Marginal Influence Research Articles

Influence of design of dentist\u2019s chairs on body posture for dentists with different working experience

BackgroundMusculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common health problem among dentists. Dental treatment is mainly performed in a sitting position. The aim of the study was to quantify the effect of different ergonomic chairs on the sitting position. In addition, it was tested if the sitting position of experienced workers is different from a non-dental group.MethodsA total of 59 (28 m/31f) subjects, divided into two dentist groups according to their work experience (students and dentists (9 m/11f) < 10 years, dentists (9 m/10f) ≥ 10 years) and a control group (10 m/10f) were measured. A three-dimensional back scanner captured the bare back of all subjects sitting on six dentist’s chairs of different design. Initially, inter-group comparisons per chair, firstly in the habitual and secondly in the working postures, were carried out. Furthermore, inter-chair comparison was conducted for the habitual as well as for the working postures of all subjects and for each group. Finally, a comparison between the habitual sitting posture and the working posture for each respective chair (intra-chair comparison) was conducted (for all subjects and for each group). In addition, a subjective assessment of each chair was made.For the statistical analysis, non-parametric tests were conducted and the level of significance was set at 5%.ResultsWhen comparing the three subject groups, all chairs caused a more pronounced spinal kyphosis in experienced dentists. In both conditions (habitual and working postures), a symmetrical sitting position was assumed on each chair.The inter-chair comparisons showed no differences regarding the ergonomic design of the chairs. The significances found in the inter-chair comparisons were all within the measurementerror and could, therefore, be classified as clinically irrelevant.The intra-chair comparison (habitual sitting position vs. working sitting position) illustrated position-related changes in the sagittal, but not in the transverse, plane. These changes were only position-related (forward leaned working posture) and were not influenced by the ergonomic sitting design of the respective chair. There are no differences between the groups in the subjective assessment of each chair.ConclusionsRegardless of the group or the dental experience, the ergonomic design of the dentist’s chair had only a marginal influence on the upper body posture in both the habitual and working sitting postures. Consequently, the focus of the dentist’s chair, in order to minimize MSD, should concentrate on adopting a symmetrical sitting posture rather than on its ergonomic design.

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities differ among parental and hybrid Populus cross types within a natural riparian habitat

Plant hybridization is common and important in ecological and economic contexts, however little is known about the impact of plant hybridization on ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) communities in natural habitats. We used a Populus hybrid system ( P. angustifolia x P. fremontii ) in a heterogeneous riparian landscape to address the hypothesis that EMF communities differ among hybrids and their parental species (cross types). Several key results emerged. (1) Cross type influenced EMF composition, with communities on hybrids being distinct from their parents. (2) Cross type influenced the composition of hyphal exploration types important for soil resource foraging, although contact and short distance exploration types were dominant on all cross types. (3) Cross type had a marginal influence on EMF colonization, with P. angustifolia highest and P. fremontii lowest. These results highlight the potential for tree hybridization to structure belowground communities in heterogeneous natural ecosystems.

Watershed characteristics influence winter stream temperature in a forested landscape

Winter stream temperatures, though infrequently studied, exert important influences on aquatic communities. To quantify effects of watershed physical characteristics on stream winter thermal regime, 54 streams (watershed area = 0.2–7.9 km2; altitude < 1300 m) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA were monitored hourly for 4 years. During the study, an exceptionally warm winter (2015) was used to evaluate influences of watershed characteristics under climatic conditions similar to those projected for mid-twenty-first century. Four watershed characteristics were hypothesized to influence winter stream temperature: stream size, elevation, solar exposure, and presence of glacial materials overlying bedrock. Larger streams were associated with colder winter water temperatures and higher thermal sensitivity to atmospheric conditions. Elevation—the strongest driver of winter stream temperatures—was negatively correlated to stream temperature, except on the coldest 15 days of winter when it had no influence. Watershed solar exposure had only a marginal influence on how cold streams were in winter but was positively correlated to diel stream temperature variation and thermal sensitivity. Streams in watersheds with glacial material overlying the sedimentary bedrock were colder and had less diel variation and lower thermal sensitivity than streams in watersheds where glacial material was not present. During the warm 2015 winter, the influences of watershed characteristics on temperature tended to be weaker compared with the other years. These insights improve our understanding of how watershed physical characteristics influence stream winter thermal regimes and how these winter thermal regimes vary across landscapes, facilitating development of predictive models, a first step in designing management plans that account for winter thermal habitat needs.

Direct numerical simulation of flow and heat transfer in bidisperse gas-solid systems

The flow and heat transfer in bidisperse gas-solid systems with particle diameter ratio ranging from 1:2 to 1:4 have been numerically investigated via an immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method. The modeling for the overall Nusselt number (Nu) is pursued. The results show that the overall Nu obtained from the simulation results can be predicted well using the monodisperse correlations by defining an appropriate equivalent diameter. An accurate model to predict Nu for each species is formulated through a correction to the monodisperse heat transfer correlations. Since the relative solid volume fraction ratio of large-to-small spheres has marginal influence on Nu for each species, the correction term is only closed as a function of the total solid volume fraction and scaled particle diameter. The predictability of the model is evaluated. The results demonstrate that the model can give more accurate estimations for Nu of each species.

Warning Messages in Crisis Communication: Risk Appraisal and Warning Compliance in Severe Weather, Violent Acts, and the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundIn crisis communication, warning messages are key to informing and galvanizing the public to prevent or mitigate damage. Therefore, this study examines how risk appraisal and individual characteristics influence the intention to comply with behavioral recommendations of a warning message regarding three hazard types: the COVID-19 pandemic, violent acts, and severe weather.MethodsA cross-sectional survey examined 403 German participants from 18 to 89 years (M = 29.24; 72% female). Participants were allocated to one of three hazard types (COVID-19 pandemic, violent acts, severe weather) and presented with warning messages that were previously issued via an official warning app. Four components of risk appraisal—perceived severity (PS), anticipated negative emotions (AE), anticipatory worry (AW), and risk perception (RP)—were assessed before and after presenting the warning message. Path models were calculated to predict the intention to comply with the warning message, controlling for age, gender, and previous hazard experience.ResultsFor the COVID-19 pandemic, higher age (β = 0.18) predicted warning compliance (R2 = 0.05). AE (β = 0.20) predicted compliance in the case of violent acts (R2 = 0.09). For severe weather, PS (β = 0.28), age (β = 0.29), and female gender (β = 0.34) lead to higher compliance (R2 = 0.27). Changes across risk appraisal components were not consistent, as some facets decreased after the receipt of a warning message.DiscussionRisk appraisal has shown a marginal yet differential influence on warning message compliance in different types of hazards. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of sociodemographic factors on compliance should be studied more intensively. Moreover, integrating intermediary variables, such as self-efficacy, is necessary.

TiO2 and TiO2–Ag powders and thin layer toward self-cleaning coatings for PV panel integrated with sound-absorbing screens: Technical approaches

This work aims at assessment of TiO2 as the main layer component for self-cleaning layers in photovoltaic panels. TiO2 (derived from titanium (IV) butoxide or titanium (IV) isopropoxide) without and with silver was examined to find titania suitable microstructure and optical properties. For this purpose silver amounts ranging from 0.1 to 1% were used for 3 separate chemical methods of modification. Microstructure of powders was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with X-ray energy dispersion spectroscopy. Three techniques: spin-coating, doctor blade, and spray-coating were used to deposit TiO2 and TiO2–Ag layers on glass and silicon solar cells. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 and TiO2–Ag were investigated in the presence of methylene blue. Concentration of dye, amount of silver, type of TiO2 with Ag modification and stability over time were analysed towards the best photocatalytic properties. Finally, TiO2 layers which were used to coat a new type of photovoltaic modules had marginal influence on photovoltaic parameters.

Theoretical assessment of using ceramic tiles as replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement and sand

Using of industrial wastes as replacement of cement and/or other components of concrete is very attractive in concrete industry especially when this replacement leads to a reduction in the cost of concrete. This study investigates the feasibility of using two forms of ceramic tile wastes, naming: waste ceramic powder (WCP) and ceramic fine aggregate (CFA) as replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and river sand (RS), respectively. Twelve mortar mixtures incorporating various dosages of WCP and/or CFA were prepared to compare Carbone dioxide (CO2) emission, cost effectiveness, and energy consumption of the different mortar mixtures. Results showed that the use of WCP as replacement of OPC significantly reduces the CO2 emission, cost effective and energy consumption of the mortar mixtures. A replacement of 60% by weight of OPC by WCP resulted in a reduction of approximately 50%, 40% and 30% in CO2 emission, energy consumption, and cost respectively. The replacement of RS by different levels of CFA (up to 100%) had a marginal influence on the CO2 emission and energy consumption, while it moderately decreased the effective cost of the mortar mixtures. Results of using WCP as a partial replacement of cement are very encouraging and should be gathered with laboratory results about the effect of the replacement on properties of concrete to have a clear vision about selecting the appropriate materials of replacement for cement.

A process-based coal swelling model: Bridging the gaps between localized swelling and bulk swelling

Injection of CO2 and coal seam gas production induce coal swelling/shrinkage. Laboratory tests indicate that coal swelling may go through several stages from localized swelling at fracture surfaces to bulk rock swelling. The coal Langmuir swelling strain constant normally ranges from 0 to 0.04. This study provides a process-based coal swelling model that covers the whole swelling procedure. We account for three swelling strains, videlicet, the matrix swelling strain, fracture swelling strain, and bulk rock swelling strain. Dynamic partial separation coefficients are employed to quantify the contributions of the matrix swelling strain to bulk swelling and the fracture (cleat) aperture reduction, bridge the gaps between localized swelling and bulk swelling, and link the three types of strains. This model is inserted into a permeability model and verified against permeability measurement and rock swelling data. The three samples used for verification are bituminous coals from the Illinois Basin (depth of ~ 200 m) in the US and Henan Province in China (depth of ~ 310 m). In essence, the swelling model is also applicable to other coal types with a linear relationship between the matrix swelling strain and adsorbed gas content. By matching with long-term permeability measurement data, multiple permeability evolution stages are observed due to the swelling transition. Sensitivity analyses show that the matrix block size, matrix swelling properties, and diffusivity control the duration, occurrence, and magnitude of matrix swelling’s contribution to local and bulk swelling during swelling transition, while rock bridge swelling properties have a marginal influence on coal swelling.

On the Nature of Murine Radiation-Induced Subcapsular Cataracts: Optical Coherence Tomography-Based Fine Classification, In Vivo Dynamics and Impact on Visual Acuity.

Ionizing radiation is widely known to induce various kinds of lens cataracts, of which posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSCs) have the highest prevalence. Despite some studies regarding the epidemiology and biology of radiation-induced PSCs, the mechanism underscoring the formation of this type of lesions and their dose dependency remain uncertain. Within the current study, our team investigated the in vivo characteristics of PSCs in B6C3F1 mice (F1-hybrids of BL6 × C3H) that received 0.5-2 Gy γ-ray irradiation after postnatal day 70. For purposes of assessing lenticular damages, spectral domain optical coherence tomography was utilized, and the visual acuity of the mice was measured to analyze their levels of visual impairment, and histological sections were then prepared in to characterize in vivo phenotypes. Three varying in vivo phenotype anterior and posterior lesions were thus revealed and correlated with the applied doses to understand their marginal influence on the visual acuity of the studied mice. Histological data indicated no significantly increased odds ratios for PSCs below a dose of 1 Gy at the end of the observation time. Furthermore, our team demonstrated that when the frequencies of the posterior and anterior lesions were calculated at early time points, their responses were in accordance with a deterministic model, whereas at later time points, their responses were better described via a stochastic model. The current study will aid in honing the current understanding of radiation-induced cataract formation and contributes greatly to addressing the fundamental questions of lens dose response within the field of radiation biology.

The influence of the hybridization factor on vehicle energetic consumption for different e-gearbox configurations

To reduce the CO2 emission level for the new CAFE regulations, it is mandatory that automobile producers should choose the hybridization approach.Relevant published literature show that for a mild hybrid passenger car, increased values of the hybridization factor (HF) have marginal influence over the fuel economy for high speed values if a fixed ratio e-gearbox is used. This paper analyzes the energetic consumption for a Through the Road Hybrid Vehicle (TTR-HEV) when using a two-gear ratio transmission for the electric axle.To investigate the energetic performances, a complex model developed in a performant simulation environment is used. The energetic consumption is determined for five different test cycles in terms of speed and duration by analyzing the fuel consumption ratio (FCR) for different values of the HF.In order to compare the test cycles, the FCR parameter is used, after which the correlation with vehicle speed fluctuation (VSF) is explored.The simulation results obtained for the current application are compared with a hybrid vehicle equipped with a single gear in the rear axle. The results are also expressed in terms of CO2 emission.

The influence of socioeconomic factors on storm preparedness and experienced impacts in Finland

Extreme weather events, such as storms, may cause material damage, injuries, and interfere with day-to-day operation of societies. Earlier research on natural hazards and climate change adaptation has found that demographic and socioeconomic factors influence the way individuals prepare for and are affected by natural hazards. However, research often focuses on areas with high exposure and vulnerability and research on low exposure and vulnerability areas is scarcer. To address this gap, we ask: do socioeconomic and demographic factors matter in how individuals prepare for and are affected by storms in Finland? Our data consist of an internet survey (n = 1014) conducted after a severe winter storm hit Finland in the beginning of 2019, and we analyze the data with Chi-squared tests and logistic regressions. Our results show that respondents' education level or employment status are not connected to whether they took preparedness measures or whether they experienced harm. Instead, the type of residential property does play a part. In addition, respondents who had experienced storm-related harm during recent years are more likely to prepare than those who have not. In conclusion, socio-demographic factors seem to have only marginal influence on storm preparedness or experienced impacts in Finland, which contradicts earlier research. This may stem from the relatively equal distribution of well-being among the population.

Cyclic response of insulated steel angle brackets used for cross-laminated timber connections

In cross-laminated timber (CLT) buildings, in order to reduce the disturbing transmission of sound over the flanking parts, special insulation layers are used between the CLT walls and slabs, together with insulated angle-bracket connections. However, the influence of such CLT connections and insulation layers on the seismic resistance of CLT structures has not yet been studied. In this paper, experimental investigation on CLT panels installed on insulation bedding and fastened to the CLT floor using an innovative, insulated, steel angle bracket, are presented. The novelty of the investigated angle-bracket connection is, in addition to the sound insulation, its resistance to both shear as well as uplift forces as it is intended to be used instead of traditional angle brackets and hold-down connections to simplify the construction. Therefore, monotonic and cyclic tests on the CLT wall-to-floor connections were performed in shear and tensile/compressive load direction. Specimens with and without insulation under the angle bracket and between the CLT panels were studied and compared. Tests of insulated specimens have proved that the insulation has a marginal influence on the load-bearing capacity; however, it significantly influences the stiffness characteristics. In general, the experiments have shown that the connection could also be used for seismic resistant CLT structures, although some minor improvements should be made.

Interaction strength of osmolytes with the anion of a salt-bridge determines its stability.

In order to understand the role of osmolytes in regulating physicochemical behavior of proteins, we investigated the influence of protein destabilizing (urea and guanidinium chloride) and stabilizing osmolytes (TMAO, glycerol, and betaine) on a model salt-bridge (SB) formed between structural analogues of arginine and glutamate/aspartate sidechains in a solvent continuum using first-principles quantum chemical calculations based on DFT and MP2 methods. The binding strength of the osmolyte with the SB is found to be in the order of betaine > TMAO > Gdm+ > glycerol > urea. The osmolytes (TMAO and betaine) that preferentially bind to the SB cation have a marginal influence on SB stability. Also, pure π-π stacking interaction between Gdm+ and the SB cation plays an insignificant role in destabilizing the SB. In fact, the interaction strength of osmolytes with the SB anion mainly determines the stability of SB. For instance, a competition between Gdm+ and the SB cation to bind with the SB anion is responsible for instability and subsequent dissociation of the SB. The competition provided by other osmolytes is too weak to break the SB. Exploiting this information, we designed three structural derivatives of Gdm+, all having a stronger interaction with SB anion, and thereby show a stronger SB dissociation potential. Furthermore, we find an excellent linear anti-correlation between SB interaction energy and the energy of interaction between osmolyte and the SB anion, which suggests that by knowing only the strength of osmolyteacetate interaction, one can predict the influence of osmolytes on the salt-bridge instability. This information is useful in fine-tuning the SB dissociation power of Gdm+, which has a practical significance in obtaining the mechanistic insight into the influence of GdmCl on protein stability. Our results also provide a basis for understanding the chemistry of other ion-pairs formed between a cationic hydrogen donor and an anionic acceptor.

Design and Evaluation of V2X-Based Dynamic Bus Lanes

In mixed traffic, the popularity of public transport (PT) is still affected by relatively low operating speeds compared to private vehicles. To overcome this, PT priority measures have been proposed and adopted extensively. However, existing solutions such as exclusive bus lanes or traffic signal priorities are often limited in terms of available road space or large-scale feasibility. In this paper, we propose a Vehicle-to-Vehicle/Infrastructure (V2X)-based dynamic PT priority concept in mixed traffic called Virtual Right of Way (VROW). Private vehicles in front of a PT vehicle make spaces through collaborative lane changes within a dynamic clearing distance computed based on the current traffic situation. This allows a more efficient allocation of road space while still maintaining a high level of PT priority. In this paper, we evaluate the potential traffic impacts of VROW on both PT and private vehicles by conducting microscopic traffic simulations within a small urban network and a highway scenario. Comparisons with mixed traffic and other existing bus lane priority strategies, in terms of operation and safety concerns, are analyzed and highlighted. Simulation results show that VROW improves the PT operational performance with only a marginal influence on private vehicles measured by their average travel time and the number of lane changes.

Analysis of Cryptocurrency Dynamics in the Emerging Market Economies: Does Reinforcement or Substitution Effect Prevail?

We analyzed cryptocurrency dynamics in the global U.S. dollar–denominated market and the emerging market economies (EMEs) with a view to ascertaining whether activities in these markets are predominantly shaped by reinforcement or substitution effect. Cryptocurrencies analyzed include the Bitcoins, Ethereum, Litecoin, Steller, Bitcoin Cash, and USD Tether. The results suggest that, on average, correlation between digital assets in the cryptocurrencies’ ecosystem is positive. However, there is evidence of an outlier with respect to the USD Tether (USDT) in the global market, revealing that the USDT is negatively associated with all other cryptocurrencies. This is supported by the dynamic regression results that provided evidence of reinforcement effect in favor of the USDT in the global crypto market, thus confirming the status of the USDT as “Stablecoin” as it is pegged 1:1 to USD. In the global market context, the results also revealed that USDT/USD returns had identical outliers that could portend lesser chances of extreme gains or losses compared with suggestions of extreme gains or losses in the EMEs. Furthermore, USDT did not seem to have similar evolution in the EMEs where it had relatively marginal influence in the markets. The vector error correction (VEC) estimate showed mixed results between Altcoins in all the markets; moreover, our finding showed that reinforcement effects hold in favor of Steller (XLM) both in the Russian ruble and Indian rupee crypto markets, whereas the Chinese yuan crypto market was predominantly characterized by substitution effect in favor of Bitcoin.

Does country of resettlement influence the risk of suicide in refugees? A case-control study in Sweden and Norway

Abstract Aims Little is known regarding how the risk of suicide in refugees relates to their host country. Specifically, to what extent inter-country differences in structural factors between the host countries may explain the association between refugee status and subsequent suicide is lacking in previous literature. We aimed to investigate (1) the risk of suicide in refugees resident in Sweden and Norway, in general, and according to their sex, age, region/country of birth and duration of residence, compared with the risk of suicide in the respective majority host population; (2) if factors related to socio-demographics, labour market marginalisation (LMM) and healthcare use might explain the risk of suicide in refugees differently in host countries. Methods Using a nested case-control design, each case who died by suicide between the age of 18 and 64 years during 1998 and 2018 (17 572 and 9443 cases in Sweden and Norway, respectively) was matched with up to 20 controls from the general population, by sex and age. Multivariate-adjusted conditional logistic regression models yielding adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to test the association between refugee status and suicide. Separate models were controlled for factors related to socio-demographics, previous LMM and healthcare use. Analyses were also stratified by sex and age groups, by refugees' region/country of birth and duration of residence in the host country. Results The aORs for suicide in refugees in Sweden and Norway were 0.5 (95% CI 0.5–0.6) and 0.3 (95% CI 0.3–0.4), compared with the Swedish-born and Norwegian-born individuals, respectively. Stratification by region/country of birth showed similar statistically significant lower odds for most refugee groups in both host countries except for refugees from Eritrea (aOR 1.0, 95% CI 0.7–1.6) in Sweden. The risk of suicide did not vary much across refugee groups by their duration of residence, sex and age except for younger refugees aged 18–24 who did not have a statistically significant relative difference in suicide risk than their respective host country peers. Factors related to socio-demographics, LMM and healthcare use had only a marginal influence on the studied associations in both countries. Conclusions Refugees in Sweden and Norway had almost similar suicide mortality advantages compared with the Swedish-born and Norwegian-born population, respectively. These findings may suggest that resiliency and culture/religion-bound attitudes towards suicidal behaviour in refugees could be more influential for their suicide risk after resettlement than other post-migration environmental and structural factors in the host country.

Experimental investigation of shock-induced tandem droplet breakup

For deeper insights into the dynamics of dense sprays, the present experimental work investigates the shock-induced breakup of two identically sized water droplets in tandem formation. The breakup process is visualized in a shadowgraph system and captured by an ultra-high-speed camera. The experimental Weber number ranges from 13 to 180, and the separation distance between the droplets is varied between 1.2 and 10.5 times of the droplet diameter. While the tandem formation exerts marginal influence on the lead droplet, the breakup intensity of the trailing droplet is consistently attenuated as the separation distance falls below critical levels. The time of initial deformation is postponed, the maximum cross-stream diameter is reduced, and the mean drag coefficient is lowered. These effects are more profound at lower Weber numbers and closer separation distances. The attenuation of the breakup intensity is also reflected by the formation of smaller bags in bag and bag-and-stamen morphologies and by the narrower cross-stream dispersion of fragments in multibag and shear stripping morphologies. When positioned in close proximity to the lead droplet, the trailing droplet fails to follow the conventional breakup morphologies. Instead, it either punctures or coalesces with the lead droplet.

What is a word?

AbstractPractices of word segmentation in French and Moroccan Arabic by beginning and advanced bilingual writers in two historically and linguistically divergent settings are analysed in a threefold perspective: (1) In the different sociocultural contexts of linguistically heterogeneous France in the 1870’s and a town with remarkable immigration from Morocco in Germany in 2000, dictations constitute monolingual settings of language policy and normativity; (2) structurally, open and closed spellings of (clitic) function and content words indicate constraints of different orthographies, focussing either phonology or morphosyntax; (3) in the framework of contact linguistics, bilingual students write in one of their languages (French, Moroccan Arabic) with resources of other languages (like Breton, German, Classical Arabic).The results show that the students’ writings are influenced by graphematic structures not directly related to the language dictated. In French Brittany, a great importance of closed spellings may be supported by the agglutinative feature of the Breton language, while the apostrophe as a striking feature of French orthography is used primarily, but often only emblematically, by the students in Gascony. Moroccan Arabic writers in Germany are influenced indirectly by their first school language, German, in the way they mark word boundaries in prepositional phrases (PP) and imperfective verb forms. Classical Arabic, however, remains of marginal influence although both varieties are historically and structurally closely related.

Pathological Maintenance and Evolution of Breast Cancer: The Convergence of Irreversible Biological Actions of ER Alpha

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is a modulator of breast cancer maintenance and evolution. Hence, analysis of underlying mechanisms by which ERα operates is of importance for the improvement of the hormonal therapy of the disease. This review focuses on the irreversible character of the mechanism of action of ERα, which also concerns other members of the steroid hormones receptors family. ERα moves in permanence between targets localized especially at the chromatin level to accomplish gene transcriptions imposed by the estrogenic ligands and specific antagonists. Receptor association as at the plasma membrane, where it interacts with other recruitment sites, extends its regulatory potency to growth factors and related peptides through activation of signal transductions pathways. If the latter procedure is suitable for the transcriptions in which the receptor operates as a coregulator of another transcription factor, it is of marginal influence with regard to the direct estrogenic regulation procedure, especially in the context of the present review. Irreversibility of the successive steps of the underlying transcription cycle guarantees maintenance of homeostasis and evolution according to vital necessities. To justify this statement, reported data are essentially described in a holistic view rather than in the context of exhaustive analysis of a molecular event contributing to a specific function as well as in a complementary perspective to elaborate new therapeutic approaches with antagonistic potencies against those tumors promoting ERα properties.

The influence of loan officers on loan contract design and performance

We investigate the extent to which loan officers generate independent, individual effects on the design and performance of syndicated loans. We construct a large database containing the identities of loan officers involved in structuring syndicated loan deals, allowing us to systematically disentangle borrower, bank, and loan officer fixed effects. We find that loan officers have significant influence on interest spreads, loan covenant design, and loan performance. Inclusion of borrower fixed effects increases our power to rule out the alternative that loan officer fixed effects reflect the matching of officerds to borrowers based on time-invariant borrower characteristics. We document heterogeneity in loan officers’ influence across loan contract terms, with loan officers exerting stronger influence over covenant package design than over interest spreads, but marginal influence on loan maturity. Lead officers have greater influence than participant officers over covenant package design and loan performance, but less robust differential influence on interest spreads.