Arens regularity of projective tensor products

For completely contractive Banach algebras $A$ and $B$ (respectively operator algebras $A$ and $B$), the necessary and sufficient conditions for the operator space projective tensor product $A\widehat{\otimes}B$ (respectively the Haagerup tensor product $A\otimes^{h}B$) to be Arens regular are obtained. Using the non-commutative Grothendieck's inequality, we show that, for $C^*$-algebras $A$ and $B$, the Arens regularity of Banach algebras $A\otimes^{h}B$, A\ot^{\gamma} B, A\ot^{s} B and $A\widehat{\otimes}B$ are equivalent, where $\otimes^h$, $\otimes^{\gamma}$, \ot^s and $\widehat{\otimes}$ are the Haagerup, the Banach space projective tensor norm, the Schur tensor norm and the operator space projective tensor norm, respectively

Constructing the Notion of Nation: A Postcolonial Quest

Postcolonial writers have been very conscious of their role in the construction of the nation. They construct the nation by deconstructing the western constructs about the colonized countries. This game of constructing and deconstructing between the colonized and colonizer generates from the fact that the nation is a cultural construct, built out of and upon the artistic, theoretical and philosophical discourses about the nation which hardly allow articulation of subaltern voices and even if subaltern appears it is dislocated only to be reinvented in the form of advertisements on bill boards. Constructing the nation is a postcolonial project of great significance as postcolonial literatures seek to erase the image of their nations as primitive, savage, and ancient. Writers seek to retrieve a pre-colonial past that would help them in constructing the nation or national identity

Color and Mechanical Properties of Chitosan Films during Storage

Chitosan, a deacetylated product of chitin, is a copolymer of 2-amino-2-deoxy-D glucopyranose and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D glucopyranose. Chitosan has many functional properties and has various applications in food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries. However, little is known about the fate of chitosan and its films during prolonged storage. Although it has been reported that chitosan films treated with dry heat or saturated steam became brown, data available on physical characterization of chitosan films is still conflicting. This study was conducted to determine chemical stability and mechanical properties of chitosan films as affected by (1) type of acid used for film preparation (acetic, lactic, citric, and hydrochloric acid), (2) final pH of the films (regular vs. neutralized), (3) storage conditions (temperature of 4, 22, and 80°C, and relative humidity 20 and 70%), and (4) time (up to 5 months). Development of colored compounds was observed with a Hunter colorimeter and UV-Vis spectrometer, while polarized microscope was used to observe micro-structural changes in the film. Accumulation of hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) was monitored by high performance liquid chromatography. Neutralized films stored at high temperature and high humidity showed more darkening and higher HMF levels than regular films stored at lower temperature under dry conditions. Polarized microscopy showed presence of birefringent crystals only in the films stored at high temperature. Effects of type of acid and storage conditions on mechanical properties of chitosan films were evaluated on films stored for a period of 1 year. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that citric acid films were brittle while lactic acid films were flexible even at room temperature. Thermal degradation of the films started at temperatures around 200 °C regardless on type of acid used for film preparation. Glass transition temperature (Tg’) of chitosan films appeared to be between 40 ºC to 50 ºC. Our study has shown accumulation of HMF and development of crystallinity at higher temperature and high humidity in chitosan films, whereas films stored at lower temperatures (4 ºC and 22 ºC) had low levels of HMF and no crystals were observed. Among all the films tested, acetic acid films were found to be the best for food application with least HMF accumulation and better overall mechanical properties compared with lactic, citric, and hydrochloric acid films

Ownership Structures, Board Independence and Auditor’s Remuneration: Evidence from India

Prior research on auditor’s remuneration has shown mixed evidence on the association between ownership structures and auditor’s remuneration. Previous studies have also documented relationship between board independence and audit fee. However, there is dearth of studies on these aspects in context of India which is dominated by family owned business groups and has seen significant changes in corporate governance norms in last decade. The present study examines the association of promoter’s ownership, institutional ownership and board independence together with auditor’s remuneration. The study takes a sample of 96 firm years. The results of the study suggest that there is a positive and significant association of promoter’s ownership and institutional ownership with auditor’s remuneration. However, there is no conclusive evidence on the relationship between board independence and auditor’s remuneration. The results are consistent to various robustness tests. Keywords: Ownership structure, Promoter’s shareholding, Institutional shareholding, Board independence, Audit fee, Auditor’s remuneratio

A DEA Model to Optimize Insurance Payment Plans based on PACs

Healthcare industry has evolved dramatically over the time. From being a “cottage industry” to an “organized industry” has brought lot of changes. The changes have been both good and bad. Among the problems that have surfaced in past couple of decades, rising healthcare cost has been one of the most significant. The rising healthcare cost has been documented to be a symptom of several factors. Since the inception of healthcare as an organized industry several payment models for providers and hospitals have been adopted. Current healthcare reforms have proposed new payments models to curb the rising cost and provide consumer oriented healthcare. The proposed payment models such as, bundled, capitation, PROMETHEUS, pay-for-performance and traditional model of fee-for-service, all have their merits and demerits. Some are good for chronic and others for acute conditions, some provide bonuses to physicians for high quality and efficient care where as others pay more for number of services used. Our literature review has highlighted the lack of systemic study to analyze the effect of payment models on reimbursement of physicians and hospitals. This study shows that no “single model” can be implemented to serve all the stakeholders. The proposed optimization model is a strategic tool that aligns dynamic patient population with existing reimbursement models and provides information to providers to help them design favorable contracts with insurers. The model also has a potential to help improve planning and operational activities of hospitals