle depth, and no evidence of significant improvement in skin condition was observed.ConclusionMeta-analysis results suggest that consume administration of fruits or fruit extracts significantly enhances skin hydration and reduces transcutaneous water loss, but there is insufficient evidence to support other outcome recommendations, including minimal erythema dose (MED), overall skin elasticity(R2), and wrinkle depth. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO (york.ac.uk), identifier CRD42023410382

Gene therapy: an emerging therapy for hair cells regeneration in the cochlea

Sensorineural hearing loss is typically caused by damage to the cochlear hair cells (HCs) due to external stimuli or because of one’s genetic factors and the inability to convert sound mechanical energy into nerve impulses. Adult mammalian cochlear HCs cannot regenerate spontaneously; therefore, this type of deafness is usually considered irreversible. Studies on the developmental mechanisms of HC differentiation have revealed that nonsensory cells in the cochlea acquire the ability to differentiate into HCs after the overexpression of specific genes, such as Atoh1, which makes HC regeneration possible. Gene therapy, through in vitro selection and editing of target genes, transforms exogenous gene fragments into target cells and alters the expression of genes in target cells to activate the corresponding differentiation developmental program in target cells. This review summarizes the genes that have been associated with the growth and development of cochlear HCs in recent years and provides an overview of gene therapy approaches in the field of HC regeneration. It concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the current therapeutic approaches to facilitate the early implementation of this therapy in a clinical setting

Defining the structure of the NF-ĸB pathway in human immune cells using quantitative proteomic data

The NF-ĸB transcription factor is a critical regulator of immune homeostasis and inflammatory responses and is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease. The pathways to NF-ĸB activation are paradigms for signal-induced ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, control of transcription factor function by subcellular localisation, and the control of gene transcription and physiological processes by signal transduction mechanisms. Despite the importance of NF-ĸB in disease, the NF-ĸB pathway remains unexploited for the treatment of inflammatory disease. Our understanding of NF-ĸB comes mostly from studies of transgenic mice and cell lines where components of the pathway have been deleted or over expressed. Recent advances in quantitative proteomics offer new opportunities to understand the NF-ĸB pathway using the absolute abundance of individual pathway components. We have analysed available quantitative proteomic datasets to establish the structure of the NF-ĸB pathway in human immune cells under both steady state and activated conditions. This reveals a conserved NF-κB pathway structure across different immune cell lineages and identifies important differences to the current model of the NF-ĸB pathway. These include the findings that the IKK complex in most cells is likely to consist predominantly of IKKβ homodimers, that the relative abundancies of IκB proteins show strong cell type variation, and that the components of the non-canonical NF-ĸB pathway are significantly increased in activated immune cells. These findings challenge aspects of our current view of the NF-κB pathway and identify outstanding questions important for defining the role of key components in regulating inflammation and immunity

Analysis of Sensory Characteristics and Aroma-Active Substances of Milk from Different Farms Using Check-All-That-Apply and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Olfactometry

In this study, the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method, headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-Arrow combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (GC-MS-O) were used to analyze volatile flavor substances that affect the sensory differences among milk from four pastures. The results of the CATA questionnaire showed that milky aroma, creamy aroma, fragrant and sweet aroma, milky aroma, plastic odor, cooked odor and metallic odor were significantly different among the four milk samples (P < 0.05), and milk from pasture I were the most preferred by respondents, and the preference scores of milk from pastures III and IV were lower. Totally 14 aroma-active substances with an aroma intensity greater than or equal to 1 were obtained from the four milk samples through olfactometry. Using partial least squares regression analysis (PLSR), correlation analysis among sensory data, aroma-active substances and milk samples was conducted. The results showed that milky and creamy aroma from pasture I were prominent, which was strongly correlated with 2-heptanone, butanoic acid, decanoic acid, and hexanoic acid. Milk from pasture II showed a fragrant and sweet aroma, which may be related to the concentration of limonene. Milk from pasture III had prominent metallic, plastic, and milky odors, which may be related to 1-octene-3-alcohol. Milk from pasture IV had a cooked odor, which mainly came from hexanal and styrene