Do Japanese CEOs Matter?

In a country where individualism is not valued, we ask whether the CEO (shacho) of a Japanese corporation affects corporate behavior. To answer this question, we construct a shacho-firm matched panel data set in the period 1990 through 2002 of all listed 1,419 Japanese manufacturing firms and their 3,520 shachos. We utilize three distinct empirical methodologies to detect a shacho effect. First, we attempt to separate a firm-fixed effect from a shacho-fixed effect. We are unable to disentangle a shacho-fixed effect. Second, we examine whether the year of or the year after a shacho change was a turning point in the firm's 1990 to 2002 history of performance and policies. Our answer is generally no, even when the shacho change is non-routine. Third, we employ a classic event study to check whether the market thinks a shacho change is value-relevant. We do find a significant positive price response on the day a shacho change is announced, especially when the shacho change is non-routine. We are thus left to conclude that shachos do not matter in the Japanese corporation in this decade of a stagnant economy, though the market remains optimistic.

The pattern of foreign property investment in Vietnam: the apartment market in Ho Chi Minh City

As globalization proceeds, transnational property development is increasing. Especially in emerging markets, foreign developers’ influence in changing the local landscape is becoming significant. In this research, the behavioral patterns of foreign developers in the apartment market of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam were identified. To understand the dynamics of foreign developers, the types of products that were being created, where the investments were located, and the differences in development strategies adopted by foreign developers in comparison to domestic counterparts were identified. To accomplish this, data on apartment projects and statistics were collected, and a series of spatial analyses including sieve mapping, histogram analysis, factor analysis and logistic regression was conducted. In addition, closer examination was made of specific cases to understand the dynamics among foreign and domestic developers, also allowing the identification of some regularities in the patterns of foreign developments. Besides presenting detailed results, this paper also seeks to account for the conditions that appear to have generated these patterns and characteristics

Real-Time Robot Software Platform for Industrial Application

In this study, we present the requirements of a real-time robot software (SW) platform that can be used for industrial robots and examine whether various kinds of existing middleware satisfy them. Moreover, we propose a real-time robot SW platform that extends RTMIA to various industrial applications, which is implemented on Xenomai real-time operating system and Linux. The proposed SW platform utilizes the timer-interrupt based approach to keep strict period and the shared memory for convenient usage, on which the shared variable is designed and used. We verify the proposed platform by showing that the robot task and the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) program are performing with interlocking each other on the presented platform

Surface modification through oxide ALD to improve oxygen exchange rate on perovskite surface

Segregation and phase separation on perovskite oxide (ABO3) surface have been considered as a key detrimental factor to the performance of energy conversion devices such as solid oxide/electrolysis cells. Recently, the overcoat of less reducible cations has been suggested as a way to suppress the surface Sr segregation on Sr-containing perovskite oxides. However, the detailed requirements of the coating layer to sufficiently stabilize the perovskite surface hasn’t been systematically investigated yet. In this wok, we fabricate La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 (LSC) thin-film model electrode via pulse layer deposition and observe how the degree of Sr segregation varies with the type and thickness of the overcoat layer. Al2O3 and HfO2 with different thickness are coated on LSC via ALD, and the oxygen exchange rate of both bare and ALD-coated samples is measured via electrical conductivity relaxation. It is found that both Al2O3 and HfO2 layers suppress the Sr segregation only within a narrow thickness range, i.e., 1-2 nm for Al2O3 and 0.2 – 0.4 nm for HfO2, respectively. These observations are discussed with solubility and diffusivity of Al and Hf in the host oxide lattice, providing a critical guideline of a new surface modification method to stabilize the perovskite surface at high temperatures. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Spatial Clustering based Meteorological Fields Construction for Regional Vulnerability Assessment

Chemical accidents have affected the social-environmental system. For the regional vulnerability assessment, which is the baseline work to assess the impact on the environment, a meteorological field is needed to determine how chemicals from multiple adjacent companies are propagated. In this study, we present the method of meteorological field based on the spatial cluster which is the main component of vulnerability assessment on regional chemical accident scenario. To integrate spatially dense chemical companies into a cluster, we adopt spatial clustering algorithms. Experiment result shows that DBSCAN-based approach reduces 80.5% total area of the meteorological field against brute-force algorithm, and shows good performance on the average of the overlap ratio, and utility ratio for clustering results

Deployable Hook Retrieval System for UAV Rescue and Delivery

The rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has helped expand their practical use to many industrial applications. However, UAVs sometimes suffer from a flight time limitation and/or a loss in communication. Such undesired malfunctions can endanger public safety and incur economic losses. This paper presents a new class of UAV that can retrieve a disabled or malfunctioned UAV from the ground. We developed a deployable hook retrieval system (DHRS) which integrates three principal mechanisms (i.e., deployment, slider-linkage-release, and hook release). Each mechanism plays a role in deploying and retrieving multiple hooks while using a simple control strategy. Through a Finite Element Method simulation, the hook was topologically optimized in order to achieve a high strength while reducing weight. The deployed multiple hooks allow the device to capture the target regardless of its orientation. Due to these design strategies, object recognition using a computer vision was simply demonstrated by exploiting ORB and FLANN algorithms. Through an experimental study, we discussed the target range, success rate, and the practical uses that the DHRS could achieve. The results show that the proposed designs were versatile and consistently successful in capturing the targets while addressing constraints such as power consumption, computational load, and lack of prior knowledge or information about the target

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation and Pathologic-Radiologic Correlation Between Multiple Lung Nodules with Ground-Glass Opacity Differentiates Multicentric Origin from Intrapulmonary Spread

IntroductionNo standard guidelines detailing recommendations for the selection and treatment for multiple lung nodules with ground-glass opacity (GGO) have been established. For treatment decision, we analyzed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/K-ras somatic aberrations and pathologic-radiologic correlation in multiple lung nodules presented as GGO to differentiate multifocal lesions from intrapulmonary spread.MethodsTwenty-four patients with multiple lung nodules presented as GGO were identified to investigate somatic mutations of EGFR (exon 18–21) and K-ras (codons 2, 13, and 61). This series included 18 atypical adenomatous hyperplasias (AAH), 15 bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (BAC), and 23 adenocarcinomas (ADC) obtained from 24 patients.ResultsHigh frequency of discordant EGFR mutations (17 of 24, 70.8%) could discriminate tumor clonality (18 of 24, 75%) of multiple lung neoplastic nodules presented as GGO. EGFR mutations were common in AAH (38.9%), BAC (46.7%), and ADC (39.1%). In case 4, AAH and BAC had different mutational changes, and in case 10, the BAC lesion contains EGFR mutation that is not in the invasive ADC. In case 17, the BAC had more mutational changes than the carcinoma. The pure GGO appearance in the radiologic examination corresponded preinvasive pathologic change.ConclusionsThis study showed that synchronous BAC and/or ADC can have different EGFR or K-ras mutational profiles suggesting these lesions arise as independent events rather than intrapulmonary spread or systemic metastasis. This has significant implication in staging and treatment. These findings might be a clue to establish guidelines of the multiple neoplastic lung nodules with GGO

Permanent Pacemaker for Syncope after Heart Transplantation with Bicaval Technique

Sinus node dysfunction occurs occasionally after heart transplantation and may be caused by surgical trauma, ischemia to the sinus node, rejection, drug therapy, and increasing donor age. However, the timing and indication of permanent pacemaker insertion due to sinus node dysfunction following heart transplantation is contentious. Here, we report a case of a permanent pacemaker insertion for syncope due to sinus arrest after heart transplantation, even with a bicaval technique, which has been known to associate with few incidences of sinus node dysfunction