Report on a special investigation of the City of Clearfield for the period August 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007

Report on a special investigation of the City of Clearfield for the period August 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007

Report on a special investigation of the Fifth and Eighth Judicial Districts Department of Correctional Services (Districts) for the period January 1, 2003 through June 30, 2006

Report on a special investigation of the Fifth and Eighth Judicial Districts Department of Correctional Services (Districts) for the period January 1, 2003 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of the Monona County Engineer’s Office for the period January 1, 2004 through April 20, 2007

Special investigation of the Monona County Engineer’s Office for the period January 1, 2004 through April 20, 2007

An investigation of the relationship between job characteristics and the gender wage gap

This paper re-examines gender wage differences, taking into account notonly worker characteristics but also job characteristics. Considerationof a wide set of job quality indicators can explain a fraction of thewage gap that would otherwise be attributed to pure wage discrimination.In any case, the fraction of the wage gap that remains associated todifferential rewards for identical factors across sexes is stillsubstantial. Our results suggest that in order to avoid overestimationof the fraction of the wage gap attributable to discrimination, it isnecessary to control for job characteristics.

Special investigation of the City of Rathbun for the period July 1, 2003 through November 30, 2007

Special investigation of the City of Rathbun for the period July 1, 2003 through November 30, 2007

Special investigation of Hardin County Solid Waste Disposal Commission for the period January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2007

Special investigation of Hardin County Solid Waste Disposal Commission for the period January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2007

Special investigation of the City of Postville for the period July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of the City of Postville for the period July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of the Area XV Regional Planning Commission located in Ottumwa, Iowa for the period July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of the Area XV Regional Planning Commission located in Ottumwa, Iowa for the period July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of selected accounts at Burlington High School for the period July 1, 2004 through February 16, 2006

Special investigation of selected accounts at Burlington High School for the period July 1, 2004 through February 16, 2006

Special investigation of the City of Mingo for the period September 1, 2002 through June 30, 2006

Special investigation of the City of Mingo for the period September 1, 2002 through June 30, 2006

Tomosyn-1 is involved in a post-docking event required for pancreatic beta-cell exocytosis.

Although the assembly of a ternary complex between the SNARE proteins syntaxin-1, SNAP25 and VAMP2 is known to be crucial for insulin exocytosis, the mechanisms controlling this key event are poorly understood. We found that pancreatic beta-cells express different isoforms of tomosyn-1, a syntaxin-1-binding protein possessing a SNARE-like motif. Using atomic force microscopy we show that the SNARE-like domain of tomosyn-1 can form a complex with syntaxin-1 and SNAP25 but displays binding forces that are weaker than those observed for VAMP2 (237+/-13 versus 279+/-3 pN). In pancreatic beta-cells tomosyn-1 was found to be concentrated in cellular compartments enriched in insulin-containing secretory granules. Silencing of tomosyn-1 in the rat beta-cell line INS-1E by RNA interference did not affect the number of secretory granules docked at the plasma membrane but led to a reduction in stimulus-induced exocytosis. Replacement of endogenous tomosyn-1 with mouse tomosyn-1, which differs in the nucleotide sequence from its rat homologue and escapes silencing, restored a normal secretory rate. Taken together, our data suggest that tomosyn-1 is involved in a post-docking event that prepares secretory granules for fusion and is necessary to sustain exocytosis of pancreatic beta-cells in response to insulin secretagogues.

Excess entry, ambiguity seeking and competence: An experimental investigation

Excess entry refers to the high failure rate of new entrepreneurial ventures. Economic explanations suggest 'hit and run' entrants and risk-seeking behavior. A psychological explanation is that people (entrepreneurs) are overconfident in their abilities (Camerer & Lovallo, 1999). Characterizing entry decisions as ambiguous gambles, we alternatively suggest following Heath and Tversky (1991) that people seek ambiguity when the source of uncertainty is related to their competence. Overconfidence, as such, plays no role. This hypothesis is confirmed in an experimental study that also documents the phenomenon of reference group neglect. Finally, we emphasize the utility that people gain from engaging in activities that contribute to a sense of competence. This is an important force in economic activity that deserves more explicit attention.

Special investigation of the City of Center Point Library for the period January 1, 2006 through December 6, 2007

Special investigation of the City of Center Point Library for the period January 1, 2006 through December 6, 2007

Special investigation of the City of Schleswig for the period January 1, 2003 through January 31, 2007

Special investigation of the City of Schleswig for the period January 1, 2003 through January 31, 2007

How wide is the gap? An investigation of gender wage differences using quantile regression

In this paper we examine the determinants of wages and decompose theobserved differences across genders into the "explained by differentcharacteristics" and "explained by different returns components"using a sample of Spanish workers. Apart from the conditionalexpectation of wages, we estimate the conditional quantile functionsfor men and women and find that both the absolute wage gap and thepart attributed to different returns at each of the quantiles, farfrom being well represented by their counterparts at the mean, aregreater as we move up in the wage range.