Bank Governance and Performance: A Survey of the Literature

This paper seeks to review the theoretical and empirical literature on the relationship between bank governance and performance, providing a comprehensive understanding of the existing research and offering guidance for investors and regulators on the major points of consensus and disagreement among researchers on this issue. Although the question of what determines the levels of firms’ performance, with special emphasis on the role of the corporate governance, has long been the subject of substantial academic research, it gained increased attention in the banking industry in the last decade due to a series of financial scandals and, more recently, to the global financial crisis. In fact, in the wake of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, bank corporate governance mechanisms received heightened attention, accompanied by the renewed interest in the degree of effectiveness of such mechanisms, and their impact on performance. Given the vast number of influences on corporate performance, such as the numerous characteristics of the board of directors, there is an abundant literature on the determinants of performance. Thus, this paper tries to bring together this diverse body of knowledge into a coherent whole. Banks have unique attributes that interfere with the way in which the usual corporate governance mechanisms work. Thus, the main differences between banks and non-financial firms, which justify that some of the regularities found in the literature on the relationship between a set of corporate governance mechanisms and performance do not hold for banks, are also analysed. Then, we extensively review the literature on the board of directors and its impact on performance in the financial crisis and non-financial crisis periods. Finally, we also survey the (very) scarce research on the relationship between board characteristics and bank failures.This research has been financed by the European Regional Development Fund through COMPETE 2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by Portuguese public funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006890.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corallistine, a new polynitrogen compound from the sponge Corallistes fulvodesmus L. and L.

Two polynitrogen compounds 1-methyl-pteridine-2,4-dione 1b and corallistine 2 were isolated from the new-caledonian sponge #Corallistes fulvodesmus$ L. & L. The structure of corallistine was determinated by X-ray single crystal analysis of its 6'-isobutyloxycarbonyl derivative 3. (Résumé d'auteur

Factors Influencing Intention and Usage

Cesario, F., Costa, C. J., Aparicio, M., & Aparicio, J. T. (2023). Blockchain Technology Adoption: Factors Influencing Intention and Usage. In A. R. da Silva, M. M. da Silva, J. Estima, C. Barry, M. Lang, H. Linger, & C. Schneider (Eds.), Information Systems Development, Organizational Aspects and Societal Trends (ISD2023 Proceedings) Instituto Superior Técnico. https://aisel.aisnet.org/isd2014/proceedings2023/managingdevops/1/ --- Funding: The authors acknowledge financial support via ADVANCE- CSG from the Fundação para a Ciência and Tecnologia (FCT Portugal) through research grant numbers UIDB/04521/2020; research grant UIDB/04152/2020—Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC); and research grant UI/BD/153587/2022.Blockchain technology is already being discussed as an emerging trend for the upcoming years. Researchers and organizations are beginning to recognize the potential benefits of this technology and are exploring how it can disrupt our world. However, the reality is that there has not been much progress in getting blockchain from a concept to widespread adoption. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of blockchain technology. We proposed a model that incorporated relevant features to blockchain technology adoption, specifically the role of Trust and Security as mediating variables. Data was collected using a questionnaire administered to people working in companies independently of their technology usage. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares (SEM-PLS) was used to analyze the data and construct the model. Results indicated that performance expectancy, social influence, and trust positively influenced people’s actual use or intention to adopt blockchain technology. Additionally, environmental concerns had a negative effect on the intention to adopt. These findings suggest that individuals are more likely to adopt blockchain technology when they perceive it as valuable and trustworthy and receive support from their social networks.authorsversionpublishe

Full Paper: Blockchain Technology Adoption: Factors Influencing Intention and Usage

Blockchain technology is already being discussed as an emerging trend for the upcoming years. Researchers and organizations are beginning to recognize the potential benefits of this technology and are exploring how it can disrupt our world. However, the reality is that there has not been much progress in getting blockchain from a concept to widespread adoption. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of blockchain technology. We proposed a model that incorporated relevant features to blockchain technology adoption, specifically the role of Trust and Security as mediating variables. Data was collected using a questionnaire administered to people working in companies independently of their technology usage. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares (SEM-PLS) was used to analyze the data and construct the model. Results indicated that performance expectancy, social influence, and trust positively influenced people’s actual use or intention to adopt blockchain technology. Additionally, environmental concerns had a negative effect on the intention to adopt. These findings suggest that individuals are more likely to adopt blockchain technology when they perceive it as valuable and trustworthy and receive support from their social networks

Perpendicular momentum injection by lower hybrid wave in a tokamak

The injection of lower hybrid waves for current drive into a tokamak affects the profile of intrinsic rotation. In this article, the momentum deposition by the lower hybrid wave on the electrons is studied. Due to the increase in the poloidal momentum of the wave as it propagates into the tokamak, the parallel momentum of the wave increases considerably. The change of the perpendicular momentum of the wave is such that the toroidal angular momentum of the wave is conserved. If the perpendicular momentum transfer via electron Landau damping is ignored, the transfer of the toroidal angular momentum to the plasma will be larger than the injected toroidal angular momentum. A proper quasilinear treatment proves that both perpendicular and parallel momentum are transferred to the electrons. The toroidal angular momentum of the electrons is then transferred to the ions via different mechanisms for the parallel and perpendicular momentum. The perpendicular momentum is transferred to ions through an outward radial electron pinch, while the parallel momentum is transferred through collisions.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure

The paradoxical effects of somatostatin on the bioactivity and production of cytotoxins derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Somatostatin (SMS), a naturally occurring peptide is known to inhibit the production of certain protein molecules and to diminish the ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to proliferate. We tested the effects of three forms of SMS on the bioactivity of both lymphotoxin (LT) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF). We also tested the effects of these agents on production of cytotoxins by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found the 28 amino acid form of SMS significantly enhanced the bioactivity of both LT and TNF (10(-9) M concentration) when tested in mouse L cells. The 14 amino acid form of SMS enhanced LT (10(-9) M concentration) activity but not TNF activity. The first 14 amino acid form of SMS-28 (amino terminal) did not affect bioactivity of the cytotoxin. In contrast, the naturally occurring 14 amino acid form of SMS (10(-8) M concentration) significantly diminished production of cytotoxin by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Cytotoxin produced by the latter was shown to be a combination of both LT and TNF. Similarly after SMS exposure, the cytotoxin produced remained a mixture of LT and TNF in roughly similar proportions. It thus appears that certain forms of SMS can enhance the bioactivity of cytotoxins, but at the same time decrease the production of these cytotoxins