Report of Recommendations to Iowa State University of Science and Technology on the Review of Selected General and Application Controls over the University's Student Financial Aid System, April 24 through May 12, 2006

State University Audit Report

The relation of body mass index and abdominal adiposity with dyslipidemia in 27 general populations of the WHO MONICA Project.

The association between adiposity measures and dyslipidemia has seldom been assessed in a multipopulational setting. 27 populations from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (WHO MONICA project) using health surveys conducted between 1990 and 1997 in adults aged 35-64 years (n = 40,480). Dyslipidemia was defined as the total/HDL cholesterol ratio >6 (men) and >5 (women). Overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 25% in men and 23% in women. Logistic regression showed that dyslipidemia was strongly associated with body mass index (BMI) in men and with waist circumference (WC) in women, after adjusting for region, age and smoking. Among normal-weight men and women (BMI<25 kg/m(2)), an increase in the odds for being dyslipidemic was observed between lowest and highest WC quartiles (OR = 3.6, p < 0.001). Among obese men (BMI ≥ 30), the corresponding increase was smaller (OR = 1.2, p = 0.036). A similar weakening was observed among women. Classification tree analysis was performed to assign subjects into classes of risk for dyslipidemia. BMI thresholds (25.4 and 29.2 kg/m(2)) in men and WC thresholds (81.7 and 92.6 cm) in women came out at first stages. High WC (>84.8 cm) in normal-weight men, menopause in women and regular smoking further defined subgroups at increased risk. standard categories of BMI and WC, or their combinations, do not lead to optimal risk stratification for dyslipidemia in middle-age adults. Sex-specific adaptations are necessary, in particular by taking into account abdominal obesity in normal-weight men, post-menopausal age in women and regular smoking in both sexes.

Hemoglobin enhances the biological activity of synthetic and natural bacterial (endotoxic) virulence factors: a general principle.

Although hemoglobin (Hb) is mainly present in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes (red blood cells), lower concentrations of pure, cell-free Hb are released permanently into the circulation due to an inherent intravascular hemolytic disruption of erythrocytes. Previously it was shown that the interaction of Hb with bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides, LPS) results in a significant increase of the biological activity of LPS. There is clear evidence that the enhancement of the biological activity of LPS by Hb is connected with a disaggregation of LPS. From these findings one questions whether the property to enhance the biological activity of endotoxin, in most cases proven by the ability to increase the cytokine (tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha, interleukins) production in human mononuclear cells, is restricted to bacterial endotoxin or is a more general principle in nature. To elucidate this question, we investigated the interaction of various synthetic and natural virulence (pathogenicity) factors with hemoglobin of human or sheep origin. In addition to enterobacterial R-type LPS a synthetic bacterial lipopeptide and synthetic phospholipid-like structures mimicking the lipid A portion of LPS were analysed. Furthermore, we also tested endotoxically inactive LPS and lipid A compounds such as those from Chlamydia trachomatis. We found that the observations made for endotoxically active form of LPS can be generalized for the other synthetic and natural virulence factors: In every case, the cytokine-production induced by them is increased by the addition of Hb. This biological property of Hb is connected with its physical property to convert the aggregate structures of the virulence factors into one with cubic symmetry, accompanied with a considerable reduction of the size and number of the original aggregates.

In vitro assessment of the pulmonary toxicity and gastric availability of lead-rich particles from a lead recycling plant

Epidemiological studies in urban areas have linked increasing respiratory and cardiovascular pathologies with atmospheric particulate matter (PM) from anthropic activities. However, the biological fate of metal-rich PM industrial emissions in urban areas of developed countries remains understudied. Lead toxicity and bioaccessibility assessments were therefore performed on emissions from a lead recycling plant, using complementary chemical acellular tests and toxicological assays, as a function of PM size (PM(10-2.5), PM(2.5-1) and PM(1)) and origin (furnace, refining and channeled emissions). Process PM displayed differences in metal content, granulometry, and percentage of inhalable fraction as a function of their origin. Lead gastric bioaccessibility was relatively low (maximum 25%) versus previous studies; although, because of high total lead concentrations, significant metal quantities were solubilized in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Regardless of origin, the finest PM(1) particles induced the most significant pro-inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells. Moreover, this biological response correlated with pro-oxidant potential assay results, suggesting some biological predictive value for acellular tests. Pulmonary effects from lead-rich PM could be driven by thiol complexation with either lead ions or directly on the particulate surface. Finally, health concern of PM was discussed on the basis of pro-inflammatory effects, accellular test results, and PM size distribution.

A comment on the Nash program and the theory of implementation

The mechanisms in the Nash program for cooperative games are madecompatible with the framework of the theory of implementation. This is donethrough a reinterpretation of the characteristic function that avoids feasibilityproblems, thereby allowing an analysis that focuses exclusively on the payoff space. In this framework, we show that the core is the only majorcooperative solution that is Maskin monotonic. Thus, implementation of mostcooperative solutions must rely on refinements of the Nash equilibrium concept(like most papers in the Nash program do). Finally, the mechanisms in theNash program are adapted into the model.

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa State University of Science and Technology payroll system for the period March 27 through May 11, 2007

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa State University of Science and Technology payroll system for the period March 27 through May 11, 2007

A theory of international conflict management and sanctioning

In this paper we analyze sanctioning policies in international law. We develop a model of international military conflict where the conflicting countries can be a target of international sanctions. These sanctions constitute an equilibrium outcome of an international political market for sanctions, where different countries trade political influence. We show that the level of sanctions in equilibrium is strictly positive but limited, in the sense that higher sanctions would exacerbate the military conflict, not reduce it. We then propose an alternative interpretation to the perceived lack of effectiveness of international sanctions, by showing that the problem might not be one of undersanctioning but of oversanctioning.

A Walrasian theory of commodity money: Paradoxical results

The objective of this note is to analyze some implications of the model of commodity money described in Banerjee and Maskin (1996) which may seem paradoxical. In order to do this, we incorporate a general production cost structure into the model. We focus on two different results. First, the existence of technologies that make counterfeiting a commodity more difficult may exclude it from being used as medium of exchange. Second, allocative distortions due to problems of asymmetric information may become larger in the presence of such technologies.

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa State University of Science and Technology tuition and fees system for the period of April 11 through May 2, 2008

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa State University of Science and Technology tuition and fees system for the period of April 11 through May 2, 2008

A health behaviour cross-sectional study of immigrants and non-immigrants in a Swiss urban general-practice setting.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about smoking, unhealthy use of alcohol, and risk behaviours for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in immigrants from developed and developing countries. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional study of 400 patients who consulted an academic emergency care centre at a Swiss university hospital. The odds ratios for having one or more risk behaviours were adjusted for age, gender, and education level. RESULTS: Immigrants from developing countries were less likely to use alcohol in an unhealthy manner (OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.22-0.57) or practise risk behaviours for STDs (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.74). They were also less likely to have any of the three studied risk behaviours (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.3). DISCUSSION: In addition to the usual determinants, health behaviours are also associated with origin; distinguishing between immigrants from developing and developed countries is useful in clinical settings. Surprisingly, patients from developing countries tend to possess several protective characteristics.

The growth and diffusion of knowlegde and the theory of the firm

We analyze the implications of a market imperfection related to the inability to establish intellectual property rights, that we label {\it unverifiable communication}. Employees are able to collude with external parties selling ``knowledge capital'' of the firm. The firm organizer engages in strategic interaction simultaneously with employees and competitors, as she introduces endogenous transaction costs in the market for information between those agents. Incentive schemes and communication costs are the key strategic variables used by the firm to induce frictions in collusive markets. Unverifiable communication introduces severe allocative distortions, both at internal product development and at intended sale of information (technology transfer). We derive implications of the model for observable decisions like characteristics of the employment relationship (full employment, incompatibility with other jobs), firms' preferences over cluster characteristics for location decisions, optimal size at entry, in--house development vs sale strategies for innovations and industry evolution.

Iowa Department of Transportation Fiscal Year 2008 Report of Savings by Using Video Conferencing Through Iowa Communications Network to the Iowa General Assembly Pursuant to Iowa Code § II 84 Acts and Joint Resolutions Enacted at the 1994 Regular Session of the 75th General Assembly of the State of Iowa Iowa Code §8D.10 Report of Savings by State Agencies

Iowa Code § 8D.10 requires certain state agencies prepare an annual report to the General Assembly certifying the identified savings associated with that state agency’s use of the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). This report covers estimated cost savings related to video conferencing via ICN for the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). In FY 2008, the DOT did not conduct any sessions utilizing ICN’s video conferencing system. Therefore, no cost savings were calculated for this report.

Audit quality: Attributes, private safeguards and the role of regulation

This article examines the private mechanisms used to safeguard quality in auditing, with a view to defining rules capable of facilitating the performance of market forces. An outline is given of a general theory of private quality assurance in auditing, based on the use of quasi-rents to self-enforce quality dimensions. Particular attention is paid to the role of fee income diversification as the key ingredient of private incentives for audit quality. The role of public regulation is then situated in the context defined by the presence of these safeguard mechanisms. This helps in defining the content of rules and the function of regulatory bodies in facilitating and strengthening the protective operation of the market. By making sense of the interaction between regulation, quality attributes and private safeguards, the analysis helps to evaluate the relative merits of different regulatory options.