Market distortions and corporate governance

This paper studies corporate governance when a firm faces imperfect competition. We derive firms' decisions from utility maximization by individuals. This reduces the usual monopoly distortion. We find that corporate governance can effect the equilibrium in the product (or input) markets. This enables us to endogenize the objective function of the firm. If the firm cannot commit not to change its constitution, we find a Coaselike result where all market power is lost in the limit. We present a more abstract model of governance in the presence of market distortions and discuss its implications for the governance of universities

Physiological basis for allelopathic potential of different wheat cultivars in heading period on the Loess Plateau of China

The relationship between fluorescence kinetics and allelopathic expression of four winter-wheat ecotypes in heading period was discussed. With the breeding history from No. 1 Bima, No. 3 Fengchan, No. 1 Ningdong to No 22 Xiaoyan and agronomic properties of winter wheat like thousand seed weight and yield, etc increased gradually. Meanwhile, allelopathic potential was also enhanced. It was explained well by physiological basis of fluorescence kinetics. Fm' and F was induced to increase, furthermore, photosynthesis system PSII would be expressed superiorly under arid press. Significant relationship among growth traits, florescence kinetics and allelopathic potential was discovered. Three kinds of parameters like yield, chlorophyll and allelopathic potential of winter wheat in heading period formed a complex network system. So, allelopathy variation was mainly determined and regulated by the presumed net system in plants. It is important in screening and breeding of allelopathic crops cultivars, including development of sustainable agriculture.Key words: Allelopathy trait, fluorescence kinetics, Triticum aestivum L., dryland farming, network system

Adaptive Multiple Subtraction: Unification And Comparison Of Matching Filters Based On The L(q)-norm And Statistical Independence

An adaptive multiple subtraction step is necessary for almost all methods that predict seismic multiple reflected waves. We aim at giving a better understanding of matching filters based on l(q)-norms and on statistical independence. We found that the formulation of all of these techniques can be gathered in a mutual framework by introducing a space-time operator, called the primary enhancer, acting on the estimated primaries. The differences between the considered matching filters become more intuitive because this operator behaves as a simple amplitude compressor. In this perspective, all the methods tend to uncorrelate the predicted multiples and the enhanced estimated primaries. The study of these matching-filter methods can be narrowed to the study of the primary enhancer operator because it is the only difference. Moreover, we have emphasized the role of using adjacent traces or windowing approaches in terms of statistics, and we show that an adequate windowing strategy may overbear the choice of the objective function. Indeed, our analysis showed that setting a good windowing strategy may be more important than changing the classical least-squares adaptation criterion to other approaches based on l(q)-norm minimization or independent component analysis.81V43V54PetrobrasFrench National Research AgencyCGGTotalSchlumberge

Combined approach for analysing evolutionary power spectra of a track-soil system under moving random loads

© 2019, The Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. The pseudo-excitation method combined with the integral transform method (PEM-ITM) is presented to investigate the ground vibration of a coupled track-soil system induced by moving random loads. Commonly in the track model, the rail, sleepers, rail pads, and ballast are modelled as an infinite Euler beam, discretely distributed masses, discretely distributed vertical springs, and a viscoelastic layer, respectively. The soil is regarded as a homogenous isotropic half-space coupled with the track using the boundary condition at the surface of the ground. By introducing a pseudo-excitation, the random vibration analysis of the coupled system is converted into a harmonic analysis. The analytical form of evolutionary power spectral density responses of the simplified coupled track-soil system under a random moving load is derived in the frequency/wavenumber domain by PEM-ITM. In the numerical examples, the effects of different parameters, such as the moving speed, the soil properties, and the coherence of moving loads, on the ground response are investigated

GeoZui3D: Data Fusion for Interpreting Oceanographic Data

GeoZui3D stands for Geographic Zooming User Interface. It is a new visualization software system designed for interpreting multiple sources of 3D data. The system supports gridded terrain models, triangular meshes, curtain plots, and a number of other display objects. A novel center of workspace interaction method unifies a number of aspects of the interface. It creates a simple viewpoint control method, it helps link multiple views, and is ideal for stereoscopic viewing. GeoZui3D has a number of features to support real-time input. Through a CORBA interface external entities can influence the position and state of objects in the display. Extra windows can be attached to moving objects allowing for their position and data to be monitored. We describe the application of this system for heterogeneous data fusion, for multibeam QC and for ROV/AUV monitoring

Four simplified gradient elasticity models for the simulation of dispersive wave propagation

Gradient elasticity theories can be used to simulate dispersive wave propagation as it occurs in heterogeneous materials. Compared to the second-order partial differential equations of classical elasticity, in its most general format gradient elasticity also contains fourth-order spatial, temporal as well as mixed spatial temporal derivatives. The inclusion of the various higher-order terms has been motivated through arguments of causality and asymptotic accuracy, but for numerical implementations it is also important that standard discretization tools can be used for the interpolation in space and the integration in time. In this paper, we will formulate four different simplifications of the general gradient elasticity theory. We will study the dispersive properties of the models, their causality according to Einstein and their behavior in simple initial/boundary value problems

Breastfeeding-related problems in primigravida mothers at the time of hospital discharge from a tertiary care hospital

Background: Breastfeeding-related problems are common in primigravida mothers. There is a lacuna in the knowledge about these problems in Indian population. Objective: The present study is undertaken to study the prevalence of breastfeeding-related problems in the first-time mothers in a tertiary care hospital at the time of discharge. Methods: Consecutive primigravida mothers, who delivered term babies, were interviewed at the time of hospital discharge about breastfeeding-related problems based on a validated questionnaire. The pre-determined predictors were educational status of mother, mode of delivery, and prior knowledge about breastfeeding. Results: Between March 2015 and June 2015, 171 mothers were interviewed. The following were demographic profile of mothers: Average age: 24 years, education above matriculation: 55%, and vaginal delivery: 70%. The common problems were pain while feeding (n=50, 29%), improper latching (n=20, 12%), and feeling of inadequate milk (n=29, 17%). Cesarean section was associated with lower confidence levels for breastfeeding (odds ratio [OR] 2.68 [1.04-6.91], p=0.041), delayed onset of first breastfeed (OR 33.4 [12.67-88], p=0.0001), and feeling of inadequacy of breast milk quantity (OR 3.76 [1.64-8.58], p=0.001). Illiterate mothers were at higher risk of having these problems. Prior knowledge about breastfeeding was associated with fewerproblems. Conclusion: The study presents the existing problems related to breastfeeding at the time of discharge from a tertiary care hospital

Outcomes of total hip arthroplasty, as a salvage procedure, following failed internal fixation of intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: The optimal management of intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck in independently mobile patients remains open to debate. Successful fixation obviates the limitations of arthroplasty for this group of patients. However, with fixation failure rates as high as 30%, the outcome of revision surgery to salvage total hip arthroplasty (THA) must be considered. We carried out a systematic review to compare the outcomes of salvage THA and primary THA for intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) compliant systematic review, using the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane libraries databases. A meta-analysis was performed where possible, and a narrative synthesis when a meta-analysis was not possible. RESULTS: Our analyses revealed a significantly increased risk of complications including deep infection, early dislocation and peri-prosthetic fracture with salvage THA when compared with primary THA for an intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck (overall risk ratio of 3.15). Functional outcomes assessment using EuroQoL (EQ)-5D were not significantly different (p = 0.3). CONCLUSION: Salvage THA carries a significantly higher risk of complications than primary THA for intracapsular fractured neck of femur. Current literature is still lacking well designed studies to provide a full answer to the question. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Salvage THA is associated with more complications than primary THA for intracapsular neck of femur fractures

Understanding the Links between Inferring Mental States, Empathy, and Burnout in Medical Contexts

It is generally accepted that empathy should be the basis of patient care. However, this ideal may be unrealistic if healthcare professionals suffer adverse effects when engaging in empathy. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of inferring mental states and different components of empathy (perspective-taking; empathic concern; personal distress) in burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion; depersonalization; personal accomplishment). A total of 184 healthcare professionals participated in the study (23% male, Mage = 44.60; SD = 10.46). We measured participants’ empathy, the inference of mental states of patients, and burnout. Correlation analyses showed that inferring mental states was positively associated with perspective-taking and with empathic concern, but uncorrelated with personal distress. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion was related to greater levels of personal distress and greater levels of inferences of mental states. Depersonalization was associated with greater levels of personal distress and lower levels of empathic concern. Personal accomplishment was associated with the inference of mental states in patients, lower levels of personal distress, and perspective-taking. These results provide a better understanding of how different components of empathy and mental state inferences may preserve or promote healthcare professionals’ burnout