Auditing governmental financial statements : programs and other practice aids; AICPA audit and accounting practice aid series;

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/1019/thumbnail.jp

SweetSpot: Near-Infrared Observations of Thirteen Type Ia Supernovae from a New NOAO Survey Probing the Nearby Smooth Hubble Flow

We present 13 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed in the restframe near-infrared (NIR) from 0.02 < z < 0.09 with the WIYN High-resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC) on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. With only 1-3 points per light curve and a prior on the time of maximum from the spectrum used to type the object we measure an H-band dispersion of spectroscopically normal SNe Ia of 0.164 mag. These observations continue to demonstrate the improved standard brightness of SNe Ia in H-band even with limited data. Our sample includes two SNe Ia at z ~ 0.09, which represent the most distant restframe NIR H-band observations published to date. This modest sample of 13 NIR SNe Ia represent the pilot sample for "SweetSpot" - a three-year NOAO Survey program that will observe 144 SNe Ia in the smooth Hubble flow. By the end of the survey we will have measured the relative distance to a redshift of z ~ 0.05 to 1%. Nearby Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) observations such as these will test the standard nature of SNe Ia in the restframe NIR, allow insight into the nature of dust, and provide a critical anchor for future cosmological SN Ia surveys at higher redshift.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Ap

Eastward Ho: Issues and Options in Regional Development for the Metropolitan Boston Region

Conventional wisdom suggests that the basic job of public policy studies (and public institutions, for that matter) is to deal in a timely and practical fashion with pressing public issues of the day. The focus typically is on \u27ripe\u27 topics, \u27hot\u27 political problems. If a study can be ahead of the curve, in John Kingdon\u27s apt phrase an idea whose time has come, so much the better. But unlike more traditional academic research, where the focus is timeless — i.e., an explanation of previously inexplicable phenomena, timeliness is a prime reason for initiating a policy study. In this context, analyzing the prospects for regional governance in Massachusetts and New England and suggesting the creation of any new arrangement for metropolitan regions for the Commonwealth seems premature or, at best, wishful thinking. But these are not conventional times. Wrenching changes in welfare, education, and health care are accelerating in a nation being demographically transformed. Three important forces are at work which suggest that regional goverment may be a timely topic after all. First, as we will describe, the academic community is giving some priority to the subject after two generations of neglect. Second, in a time of budgetary constraints, the economic development strategies of metropolitan communities increasingly require a global perspective that emphasizes the interdependence of central city and surrounding suburbs in achieving and maintaining an international competitive advantage. Especially in Massachusetts, given the effects of Proposition 2 1/2 and pressures on the costs of land and home ownership, the need to develop and articulate a common metropolitan economic strategy grows. Third, political forces speak increasingly to the ineffectiveness of local governments in coping with the critical issues of the day. In the midst of the Big Dig and a long-term inability to site a new convention center and a stadium within the metropolitan Boston region, how to plan and provide key metropolitan infrastructure is definitely a \u27hot\u27 political issue

The First Data Release from SweetSpot: 74 Supernovae in 36 Nights on WIYN+WHIRC

SweetSpot is a three-year National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Survey program to observe Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the smooth Hubble flow with the WIYN High-resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC) on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. We here present data from the first half of this survey, covering the 2011B-2013B NOAO semesters, and consisting of 493 calibrated images of 74 SNe Ia observed in the rest-frame near-infrared (NIR) from $0.02 < z < 0.09$. Because many observed supernovae require host galaxy subtraction from templates taken in later semesters, this release contains only the 186 NIR ($JHK_s$) data points for the 33 SNe Ia that do not require host-galaxy subtraction. The sample includes 4 objects with coverage beginning before the epoch of B-band maximum and 27 beginning within 20 days of B-band maximum. We also provide photometric calibration between the WIYN+WHIRC and Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) systems along with light curves for 786 2MASS stars observed alongside the SNe Ia. This work is the first in a planned series of three SweetSpot Data Releases. Future releases will include the full set of images from all 3 years of the survey, including host-galaxy reference images and updated data processing and host-galaxy reference subtraction. SweetSpot will provide a well-calibrated sample that will help improve our ability to standardize distance measurements to SNe Ia, examine the intrinsic optical-NIR colors of SNe Ia at different epochs, explore nature of dust in other galaxies, and act as a stepping stone for more distant, potentially space-based surveys.Comment: Published in AJ. 10 tables. 11 figures. Lightcurve plots included as a figureset and available in source tarball. Data online at http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~wmwv/SweetSpot/DR1_data

Checklists and illustrative financial statements for state and local governmental units (Non-GASB 34 edition) : a financial reporting practice aid, August 2003 edition

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_indev/1937/thumbnail.jp

Toward evidence-based teaching: evaluating the effectiveness of two teaching strategies in an associate degree nursing program

The need for evidence based teaching has become an important ideology for nurse educators who are frequently encouraged to expand their teaching strategies based on recent advances in technology and student learning styles. Traditional lecture is often preferred by students, yet the literature encourages case study methodology for the development of critical thinking. A pilot study was conducted comparing learning outcomes using two different teaching strategies: lecture and case study instruction. Recommendations for using case study as a teaching methodology are offered

The Grizzly, September 28, 1989

Berman Art Center Ready to Roll • New Forum Frontier to be Forged • Letter: Granite Windows Grosses Grad • Stern Happy at Ursinus • Bear Pack Run: Join Us! • Bush Wacked at Drug Dialog • Security New Park Patrol • Wellness Days! • Crutcher Leads Lady Bears to Win • Ursinus Nipped by WMC • Soccer: So-So • V-ball: Optimistic View • Athletes of the Week • Hallinger Competes on Wheels • Calliope Blast from Pasthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1242/thumbnail.jp

External validation of a predictive model of survival after cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Recent trials have emphasized the importance of a precise patient selection for cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN). In 2013, a nomogram was developed for pre- and postoperative prediction of the probability of death (PoD) after CN in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. To date, the single-institutional nomogram which included mostly patients from the cytokine era has not been externally validated. Our objective is to validate the predictive model in contemporary patients in the targeted therapy era. METHODS: Multi-institutional European and North American data from patients who underwent CN between 2006 and 2013 were used for external validation. Variables evaluated included preoperative serum albumin and lactate dehydrogenase levels, intraoperative blood transfusions (yes/no) and postoperative pathologic stage (primary tumour and nodes). In addition, patient characteristics and MSKCC risk factors were collected. Using the original calibration indices and quantiles of the distribution of predictions, Kaplan-Meier estimates and calibration plots of observed versus predicted PoD were calculated. For the preoperative model a decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed. RESULTS: Of 1108 patients [median OS of 27 months (95% CI 24.6-29.4)], 536 and 469 patients had full data for the validation of the pre- and postoperative models, respectively. The AUC for the pre- and postoperative model was 0.68 (95% CI 0.62-0.74) and 0.73 (95% CI 0.68-0.78), respectively. In the DCA the preoperative model performs well within threshold survival probabilities of 20-50%. Most important limitation was the retrospective collection of this external validation dataset. CONCLUSIONS: In this external validation, the pre- and postoperative nomograms predicting PoD following CN were well calibrated. Although performance of the preoperative nomogram was lower than in the internal validation, it retains the ability to predict early death after CN

A Spitzer Census of Transitional Protoplanetary Disks with AU-Scale Inner Holes

[abridged] Protoplanetary disks with AU-scale inner clearings, often referred to as transitional disks, provide a unique sample for understanding disk dissipation mechanisms and possible connections to planet formation. Observations of young stellar clusters with the Spitzer Space Telescope have amassed mid-infrared spectral energy distributions for thousands of star-disk systems from which transition disks can be identified. From a sample of 8 relatively nearby young regions (d <= 400 pc), we have identified about 20 such objects, which we term "classical" transition disks, spanning a wide range of stellar age and mass. We also identified two additional categories representing more ambiguous cases: "warm excess" objects with transition-like spectral energy distributions but moderate excess at 5.8 microns, and "weak excess" objects with smaller 24 micron excess that may be optically thin or exhibit advanced dust grain growth and settling. From existing Halpha emission measurements, we find evidence for different accretion activity among the three categories, with a majority of the classical and warm excess transition objects still accreting gas through their inner holes and onto the central stars, while a smaller fraction of the weak transition objects are accreting at detectable rates. We find a possible age dependence to the frequency of classical transition objects, with fractions relative to the total population of disks in a given region of a few percent at 1-2 Myr rising to 10-20% at 3-10 Myr. The trend is even stronger if the weak and warm excess objects are included. Classical transition disks appear to be less common, and weak transition disks more common, around lower-mass stars (M <= 0.3 Msun).Comment: 34 pages, 7 figures; accepted to Ap