Equitable Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccines: Can Data Visualization and Optimization Help?

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is known as an infectious disease that has a bigger impact on urban areas with high-density populations. In New York City, however, there are huge differences in the impacts of Covid-19 at the neighborhood level. In addition, there is a negative correlation between the Covid Case Rate and the Vaccination Rate, and areas that are affected the most have poor socio-economic conditions. To better address the equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, I collected social and economic data from Community Health Profiles as well as Covid-19 data from NYC Health. Using this data I created visualizations in Tableau to identify the key factors that contribute to the disproportionate impacts of Covid-19 on different neighborhoods. From the key factors, I developed a Binary Integer Programming model in Excel to determine the optimal locations for Community-based Pop-up Vaccination Centers while minimizing costs. The results support that these vaccine sites can serve the underrepresented neighborhoods

The Internationalization of Emerging Economy Firms: The Impact of Corporate Governance and Political Connections

This dissertation consists of two chapters on the internationalization of emerging economy firms. I examine the influence of the firms corporate governance and political connections on the firms internationalization behavior, as these factors reflect the special institutional environment of emerging economies. In the first chapter I analyze the influence of a firms corporate governance on its selection of host countries. Building on agency theory, I propose that in emerging markets, the governance structure of the firm modifies the usual prediction that favorable host-country institutions attract foreign direct investment, because the emerging country conditions lead to firm heterogeneity in risk preferences and agency problems. Hence, comparing family-controlled and state-controlled firms in emerging economies, I hypothesize that family-controlled firms with CEO duality or a higher proportion of independent directors on the board are more likely to invest in countries with higher institutional quality, while state-controlled firms with such characteristics are less likely to do so. These hypotheses are supported by the data on foreign market entries by Chinas public listed firms in 2004-2013. In the second chapter I introduce the upper echelons perspective to study the impact of top managers political connections on the firms degree of internationalization. I differentiate between two types of political connections by the top manager: executive connections established through current or past working experience in the executive branch of the government, and legislative connections established through current or past representational appointments in the legislative branch of the government. After comparing the three mechanisms (resources, costs, and personal values) through which top managers political connections can influence the firms degree of internationalization, I propose that top managers executive connections facilitate the firms internationalization, while legislative connections hinder the firms internationalization. The impact of top managers executive and legislative connections is weakened by state ownership. Furthermore, I propose that CEO duality strengthens the effects of top managers political connections on the firms degree of internationalization. I find empirical support for my theories based on a dataset of 100 publicly traded Chinese firms over the 2004-2013 period

Changes in the Content and Allocation of Carbon and Nitrogen during Forage Regrowth

Regrowth after cutting or grazing perennial grasslands sustains the production potential of forage and the persistence of grassland species. The changes in nature, content and allocation of compounds within plant parts are fundamentally correlated to the forage regrowth process (Lambers et al. 2008). These compounds are sourced from reserves and new assimilates. Carbohydrates and proteins stored mainly in the stem base and the root play an important role at the early stages of regrowth (Meuriot et al. 2004). The newly assimilated compounds include carbon from photosynthesis for the residual leaf and stem, and nitrogen absorbed by the roots from which amino acids and proteins will be produced (Dhont et al. 2003). Assimilates change as the forage regrows, playing a key role in the later stages. This mini-review summarises the changes in the content and allocation of carbon and nitrogen after cutting or grazing

Temporal Variations in the Carbon and Nitrogen Ecological Stoichiometry of Lucerne

Ecological stoichiometry has been of great help in research investigating the coupling between plant and environment (Sterner and Elser 2002). It provides some synchronized evidence to explain the response and adaptability of plants to the environment. Carbon and nitrogen ecological stoichiometry (C/N) also embraces the use efficiency of nitrogen in plants. Previous research has focused on the spatial responses of plant C/N to different environmental factors (Yang and Wang 2011). However, there is still insufficient attention on the temporal variation in C/N, in the hope that such effort will help elucidate the mechanisms underlying plant growth/regrowth. Lucerne (Medicago sativa L) has long been globally utilised. It can be cut 3-4 times annually and lasts for many years. The regrowth process in lucerne is of fundamental importance for the continuous utilisation of the forage and the sustainability of lucerne production. In this study, temporal variations in carbon and nitrogen content and C/N were studied in lucerne leaf, stem and root, as part of an effort to clarify the lucerne growth/regrowth mechanisms from the viewpoint of ecological stoichiometry