Sufficient Conditions for Polynomial Asymptotic Behaviour of the Stochastic Pantograph Equation

This paper studies the asymptotic growth and decay properties of solutions of the stochastic pantograph equation with multiplicative noise. We give sufficient conditions on the parameters for solutions to grow at a polynomial rate in $p$-th mean and in the almost sure sense. Under stronger conditions the solutions decay to zero with a polynomial rate in $p$-th mean and in the almost sure sense. When polynomial bounds cannot be achieved, we show for a different set of parameters that exponential growth bounds of solutions in $p$-th mean and an almost sure sense can be obtained. Analogous results are established for pantograph equations with several delays, and for general finite dimensional equations.Comment: 29 pages, to appear Electronic Journal of Qualitative Theory of Differential Equations, Proc. 10th Coll. Qualitative Theory of Diff. Equ. (July 1--4, 2015, Szeged, Hungary

Selected pages from Silva: or, A discourse of forest-trees, and the propagation of timber in His majesty’s dominions: As it was delivered in the Royal Society on the 15th day of October, 1662, upon occasion of certain quaeries propounded to that illustrious assembly, by the honourable the principal officers and commissioners of the Navy. Together with an historical account of the sacredness and use of standing groves.

28 p. l., 649, [9] p. front (port.) plates ( 1 fold.) fold. tab 30 cm. Some of the pages in this document were selected as part of a class project for Professor Garth Bond’s History of the Book seminar, Fall 2012. The abstract was prepared by Linghui Li .https://lux.lawrence.edu/selections/1008/thumbnail.jp

Polymorphic Students

Objective: In an effort to break away from the stale classifications of community college students that stem from the hegemonic perspective of previous literature, this work utilizes the perceptions of community college practitioners to demonstrate new ways of understanding the identities of community college students. Method: By utilizing Gee’s identity theory and Grillo’s theory of intersectionality, we analyze interviews with community college practitioners from three different community colleges on the West coast of the United States to answer these questions: What identities (i.e., natural, institutional, and discursive) do faculty and administrators recognize in community college students? In what ways do community college faculty and administrators describe and conceptualize community college students? Findings: First, community college student identities are intricate and have changed with time; there are two different institutional views held by organizational members—the educational view and the managerial view—which both shape the construction of student identities and play a prominent role in determining which students are disadvantaged. Second, organizational members constructed meanings of student achievement and value (i.e., attributes or outcomes of the ideal student, or what policy makers and institutions refer to as success) according to organizational priorities and perspectives. Conclusion: This investigation encapsulates and elucidates the portrayals and understandings of community college students held by community college administrators and faculty as a means to acknowledge the diverse identities among these students. Scholars and practitioners are encouraged to acknowledge the polymorphic identities of this diverse population to improve scholarship and practice

Respecting Foundation and Charity Autonomy: How Public is Private Philanthropy?

Recent years have seen a disturbing increase in legal proposals by the public and government officials to interfere with the governance, missions, strategies, and decision-making of foundations and other charities. Underlying much of these debates is the premise—stated or merely presumed—that foundation and charity assets are public money and that such entities therefore are subject to various public mandates or standards about their structure, operations, and policies. The authors\u27 experiences and research reveal three myths that, singly or collectively, underlie claims that charitable assets are public money. The first myth conceives of charities as shadow governments due to the requirement that they have public purposes and are subject to attorney general parens patriae oversight. The second myth asserts that, because philanthropies exist under state charters, they are government agencies, state actors, or quasi-public bodies subject to constitutional constraints or accountable to the public in the same way as is government. The third myth asserts that revenue forgone on deductible charitable contributions and the tax exemption are a contribution from the state that entitles the state to a say in nonprofit governance structure, operations, and decision-making. In debunking these myths, this paper demonstrates the lack of legal support for the public money view of charitable assets

Standardizing Olfactory Tests for the Common Marmoset (\u3cem\u3eCallithrix jacchus\u3c/em\u3e) Aging Model

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) provides a long-term retrospective measure of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity, and is increasingly used to assess the life history, health and ecology of wild mammals. Given that sex, age, season and pregnancy influence HCC, and that it may indicate ongoing stress, we examined HCC in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) naturally inhabiting a hot and dry semi-desert like habitat, Caatinga, in northeastern Brazil. We trapped, measured, weighed, marked and collected shaved hair from the back of the neck of 61 wild marmosets during the wet and dry seasons. Using enzyme immunoassay, we found that HCC was higher in the dry season compared with the wet season among all age/sex classes. Females had significantly higher HCC than males, juveniles had higher HCC than adults, and reproductively active adult females and non-pregnant/non lactating adult females did not differ in HCC. There were no interaction effects of sex, age, group, or season on HCC. The magnitude of the effect of this extremely hot and dry environment (average yearly rainfall was only 271 mm) on HCC in common marmosets is difficult to ascertain as these animals are also experiencing a variety of other stressors. However, the elevated HCC seen in common marmosets during the 5–8 month dry season, suggests these primates face an extended period of heat, water and possibly nutritional stress, which appears to result in a high rate of juvenile mortality

Respecting Foundation and Charity Autonomy: How Public is Private Philanthropy?

Recent years have seen a disturbing increase in legal proposals by the public and government officials to interfere with the governance, missions, strategies, and decision-making of foundations and other charities. Underlying much of these debates is the premise—stated or merely presumed—that foundation and charity assets are public money and that such entities therefore are subject to various public mandates or standards about their structure, operations, and policies. The authors\u27 experiences and research reveal three myths that, singly or collectively, underlie claims that charitable assets are public money. The first myth conceives of charities as shadow governments due to the requirement that they have public purposes and are subject to attorney general parens patriae oversight. The second myth asserts that, because philanthropies exist under state charters, they are government agencies, state actors, or quasi-public bodies subject to constitutional constraints or accountable to the public in the same way as is government. The third myth asserts that revenue forgone on deductible charitable contributions and the tax exemption are a contribution from the state that entitles the state to a say in nonprofit governance structure, operations, and decision-making. In debunking these myths, this paper demonstrates the lack of legal support for the public money view of charitable assets

Drivers of Intermodal Rail Freight Growth in North America

Intermodal rail freight service, in the form of semi-trailers and containers carried by rail in coordination with connecting road and water transport operators, emerged in North America on a few railways during the 1920s and 1930s. Experience gained from these early ventures inspired widespread introduction of intermodal service offerings after 1950. Between 1990 and 2005, rail intermodal traffic grew 87.7 percent, from 6.2 million to 11.7 containers and trailers, and now holds a significant position in the aggregate traffic base of the major North American rail freight carriers. Previous research and other sources of data and information are drawn upon to identify key drivers of this growth within the context of a conceptual model. The driving forces include changes in transport providers’ business policies and practices, government deregulation of pricing and other commercial actions by firms in rail and competing modes of transport, advancements in rail intermodal technology, and changes in supply chain management processes by shippers and consignees that have intensified demand for freight service of higher quality and lower cost. Comments on transferability to Europe of lessons learned from intermodal business experience in North America are provided in the concluding section

The Role of Medications in Predicting Activity Restriction Due to a Fear of Falling

Objectives: To examine the role of medication use and other factors in predicting activity restriction due to a fear of falling (AR/FF). Methods: Older adults were assessed twice with the interRAI Community Health Assessment and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The main outcome was limiting going outdoors due to an AR/FF. Medications were recorded by trained assessors. Results: Participants (n=441) had a mean age of 80.3 (sd=7.1) years, most were aged 65+ (96.8%) and 29.3% reported activity restriction. Taking nervous system active or cardiovascular medications was associated with AR/FF. In a multivariate model, the main predictors were having 3+ comorbid health conditions, lower (i.e., worse) scores on the BBS, having difficulty with climbing stairs, and having a visual impairment. Discussion: Modifiable risk factors, related to functional impairments, such as difficulties with balance and vision, appear to be more important predictors than medications