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1995 Construction Outlook Several defining factors will set the pace for continued economic prosperity for the nation and the construction industry in 1995. The first factor is the financial strength [...]

This paper analyses the joint association of tax incentives and tax law enforcement strictness on private firms' earnings and balance sheet properties. It answers a call for additional research on why "here is (…) substantial within-country variation in managers' incentives to [manage] earnings" [LaFond et al., (2007), p.14]. There is evidence that tax laws in practice are enacted to a different extent within a country's homogenous legal framework. The key results are that stricter tax law enforcement impairs managers' ability or willingness to engage in income-decreasing accrual earnings management. On the downside, managers instead seem to resort to real earnings management choices which are associated with potentially negative long-term real business impact but generally covered by the business judgement rule.

Many people believe a large drop in the stock market, a significant decline in economic output or high unemployment means we are in a recession. But who officially determines when [...]

2001 looks like it will mark the point of low growth for this portion of the business cycle. The national economy continues to send mixed signals, with some parameters up [...]

RALEIGH -- For a number of months, economists have been puzzled and handwringers have been incensed that the personal savings rate in the U.S. has been negative. Economists, sociologists, and [...]

The construction industry will continue to experience weak growth in 1996. Although companies continue to post strong profits and unemployment is under 6%, factors such as Congressional spending policies will provide a slowing force to the industry's short-term growth. However, expansion of economies in Asia and improving economies in Europe will offer the industry strong opportunities in foreign markets., RALEIGH, N.C. -- While the Energizer Bunny aspect of the U.S. economy in 1995 surprised many, FMI sees signs that the slow expansion will continue for the nation and the [...]

In its first report of the year, FMI predicts no growth in overall construction activity in 1999. The United States economy has downshifted, but is still moving ahead nicely. Non-farm [...]

The U.S. economy continues its advance with controlled inflation, improvement in productivity, and increasing business investment. As expected, 1996 experienced a moderate rise in construction at 3.2 percent above the [...]

Prior immunological exposure to dengue virus can be both protective and disease-enhancing during subsequent infections with different dengue virus serotypes. We provide here a systematic, longitudinal analysis of B cell, T cell, and antibody responses in the same patients. Antibody responses as well as T and B cell activation differentiate primary from secondary responses. Hospitalization is associated with lower frequencies of activated, terminally differentiated T cells and higher percentages of effector memory CD4 T cells. Patients with more severe disease tend to have higher percentages of plasmablasts. This does not translate into long-term antibody titers, since neutralizing titers after 6 months correlate with percentages of specific memory B cells, but not with acute plasmablast activation. Overall, our unbiased analysis reveals associations between cellular profiles and disease severity, opening opportunities to study immunopathology in dengue disease and the potential predictive value of these parameters.

Focuses on the discovery of Otzi, the oldest mummified human and said to be the most important archaeological find of the latter part of the 20th century. What makes Otzi so special; Information on the forensic science that provides accurate methods for facial reconstruction of Otzi; Residue analysis of his tools.

The analysis of use-residues on tools using methods drawn from microscopy, biochemistry, radiocarbon dating and molecular biology results in information which can be at least as informative as excavation-based reconstructions of past cultures. The analysis of a collection of tools from a now destroyed site in north-western Canada yields species identification of the residues, the age and task association of the tools, and necessitates a change to the reconstruction of the subsistence and economy of the late prehistoric period in the region.

We investigate the impact of an informal social attribute on cost behavior. More specifically, we examine the effect of generalized trust (trust in others) on cost stickiness. Using a large international sample from 44 countries, we find that generalized trust significantly increases cost stickiness. Important rationales for this result are that managers in more trusting societies are more optimistic and are committed to stable, long-term employment relationships. This study makes a significant contribution in understanding cost stickiness differences across the globe. Our results further complement prior research which has found, to the contrary, that trust and cost stickiness are negatively associated at the local level. Hence, our study corroborates the importance of distinguishing between local social capital and global generalized trust concerning their effects on economic outcomes.

Human antibody SIgN-3C neutralizes dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) differently. DENV:SIgN-3C Fab and ZIKV:SIgN-3C Fab cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) complex structures show Fabs crosslink E protein dimers at extracellular pH 8.0 condition and also when further incubated at acidic endosomal conditions (pH 8.0–6.5). We observe Fab binding to DENV (pH 8.0–5.0) prevents virus fusion, and the number of bound Fabs increase (from 120 to 180). For ZIKV, although there are already 180 copies of Fab at pH 8.0, virus structural changes at pH 5.0 are not inhibited. The immunoglobulin G (IgG):DENV structure at pH 8.0 shows both Fab arms bind to epitopes around the 2-fold vertex. On ZIKV, an additional Fab around the 5-fold vertex at pH 8.0 suggests one IgG arm would engage with an epitope, although the other may bind to other viruses, causing aggregation. For DENV2 at pH 5.0, a similar scenario would occur, suggesting DENV2:IgG complex would aggregate in the endosome. Hence, a single antibody employs different neutralization mechanisms against different flaviviruses.