Does minority ownership concentration influence the relationship between board independence and tunneling?

Tunneling is a type of expropriation of resources from the minority shareholders of a company by its largest shareholder. Previous research has found mixed results on the relationship between board independence and tunneling, and on the relationship between minority shareholder concentration and tunneling. We examine whether more independent boards may be better at limiting tunneling when there is greater minority shareholder concentration. Using a sample of 3,084 firm-years of Chinese companies, we find a significant interaction between board independence and minority shareholder concentration in a model of tunneling. These results suggest that more independent boards are more likely to inhibit tunneling when minority shareholdings have greater voting influence over board elections through concentration of shareholding

Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) of mesocotyl elongation based on re-sequencing approach in rice

Annotation of candidate genes anchored by associated SNPs. (XLSX 34 kb

Choosing legumes and perennial grasses

Many letters are received annually by the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station requesting information on the different legumes and grasses. This publication has been prepared to answer the more important questions pertaining to the choice of legumes and grasses for different uses and conditions.2 Legumes of greatest value for different uses or soil conditions in Iowa are (1) alfalfa, (2) medium red clover, (3) mammoth red clover, (4) alsike clover, (5) white clover, (6) the biennial white and yellow sweet clovers, (7) hubam clover, (the annual white sweet clover) (8) Korean lespedeza, (9) dalea and (10) soybeans. A discussion of soybeans is largely omitted in this publication since the growing of this crop is entirely different from that of the others.

Comparison between a New Optical Biometry Device and an Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomographer for Measuring Central Corneal Thickness and Anterior Chamber Depth

Purpose. To compare between a new optical biometer (AL-Scan, Nidek Co., Aichi, Japan) and an anterior segment optical coherence tomographer (Visante AS-OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, USA) for measuring central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and aqueous depth (AD). Methods. Sixty-three eyes of 63 normal subjects were examined with AL-Scan and Visante AS-OCT in this prospective study. One eye per subject was measured three times with both devices to record their CCT, ACD, and AD. All procedures were performed by the same operator. Agreement between the two devices was assessed using paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plots, and 95% limits of agreement (LoA). Results. The mean CCT, ACD, and AD measured by AL-Scan were 538.59±27.37 μm, 3.70±0.30 mm, and 3.16±0.30 mm, respectively. The mean values obtained by the Visante OCT were 536.14±26.61 μm for CCT, 3.71±0.29 mm for ACD, and 3.17±0.29 mm for AD. The mean CCT by the AL-Scan was higher than that obtained by the Visante AS-OCT (difference = 2.45±6.07 μm, P<0.05). The differences in ACD and AD measurements were not statistically significant. The 95% LoA of CCT, ACD, and AD were between −9.44 and 14.35 μm, −0.15 and 0.12 mm, and −0.15 and 0.12 mm, respectively. Conclusions. Since these two devices were comparable for measuring CCT, ACD, and AD, their results can be interchangeably used in the clinic

Evaluation of Central Corneal Thickness Using Corneal Dynamic Scheimpflug Analyzer Corvis ST and Comparison with Pentacam Rotating Scheimpflug System and Ultrasound Pachymetry in Normal Eyes

Purpose. To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements by corneal dynamic Scheimpflug analyzer Corvis ST in normal eyes and compare the agreement with Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug System and ultrasound pachymetry. Methods. 84 right eyes underwent Corvis ST measurements performed by two operators. The test-retest repeatability (TRT), within-subject coefficient of variation (CoV), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate the intraoperator repeatability and interoperator reproducibility. CCT measurements also were obtained from Pentacam and ultrasound pachymetry by the first operator. The agreement between the three devices was evaluated with 95% limits of agreement (LoA) and Bland-Altman plots. Results. Corvis ST showed high repeatability as indicated by TRT ≤ 13.0 μm, CoV < 0.9%, and ICC > 0.97. The interoperator reproducibility was also excellent. The CoV was <0.9%, and ICC was >0.97. Corvis ST showed significantly lower values than Pentacam and ultrasound pachymetry (P<0.001). The 95% LoA between Corvis ST and Pentacam or ultrasound pachymetry were −15.8 to 9.5 μm and −27.9 to 12.3 μm, respectively. Conclusions. Corvis ST showed excellent repeatability and interoperator reproducibility of CCT measurements in normal eyes. Corvis ST is interchangeable with Pentacam but not with ultrasound pachymetry

Biomechanical Effects of Two forms of PGF2α on ex-vivo Rabbit Cornea.

PURPOSE:To investigate the biomechanical effects of two synthetic prostaglandin F2α analogues (PGF2α), namely Travoprost and Tafluprost, on the ex-vivo rabbit cornea. MATERIALS AND METHODS:96 eyes of 48 Japanese white rabbits were divided into 3 equal groups randomly; the Travoprost treated group (Tra), the Tafluprost treated group (Taf) and the control group (Co). Eyes in Tra and Taf groups were preserved in storage medium for 10 days with 1:10 Travoprost and Tafluprost diluents, respectively; while the Co eyes were preserved in a similar but PGF2α-free medium. 24 corneas of each group were tested under inflation conditions with up to 30 mmHg posterior pressure. The pressure-deformation data obtained experimentally were used in an inverse analysis process to derive the stress-strain behavior of the tissue, using which the tangent modulus, a direct measure of the tissue's material stiffness, was calculated. The remaining 8 specimens of each group were analyzed using electron microscopy for fibril diameter and interfibrillar spacing. RESULTS:Although the central corneal thickness increased significantly in the three groups after storage (p< 0.01), it was similar in all groups both before (p= 0.598) and after storage (p= 0.181). After treatment with Travoprost and Tafluprost, the corneas exhibited lower tangent modulus (by 29.2% and 29.8%, respectively at 6 kPa stress) and larger stromal interfibril spacing (by 21.9% and 23.6%) compared with the control group. There was no significant change in fibril diameter with either Travoprost or Tafluprost treatment (p= 0.769). CONCLUSIONS:The results demonstrated significant reductions in tangent modulus and increases in interfibrillar spacing, which were of similar magnitudes, with the application of two different forms of PGF2α