Economic Impact of 'Regulation on Corporate Governance': Evidence from India

India, with its 20 million shareholders, is one of the largest emerging markets in terms of the market capitalization. In order to protect the large investor base, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has enforced a regulation effective from April 2001, requiring mandatory disclosure of information and a change in the corporate governance mechanisms of the listed companies. This study empirically examines the economic impact of the Regulation on the stock market variables. The experimental group exhibits significant reduction in their beta consistent to the notion that increased information and better corporate governance mechanism reduces the risk of these companies.Corporate Governance, Financial Disclosure Regulation, Voluntary Disclosure, Risk, Cost of Capital

Synthesis of nickel nanoparticles by gamma-radiation and femtosecond laser ablation

Nickel nanoparticles were synthesized by gamma-radiation and femtosecond laser ablation. Aqueous precursors were prepared by uniformly dispersing nickel chloride in a 2:1 ratio of water and isopropanol. Stabilizers employed were Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP). Gamma-ray radiolysis of aqueous nickel precursors was investigated as a reducing agent for nickel cations to form atomic seeds for nucleation on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). 30-60kGy was the dosage used in increments of 10kGy, at a rate of 10kGy/hr. Isopropanol was added to consume the excess of oxidizing species produced by irradiation and form stable secondary radicals. The influence of an added substrate was studied by adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Post-irradiation analysis by STEM, TEM and XPS yielded nickel nanoparticle sizes in the range of 9-15nm, with characteristic XPS peaks confirming the reduction of divalent nickel ions to nickel atoms. The presence of MWCNTs is proposed to adsorb a single nanoparticle at an active site and nucleation proceeds from an adsorbed nanoparticle to form larger clusters. The difference in particle sizes is evident from the average particle size distributions with increasing doses of radiation. Suspensions of nickel nanoparticles were also synthesized by femtosecond laser ablation. Pure nickel foil was subjected to laser pyrolysis in water, causing the divalent nickel cations to enter the plasma phase and cool down as nickel atoms in the liquid phase. These nickel particles were transferred to acetone, post-synthesis in deionized (DI) water. Suspensions were investigated for particle size, geometry and stability by STEM and TEM. Nickel nanoparticles of highest frequency were formed in the 3-10nm range. EDX and XPS were used to confirm chemical compositions and oxidation states of nickel atoms thus obtained --Abstract, Page iv

Computational design and numerical analyses of thermal-hydraulics in a PWR-type small modular nuclear reactor

This dissertation focuses on computational design of a PWR-type small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), and analysis of coolant thermal-hydraulics during steady-state operation. Physical design of the SMR is based on the existing AP-1000 and Small Modular Reactor designs by Westinghouse Nuclear. The first paper discusses a two-stage simulation of turbulent flow in the lower plenum of the RPV. In the first stage, four time-dependent Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based turbulence models were used to simulate turbulent flow, compare predictions and identify an appropriate turbulence model. In the second stage, the selected turbulence model was once again used to simulate flow on a refined computational mesh (wall y+ \u3c 1) and compared with time-averaged predictions of the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model. The LES model was also able to capture a cut-off for the spatial frequency of inertial flow scales in the lower plenum. The second paper uses simulation methodology established by Westinghouse Nuclear applied to resolving turbulent flow and heat transfer in a representative volume of the reactor core, as well as flow through the complex network of internal structures in the upper core. Predicted temperature profiles were in good agreement with design targets. The third paper describes a two-stage study; the first compares predictions of RANS based models in resolving turbulent flow past the integral pressurizer, identifies the most suitable turbulence model, which is used in the second stage to simulate turbulent flow and heat transfer through both, pressurizer and steam generator units --Abstract, page iv

An elitist teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm for solving complex constrained optimization problems

Nature inspired population based algorithms is a research field which simulates different natural phenomena to solve a wide range of problems. Researchers have proposed several algorithms considering different natural phenomena. Teaching-Learning-based optimization (TLBO) is one of the recently proposed population based algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room. This algorithm does not require any algorithm-specific control parameters. In this paper, elitism concept is introduced in the TLBO algorithm and its effect on the performance of the algorithm is investigated. The effects of common controlling parameters such as the population size and the number of generations on the performance of the algorithm are also investigated. The proposed algorithm is tested on 35 constrained benchmark functions with different characteristics and the performance of the algorithm is compared with that of other well known optimization algorithms. The proposed algorithm can be applied to various optimization problems of the industrial environment

Heart Failure Symposium Surgical Management of Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation

Abstract Ischemic mitral regurgitation is a growing problem within our aging population. It portends a poor prognosis and presents a therapeutic dilemma. The pathophysiology of ischemic mitral regurgitation primarily involves ventricular remodeling as opposed to structural issues with the mitral valve itself. An understanding of the pathophysiology of ischemic mitral regurgitation has resulted in a refinement of surgical techniques and the design of specific annuloplasty rings for use in repairs. Data regarding long-term outcomes following valve repair versus replacement in these patients is conflicting and underscores the need for continued investigation to address this therapeutic dilemma. Case Presentation A 62-year-old man presented to his cardiologist complaining of a 6 month history of increasing fatigue and shortness of breath on exertion. His past medical history included an inferoposterior myocardial infarction 3 years prior that was treated with a drug-eluting stents to his left circumflex and right coronary arteries. Physical examination was remarkable for crackles audible throughout the lower half of both lung fields, an elevated JVP to the angle of the jaw and a grade 3/6 holosystolic murmur loudest at the apex with radiation to the left axilla. An echocardiogram revealed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 15-20%, severe MR, and a left ventricular end systolic dimension of 70 mm. The patient underwent a repeat cardiac angiogram that revealed patent stents in the circumflex and right coronary arteries and no other significant stenoses. The decision was made to surgically correct the patient's MR with a mitral valve operation. He was brought to the operating room where under general anesthesia a transesophageal echocardiogram was performed. Examination of the mitral valve revealed poor leaflet coaptation with a degree of leaflet tethering that resulted in severe MR. Since the valve leaflets appeared structurally normal, a mitral valve repair procedure using a complete rigid annuloplasty ring was performed. A post-operative echocardiogram revealed trace MR and the patient suffered no post operative complications Discussion This patient is a typical example of a growing problem in our aging population, namely ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). IMR clearly has a negative impact on survival in patients with coronary artery disease, even in patients with mild to moderate mitral regurgitation (MR); greater degrees of MR portend an even worse prognosis With almost a fifth of patients who suffer a myocardial infarction (MI) developing IMR Because of the vicious cycle of IMR and heart failure, patients with IMR undoubtedly seek medical attention and are admitted to hospital repeatedly for management of their heart failure. Management of IMR itself remains a clinical dilemma. Medical management is suboptimal and mitral valve surgery to correct IMR, though better than uncorrected IMR, also yields less than optimal results with an overall 55% five-year survival The debate of whether to repair or replace the mitral valve in addition to revascularization in the setting of IMR has continued to date, with a lack of conclusive evidence upporting either intervention Unfortunately, conflicting results favouring replacement over repair and vise versa have been published and no clear answer has been found to the question of which is intervention is better. The early mortality benefit attributed to valvular repair is balanced by a high rate of recurrent mitral insufficiency (up to 40% at 2 years). Pathophysiology of IMR- The pathophysiology of ischemic mitral regurgitation is comple

Rethinking infrastructure financing for Southeast Asia in the post-pandemic era

This report analyzes how the pandemic has impacted investment in infrastructure in Southeast Asia and assesses how infrastructure development can help drive economic recovery and support sustainable growth. Calculating $1.7 trillion will be spent each year on infrastructure in Asia, it shows how the pandemic hit public financing and altered investor appetites. It highlights the growing need for public–private partnerships and outlines financing models, risks, and trends. It recommends governments create an enabling environment to mitigate investor risk, conduct feasibility studies, and build a pipeline of bankable projects to help finance the infrastructure they need for a resilient future

ENHANCING SLICE AWARENESS OF 5G RADIO ACCESS NETWORK USING SELF-ORGANIZING NETWORK

Techniques are described herein for enhancing the slice awareness of a Radio Access Network (RAN) using a Self-Organizing Network (SON). This may solve the problem of slice allocation to a gNodeB (gNB), monitor the slice resources of the gNB and the handover of devices which are registered to a slice, and reduce handover time. In addition, the SON may push slicing policies for the gNB such as hardware based slicing, scheduler based slicing, geography based slicing, etc

Distributed Hash Table Implementation to Enable Security and Combat Malpractices

Security has become a global problem in any field. Everyday millions of cyber crimes are being recorded worldwide. Many of them include unethical hacking, unauthorized hampering of files and many more. To avoid such malicious practices many technologies have come up. One such security is DHT or Distributed hash tables. A recently upcoming cyber security, it helps the receiver and sender to send and receive files that are authentic. It also helps to find out if the file is manipulated or tampered by a third party or an unauthorized user by generating unique hash values. This paper mainly focuses on such distributed networks and the security they provide in order to stop malpractices