An examination of UK companies' modern slavery disclosure practices: Does board gender diversity matter?

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals persuade governments and businesses to fight modern slavery as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UK government took the initiative by introducing the Modern Slavery Act in 2015. Despite this, little is known about how companies disclose information about their efforts to tackle modern slavery as required by the Act and the role of corporate governance as a determinant of modern slavery disclosure (MSD) levels. This study, therefore, investigates the extent to which companies engage in MSD and empirically examines the impact of board gender diversity (BGD) on MSD. Based on a content analysis of FTSE 100 companies' modern slavery statements during the 2016–2020 period, we find that MSD improved over time but is still relatively low. Our results show that companies pay less attention to the core practices of modern slavery, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), due diligence procedures, risk assessment and management, and training. This evidence suggests that companies tend to comply with the Act by focusing largely on symbolic structures rather than providing a comprehensive disclosure of their impacts on modern slavery practices to minimise regulatory risks and manage stakeholders' perceptions. We also find that boards with greater female representation have a positive and significant association with MSD. This finding is consistent with the gender socialisation theory in that women are more sensitive to communal values and ethics. Consequently, companies with a greater proportion of female directors are more transparent about their strategies and actions related to fighting modern slavery. Furthermore, a critical mass of at least four female directors is necessary before any positive impact on MSD can be observed. Our findings shed new light on this under-researched area and the role of female directors in addressing modern slavery risk and can be of interest to companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders

The Sloan Bright Arcs Survey : Six Strongly Lensed Galaxies at z=0.4-1.4

We present new results of our program to systematically search for strongly lensed galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) imaging data. In this study six strong lens systems are presented which we have confirmed with follow-up spectroscopy and imaging using the 3.5m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. Preliminary mass models indicate that the lenses are group-scale systems with velocity dispersions ranging from 466-878 km s^{-1} at z=0.17-0.45 which are strongly lensing source galaxies at z=0.4-1.4. Galaxy groups are a relatively new mass scale just beginning to be probed with strong lensing. Our sample of lenses roughly doubles the confirmed number of group-scale lenses in the SDSS and complements ongoing strong lens searches in other imaging surveys such as the CFHTLS (Cabanac et al 2007). As our arcs were discovered in the SDSS imaging data they are all bright ($r\lesssim22$), making them ideally suited for detailed follow-up studies.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJL, the Sloan Bright Arcs page is located here: http://home.fnal.gov/~kubo/brightarcs.htm

MAXIMUM POWER TRACKING OF A GRID-CONNECTED WIND-DRIVEN BRUSHLESS DOUBLY-FED RELUCTANCE GENERATOR USING SCALAR CONTROL

This paper presents a scalar volt per hertz (v/f) control technique for maximum power tracking of a grid-connected wind-driven Brushless Doubly-Fed Reluctance Generator (BDFRG). The proposed generator has two stator windings namely; power winding, directly connected to the grid, and control winding, connected to the grid through a bi-directional converter. The presented control technique is based on the abc-axis and dq-axis dynamic model of BDFRG. A detailed abc-axis and dq-axis dynamic model, by which the dynamic behaviour of the BDFRG can be successfully predicted under different operating conditions, is presented. In addition, a soft starting method is suggested to avoid the over-current of the bi-directional converter. The presented simulation results ensure the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy for maximum wind-power extraction under wind-speed variations

The Sloan Bright Arcs Survey: Four Strongly Lensed Galaxies with Redshift >2

We report the discovery of four very bright, strongly-lensed galaxies found via systematic searches for arcs in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 and 6. These were followed-up with spectroscopy and imaging data from the Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5m telescope at Apache Point Observatory and found to have redshift $z>2.0$. With isophotal magnitudes $r = 19.2 - 20.4$ and 3\arcsec-diameter magnitudes $r = 20.0 - 20.6$, these systems are some of the brightest and highest surface brightness lensed galaxies known in this redshift range. In addition to the magnitudes and redshifts, we present estimates of the Einstein radii, which range from 5.0 \arcsec to 12.7 \arcsec, and use those to derive the enclosed masses of the lensing galaxies

GENERALIZED THERMOELASTIC FUNCTIONALLY GRADED HALF SPACE UNDER SURFACE ABSORPTION OF LASER RADIATION

The subject of this paper is to study the thermoelastic behavior of a functionally graded semi-infinite medium heated uniformly by a laser beam having temporally Gaussian distribution. The surface of the medium is taken as traction free. The general solution is obtained in the Laplace transform domain. The inverse of the Laplace transform is computed numerically using the Riemann-sum approximation method. The numerical results for temperature, displacement and stress are obtained and presented graphically for the generalized theory of thermo-elasticity with one relaxation time

A hidden cause of infertility in hypothyroid patients

Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutations could be the cause of infertility in hypothyroid patients. Hence, it is worthy to screen for MTHFR gene mutations in infertile hypothyroid females and their partners if infertility persists after optimizing thyroid function

Three-to-five-phase matrix converter using carrier-based PWM technique

<p><strong>Abstract</strong> - This paper proposes a simple Carrier-Based PWM (CBPWM) technique to control the three- to five-phase Direct Matrix Converter (3×5 DMC). The proposed technique uses the indirect modulation approach to control the 3×5 DMC such as a three-phase bidirectional rectifier followed by five-phase voltage source inverter (VSI). Based on this approach, it is possible to synthesize the desired five-phase output voltages with sinusoidal three-phase input currents and unity input power factor. A CBPWM method is suggested for each stage independently including both linear and overmodulation operating modes. By the proposed technique, in both operating modes, the maximum possible overall Voltage Transfer Ratio (VTR) are achieved. Moreover, this technique allows the input power factor to be controlled by controlling the input current displacement angle. The feasibility of the proposed technique has been verified by a series of simulation and experimental results based on Matlab/Simulink and dSPACE-DS1104 platform. The results show that, a sinusoidal output and input waveforms can be achieved with a maximum possible VTR in the linear region. However, in the overmodulation region, a maximum possible VTR is achieved at the cost of some distortion of output and input waveforms. Therefore, this technique can be used for the application where a higher VTR is essential.</p

SPACE VECTOR PWM TECHNIQUE FOR THREE- TO SEVEN-PHASE AC-TO-AC POWER CONVERTERS: ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATIONS

This paper presents Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control technique for three to seven-phase ac-to-ac power converters. These proposed PWM techniques are based on Indirect Space Vector Modulation (ISVM), which model the converter as two independent stages perform rectification and inversion stages. Two schemes of ISVM are proposed. The first scheme maximizes the voltage transfer ratio (VTR) of the converter but it produces unwanted low order harmonics. The second scheme generates sinusoidal output voltage waveforms; the cost is a reduction in the VTR of this configuration in linear mode. The viability of the proposed technique is proved using experimental results

Foreign body ingestion in children: unusual presentations and timely intervention

Background/purpose: Foreign body (FB) ingestion in children is very common. Children can ingest a wide variety of FBs. Most of the ingested FBs pass spontaneously through the gastrointestinal tract. Other FBs, especially uncommonly ingested objects, can present with complications and need intervention to be extracted. The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of timely intervention to extract these FBs.Patients and methods: Between November 2012 and October 2017, patients who presented to our department with variously ingested FBs were retrospectively reviewed to detect those who needed intervention (surgical or endoscopic) to extract these FBs.Results: During the specified time period, 480 patients with FB ingestion presented to our department. Out of these children, 12 patients ingested uncommon FBs or presented with symptoms of complications of impaction and needed intervention to extract these FBs. Three patients ingested multiple magnets. Three patients ingested pins which were impacted in and penetrated the duodenum. One patient ingested a screw which was impacted in the appendix. One patient ingested a sticky rubber toy which was impacted in the pylorus. One patient ingested hair (bezoar), which was also impacted in the pylorus. One patient ingested a disk battery which was impacted in and penetrated the esophagus, and all were surgically extracted. One patient had a slipped stent of repaired choanal atresia which was impacted in the gastroesophageal junction and one patient with repaired tracheoesophageal fistula ingested a stone which was impacted at the site of esophageal anastomosis, and both were endoscopically retrieved.Conclusion: Children who ingested uncommon FBs or presented late with symptoms of complications of impaction needed intervention (surgically or endoscopically) to extract these FBs.Keywords: foreign bodies, foreign body extraction, ingestion, magnets ingestion, pin ingestio