Effects of Donor- and Supporter-Based Campaign Networks on Crowdfunding Campaign Success

Driven by the increasing popularity of crowdfunding, academic researchers have examined the impacts of internal social capital accumulated on crowdfunding platforms and external social capital formed through online and offline friend networks on campaign success. However, no research has examined the impacts of social networks from a structural perspective. In the current research, we investigate the extent to which donor- and supporter-based campaign network centralities affect the amount of capital a fundraising campaign is able to generate. Using a panel data set collected from a donation-based crowdfunding platform, Fundly, we reveal that campaign network centralities based on strong ties (shared donors) and weak ties (shared supporters) are more important predictors of fundraising success than the number of donors a campaign has

Homogamy or Heterogamy: The Effects Of CEO Marriage on Family Firm Performance

By integrating the complementary needs theory of mate selection and the notion of complementary assets into the research of family business, we propose that three components of spousal capital complement each other. We elaborate on how homogamy and heterogamy in terms of various socioeconomic and psychological factors can affect family business performance through its impact on marital conflict—an individual-level lens. The empirical analysis on the questionnaires conducted to CEOs of small and medium-sized family firms in the U.S. shows that occupational homogamy and religion homogamy have a positive effect on family-business firm performance, while psychological heterogamy has a positive effect on family-business firm performance. Our research extends the extant studies on spousal involvement in new ventures and copreneurs by revealing the strategic significance of marriage

Product Complexity and Strategic Alliance on Drug Approval

Management of the business-government relationship is critical for firm performance in regulated industries. In this paper, we predict a U-shaped relationship between product complexity and the time to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, we argue that this association is contingent on the types of strategic alliances (i.e., R&D alliance, Marketing alliance) of the focal firm in that those alliances help FDA and pharmaceutical companies achieve harmony. Using the approved drugs by FDA from 1999 to 2016 as the sample, our hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis on US pharmaceutical firms. The findings have important implications to achieving harmony between pharmaceutical firms and regulatory agencies

Product Complexity and Strategic Alliance on Drug Approval

Management of the business-government relationship is critical for firm performance in regulated industries. In this paper, we predict a U-shaped relationship between product complexity and the time to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, we argue that this association is contingent on the types of strategic alliances (i.e., R&D alliance, Marketing alliance) of the focal firm in that those alliances help FDA and pharmaceutical companies achieve harmony. Using the approved drugs by FDA from 1999 to 2016 as the sample, our hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis on US pharmaceutical firms. The findings have important implications to achieving harmony between pharmaceutical firms and regulatory agencies

Product Complexity and Strategic Alliance on Drug Approval

Management of the business-government relationship is critical for firm performance in regulated industries. In this paper, we predict a U-shaped relationship between product complexity and the time to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, we argue that this association is contingent on the types of strategic alliances (i.e., R&D alliance, Marketing alliance) of the focal firm in that those alliances help FDA and pharmaceutical companies achieve harmony. Using the approved drugs by FDA from 1999 to 2016 as the sample, our hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis on US pharmaceutical firms. The findings have important implications to achieving harmony between pharmaceutical firms and regulatory agencies

Stock option pay versus restricted stock: A comparative analysis of their impact on managerial risk-taking and performance extremeness

This study investigates how two stock-based incentives affect the risk-taking behavior of CEOs. We compare stock options and restricted stock in terms of their impact on the magnitude of investments and performance extremeness. We test our hypotheses using data for 23 years starting from 1993 for a large sample of S&P 1500 firms. Our results indicate that both stock option and restricted stock pay increase the magnitude of investments undertaken by CEOs, but that stock options have a much stronger effect. Also, stock option pay increases the likelihood of both big gains and big losses, but restricted stock reduces the likelihood of big losses. Finally, we find that as CEO tenure increases, the effects of stock-based compensation tend to diminish. Therefore, stock-based incentives appear to be a useful solution to the agency problem for short-tenured CEOs, but much less so for long-tenured CEOs

Design of High-Voltage Switch-Mode Power Amplifier Based on Digital-Controlled Hybrid Multilevel Converter

Compared with conventional Class-A, Class-B, and Class-AB amplifiers, Class-D amplifier, also known as switching amplifier, employs pulse width modulation (PWM) technology and solid-state switching devices, capable of achieving much higher efficiency. However, PWM-based switching amplifier is usually designed for low-voltage application, offering a maximum output voltage of several hundred Volts. Therefore, a step-up transformer is indispensably adopted in PWM-based Class-D amplifier to produce high-voltage output. In this paper, a switching amplifier without step-up transformer is developed based on digital pulse step modulation (PSM) and hybrid multilevel converter. Under the control of input signal, cascaded power converters with separate DC sources operate in PSM switch mode to directly generate high-voltage and high-power output. The relevant topological structure, operating principle, and design scheme are introduced. Finally, a prototype system is built, which can provide power up to 1400 Watts and peak voltage up to ±1700 Volts. And the performance, including efficiency, linearity, and distortion, is evaluated by experimental tests

Naphthalene diimide-ethylene conjugated copolymer as cathode material for lithium ion batteries

A large flat-conjugated copolymer poly[ethylene-N,N'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide] (PENDI), was synthesized through a simple synthetic method, which is preparation via 2,6-dibromo-N,N'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide, and (E)-1,2-bis(tributylstannyl) ethene via Stille coupling reaction for use as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries. The PENDI copolymer was characterized by IR, UV-vis spectra, 1H NMR, and TGA. The electrochemical performance results demonstrated that the reversible capacity of PENDI can be retained at 85% of its initial theoretical capacity with a steady discharge voltage plateau of 2.0–2.5 V after 100 cycles at 0.1 C, and the coulomb efficiency remained above 98%. This can be attributed to the low solubility of the copolymer PENDI in electrolyte and the excellent structural stability of the copolymer PENDI during the charge–discharge tests. The synthesis of polymers with high conjugated systems and more stable structures will become a major breakthrough for the exploitation and optimization of cathode materials

Graphite-Templated Amyloid Nanostructures Formed by a Potential Pentapeptide Inhibitor for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Combined Study of Real-Time Atomic Force Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Self-assembly of peptides is closely related to many diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and prion diseases. Understanding the basic mechanism of this assembly is essential for designing ultimate cure and preventive measures. Template-assisted self-assembly (TASA) of peptides on inorganic substrates can provide fundamental understanding of substrate-dependent peptides assemble, including the role of hydrophobic interface on the peptide fibrillization. Here, we have studied the self-assembly process of a potential pentapeptide inhibitor on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) using real time atomic force microscopy (RT-AFM) as well as molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Experimental and simulation results show nanofilament formation consisting of β-sheet structures and epitaxial growth on HOPG. Height analysis of the nanofilaments and MD simulation indicate that the peptides adopt a lying down configuration of double-layered antiparallel β-sheets for its epitaxial growth, and the number of nanofilament layers is concentration-dependent. These findings provide new perspective for the mechanism of peptide-based fibrillization in amyloid diseases as well as for designing well-ordered micrometrical and nanometrical structures