Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Of Nanodispersion In Polystyrene-Montmorillonite Nanocomposites By Solid State Nmr, Serge Bourbigot, David L. Vanderhart, Jeffery W. Gilman Sr., Walid Awad, Rick D. Davis, Alexander B. Morgan, Charles A. Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Nanocomposites result from combinations of materials with vastly different properties in the nanometer scale. These materials exhibit many unique properties such as improved thermal stability, reduced flammability, and improved mechanical properties. Many of the properties associated with polymer–clay nanocomposites are a function of the extent of exfoliation of the individual clay sheets or the quality of the nanodispersion. This work demonstrates that solid-state NMR can be used to characterize, quantitatively, the nanodispersion of variously modified montmorillonite (MMT) clays in polystyrene (PS) matrices. The direct influence of the paramagnetic Fe3, embedded in the aluminosilicate layers of MMT, on polymer protons within …

Genetic Locus And Structural Characterization Of The Biochemical Defect In The O-Antigenic Polysaccharide Of The Symbiotically Deficient Rhizobium Etli Mutant, Ce166, Lennart Scott Forsberg, K. Dale Noel, Jodie M. Box, Russell W. Carlson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The O-antigen polysaccharide (OPS) of Rhizobium etli CE3 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is linked to the core oligosaccharide via an N-acetylquinovosaminosyl (QuiNAc) residue. A mutant of CE3, CE166, produces LPS with reduced amounts of OPS, and a suppressed mutant, CE166α, produces LPS with nearly normal OPS levels. Both mutants are deficient in QuiNAc production. Characterization of OPS from CE166 and CE166α showed that QuiNAc was replaced by its 4-keto derivative, 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxyhexosyl-4-ulose. The identity of this residue was determined by NMR and mass spectrometry, and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of its 2-acetamido-4-deutero-2,6-dideoxyhexosyl derivatives produced by reduction of the 4-keto group using …

Term Default, Balloon Risk, And Credit Risk In Commercial Mortgages, Charles C. Tu, Mark Eppli

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

Term default and balloon risk play an interactive role in the pricing of credit risk in commercial mortgages. Most commercial mortgage pricing studies assume a borrower's default decision is based solely on the property value; the mortgage valuation model here also incorporates a property income trigger. The model considers both the risk of default during the term of the loan and the risk of loss at maturity (balloon risk). Monte Carlo simulation analyses reveal that pricing models based solely on property value overestimate the probability of term default and the resulting credit risk premium. Adding a property income default trigger …

On Fire And Desire: Some Aspects Of Ignatian Spirituality For Our Times, Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Isoflurane On Left Atrial Function In Dogs With Pacing-Induced Cardiomyopathy: Evaluation With Pressure-Volume Relationships, Franz Kehl, John F. Ladisa, Douglas Anthony Hettrick, Judy R. Kersten, David C. Warltier, Paul S. Pagel

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

The actions of volatile anesthetics on left ventricular (LV) function in normal and failing hearts have been previously evaluated, but the effects of these agents on left atrial (LA) function in the presence of LV dysfunction are unknown. The hypothesis was tested that isoflurane alters LA mechanics evaluated with pressure-volume relations.

Design

Prospective.

Setting

Laboratory.

Participants

Barbiturate-anesthetized dogs (n = 8) were instrumented for measurement of aortic, LA, and LV pressures (micromanometers), and LA volume (epicardial orthogonal sonomicrometers) after 3 weeks of rapid ventricular pacing (220 beats/min).

Interventions

LA myocardial contractility (E_es) was assessed with end-systolic pressure-volume …

The Perceived Value Of Certification By Certified Perioperative Nurses, Kathleen B. Gaberson, Kathryn Schroeter, Aileen R. Killen, Wendelny A. Valentine

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

We conducted this study to determine the perceived value of certification in perioperative nursing. Following development and pilot-testing, we mailed the 18-item Likert-type instrument, the Perceived Value of Certification Tool (PVCT), to a sample of 2750 perioperative nurses who had earned the CNOR or CRNFA credential or both. A total of 1398 surveys were returned (50.8% response rate). Factor analysis extracted three factors, accounting for 61% of the variance: personal value, recognition by others, and professional practice. Internal consistency reliability testing (Cronbach's α) identified a standardized α of .924. Over 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with statements about …

Yeast Oxa1 Interacts With Mitochondrial Ribosomes: The Importance Of The C‐Terminal Region Of Oxa1, Lixia Jia, Mary Kathryn Dienhart, Mark Schramp, Matthew Mccauley, Kai Hell, Rosemary A. Stuart

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The yeast mitochondrial Oxa1 protein is a member of the conserved Oxa1/YidC/Alb3 protein family involved in the membrane insertion of proteins. Oxa1 mediates the insertion of proteins (nuclearly and mitochondrially encoded) into the inner membrane. The mitochondrially encoded substrates interact directly with Oxa1 during their synthesis as nascent chains and in a manner that is supported by the associated ribosome. We have investigated if the Oxa1 complex interacts with the mitochondrial ribosome. Evidence to support a physical association between Oxa1 and the large ribosomal subunit is presented. Our data indicate that the matrix‐exposed C‐terminal region of Oxa1 plays an important …

Managers’ Incentives To Manipulate Earnings In Management Buyout Contests: An Examination Of How Corporate Governance And Market Mechanisms Mitigate Earnings Management, Joy Begley, Tim V. Eaton, Sarah Peck

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

In an MBO contest, managers offer to buy the firm from public shareholders at a premium to the current market price and thus have incentives to buy the firm “cheap.” Prior studies have found evidence that managers, on average, manipulate earnings downward prior to an MBO offer in an attempt to convince shareholders that their offer is fair. We extend this finding by attempting to explain the substantial cross sectional variation in the degree of manipulation across firms reported in these earlier studies. We find that boards with more independent directors and higher levels of incentive based compensation for the …

The Writing Observation Framework: A Guide For Refining And Validating Writing Instruction, Bill Henk, Barbara A. Marinak, Jesse C. Moore, Marla H. Mallette

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

The Writing Observation Framework (WOF) is a new tool for enhancing writing instruction in schools. The WOF organizes principles of writing instruction In a way that improves the evaluation of teachers' writing practices, encourages a shared philosophy of the writing process and its instruction, and assists schools in demonstrating the integrity of their writing programs.

Robust Pi Controller Design Satisfying Sensitivity And Uncertainty Specifications, O. Yaniv, Mark L. Nagurka

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents a control design method for determining proportional-integral-type controllers satisfying specifications on gain margin, phase margin, and an upper bound on the (complementary) sensitivity for a finite set of plants. The approach can be applied to plants that are stable or unstable, plants given by a model or measured data, and plants of any order, including plants with delays. The algorithm is efficient and fast, and as such can be used in near real-time to determine controller parameters (for online modification of the plant model including its uncertainty and/or the specifications). The method gives an optimal controller for …

Letters To The Editor, Catholic Medical Association

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Theology Of Marriage And Same Sex Unions, Robert J. Mcmanus

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Way Of Suicide, Assisted Suicide And Euthanasia, Or Evangelium Vitae's Way Of Mercy And Compassion?, Brigid Vout

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Ethics Of Organ Donation And Its Relationship To Brain Death, Germaine Wensley

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Peter Singer: The Absolute Uniqueness Of The Human, John C. Riccardo

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Varieties Of Financial Arrangements Possible In Mergers And Acquisitions, Jane Marie Klein

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Invoking Embryonic Development And The Notion Of "Personhood" To Justify Early Abortion: A Curious Argument, Jeremiah J. Mccarthy

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Humanae Vitae: Thirty-Five Years Later, Peter J. Riga

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

When Does Human Life Begin?: The Final Answer, C. Ward Kischer

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Inter-Center Retail Externalities, Luis C. Mejia, Mark Eppli

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

This paper empirically examines inter-center externalities in regional shopping centers. Specifically, we use a non-linear retail share model to measure the impact that department store size and image in subject and competitive centers have on subject center in-line retail sales. Our findings reveal that department store size and image attributes have a significant and non-linear impact on subject center sales. More importantly, the results show that the effect of department store fashion image dominates that of department store size.

Credit History And The Performance Of Prime And Nonprime Mortgages, Anthony Pennington-Cross

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

Although nonprime lending has experienced steady or even explosive growth over the last decade very little is known about the performance characteristics of these mortgages. Using data from national secondary market institutions, this paper estimates a competing risks proportional hazard model, which includes unobserved heterogeneity. The analysis examines the performance of 30-year fixed rate owner occupied home purchase mortgages from February 1995 to the end of 1999 and compares nonprime and prime loan default and prepayment behavior. Nonprime loans are identified by mortgage interest rates that are substantially higher than the prevailing prime rate. Results indicate that nonprime mortgages differ …

Walking The Line: Surviving The Tension Between Jesuit And Hollywood Values, Marilyn Beker

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents And Contact Information, Editorial Board

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

For Openers, Editorial Board

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Where Loyalites Lie?, Dominic J. Balestra

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Caring For The Whole Faculty, Helen M. Whall

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

In The First Person: Introduction, Jennifer A. Glancy

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Adjunct Faculty: Professional, Competent, Loyal, And Committed: Our Hidden Resource, William J. Husson

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

The (Re)Formation Of A Profession: University Challenges To Engineering, Daniel R. Lynch

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.

In The First Person: On "Where And With Whom Is My Heart", Susan M. Behuniak

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

No abstract provided.