Outside board memberships of CEOs: Expertise or entrenchment?

We investigate whether outside board memberships of CEOs signal expertise or entrenchment. The analysis is based on panel data of the largest German companies covering the period from 1996 to 2008. Supporting the entrenchment hypothesis, our analysis reveals that firms having a CEO with one or more outside mandates suffer from significantly weaker firm performance compared with firms having a CEO without any outside board mandates. Moreover, disciplinary CEO turnovers become less likely and turnover-performance sensitivity declines with rising board memberships of the top manager. We conclude that outside mandates enhance managerial power at the expense of the home firm's shareholders. --Corporate Governance,Entrenchment,Outside Board Memberships,CEO turnover

A study comparing the pedagogical effectiveness of virtual worlds and of traditional training methods

This experiment tests whether a virtual world is a more suitable alternative to classical paper and pen case studies for teaching people how to disarm improvised explosive devices (IED). Following preliminary training, the subjects are separated into a group of 32 and one of 33. The odd-numbered subjects receive case studies while the even-numbered subjects receive training in the virtual world, Second Life. After their training, each subject is put into a simulated test where they attempt to properly disarm a mock IED attached to a victim played by an actor/actress. The results of the experiment show no significant difference between the two instruction types in terms of the subjects’ ability to perform the correct procedures in a situation with an IED. However, a higher percentage of subjects taking the Second Life training properly disarmed the IED than that of those taking the case studies

Microwave detection of buried mines using non-contact, synthetic near-field focusing

Existing ground penetrating radars (GPR) are limited in their 3-D resolution. For the detection of buried land-mines, their performance is also seriously restricted by `clutter'. Previous work by the authors has concentrated on removing these limitations by employing multi-static synthetic focusing from a 2-D real aperture. This contribution presents this novel concept, describes the proposed implementation, examines the influence of clutter and of various ground features on the system's performance, and discusses such practicalities as digitisation and time-sharing of a single transmitter and receiver. Experimental results from a variety of scenarios are presented

Dust/Regolith for Surface Exploration

System-wide dust protection is a key design driver for xEMUsurface operations, and development of dust proof mechanisms, bearings, materials, and coatings coupled with specific operations and surface architecture development is critical for success

Development Requirements for Spacesuit Elbow Joint

Functional Requirements for spacesuit elbow joint:1) The system is a conformal, single-axis spacesuit pressurized joint that encloses the elbow joint of the suited user and uses a defined interface to connect to the suit systems on either side of the joint.2) The system shall be designed to bear the loads incurred from the internal pressure of the system, as well as the expected loads induced by the user while enabling the user move the joint through the required range of motion. The joint torque of the system experienced by the user shall remain at or below the required specification for the entire range of motion.3) The design shall be constructed, at a minimum, as a two-layer system. The internal, air-tight layer shall be referred to as the bladder, and the layer on the unpressurized side of the bladder shall be referred to as the restraint. The design of the system may include additional features or layers, such as axial webbing, to meet the overall requirements of the design

Physical and chemical characteristics behind membrane interactions of small molecules and electron transporters

2018 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.There are many types of molecules that interact with and within membranes whereas many factors can dictate how they interact with membranes. Often, the interactions with the membrane interface can affect the mechanism of action of these molecules. Here, the interactions of small molecules and an electron transporter with model membranes under varying conditions are described. In the first chapter, the pH dependence of membrane association of a commonly used food preservative, benzoic acid was discussed and compared to the mechanism of action of general weak acid preservatives. Next the interactions of many structurally very similar compounds with model membranes were compared. These studies outline the importance of both the environment and that by just altering the molecules slightly, the interactions of the molecules can be changed. Chapter 4 outlines the importance of lipid density on the interactions of the electron transporter used within the electron transport system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (menaquinone-9) to show that menaquinone is capable of membrane transport of protons and electrons. Together, these studies show how interactions and diffusion across membranes are not straight forward and more research is necessary to fully understand the interactions of molecules with cell membranes

Narrativizing Theory: The Role of Ambiguity in Religious Aesthetics

This project expands S. Brent Plate\u27s invented religious aesthetics by bringing it into conversation with Umberto Eco\u27s theory of ambiguity. It articulates the space that ambiguity opens within the field of religious aesthetics when viewed as a liminal or interdisciplinary theory that neither privileges the starting points of transcendental aesthetics nor the neo-arches of theories of materiality. It hints at new ways of studying and describing religious worlds while also illustrating the porous borderlines between narrative and theory. It argues that a religious aesthetic rooted in ambiguity emphasizes both the provisionality of knowledge and the narrativization of reality

Hepatosplenic sarcoidosis complicated by liver cirrhosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease usually affecting the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes. Other organs, such as the liver and the spleen, are less commonly involved. Patients usually present with mild nonspecific symptoms. On imaging, hepatosplenomegaly with or without multiple focal lesions within the spleen may be seen in the active disease stage. Rarely, the disease may evolve to cirrhosis and liver failure. We report such a rare case of hepatosplenic sarcoidosis complicated by acute esophageal bleeding due to portal hypertension