Impact of specific CSR activities, executive & board diversity on equity valuations

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018The objective of this study is to identify the impact of specific corporate social responsibility behaviors on equity prices. This study uses fixed effect parametric and nonparametric regressions to quantify the effect of specific corporate social responsibility activities on the equity price multiples of a number of US firms from 1999 to 2009. The results of these empirical models consistently show that CEO diversity, corporate charitable giving, and work-life balance benefit plans, are associated with lower equity price multiples compared against similar firms that lack these characteristics. Additionally, board diversity and support of the LBGTQ community is associated with a positive impact on equity price multiples. This study provides evidence that individual corporate social responsibility activities can have drastic impacts on equity prices, leading the way for future research testing whether the magnitudes of these impacts are rational and in-line with their expected impact on financial performance and risk, or a deviation from the efficient market hypothesis

Quantum issues with structured light

Descriptions of optical beams with structured wavefronts or vector polarizations are widely cast in terms of classical field theory. The corresponding fully quantum counterparts often present new insights into what is physically observed, and they are especially of interest when tackling issues such as entanglement. Similarly, when determining angular momentum densities, it appears that the separate roles of photon spin and beam topological charge can only be satisfactorily addressed within a quantum framework. In some such respects, the quantum versions of theory might be considered to introduce an additional layer of complexity; in others, they can clearly and very substantially simplify the theoretical representation. At the photon level, the fully quantized descriptions of topologically structured and singular beams nonetheless raise important fundamental questions and puzzles, whose resolution continue to invite attention. Many of the mechanistic interpretations and predictions (those that appear to be supported by a true congruence between classic and quantum optical descriptions, essentially conflating electromagnetic field and state wavefunction concepts) can lead to theoretical pitfalls. This paper highlights some physical implications that emerge from a fully quantum treatment of theory

P-adic Asai L-functions of Bianchi modular forms

The Asai (or twisted tensor) $L$-function of a Bianchi modular form $\Psi$ is the $L$-function attached to the tensor induction to $\mathbb{Q}$ of its associated Galois representation. In this paper, when $\Psi$ is ordinary at $p$ we construct a $p$-adic analogue of this $L$-function: that is, a $p$-adic measure on $\mathbb{Z}_p^\times$ that interpolates the critical values of the Asai $L$-function twisted by Dirichlet characters of $p$-power conductor. The construction uses techniques analogous to those used by Lei, Zerbes and the first author in order to construct an Euler system attached to the Asai representation of a quadratic Hilbert modular form.Comment: Final version, to appear in Algebra & Number Theor

Globule transitions of a single homopolymer: a Wang-Landau Monte Carlo study

The temperature-independent Wang-Landau Monte Carlo approach is implemented for an off-lattice model of flexible homopolymers and applied to the coil-globule and solidification transitions based on chain sizes up to N=300. An intermediate transformation from low-density liquid globule to high-density liquid globule is suggested. A scheme for identifying polymer structures representative of particular temperatures in the course of the simulation is presented and applied to illustrate intermediate states in the coil-globule transition. Transition temperatures are calculated and used to obtain a theta point of at least Θ=1.96, distinctly higher than the solid-liquid transition temperature TM=1.26

Fuel penalties and time flexibility of 4D flight profiles under mismodeled wind conditions

A parametric sensitivity study was conducted to evaluate time flexibility and fuel penalties associated with 4D operations in the presence of mismodeled wind. The final cruise and descent segments of a flight in an advanced time-metered air traffic control environment were considered. Optimal performance of a B-737-100 airplane in known, constant winds was determined. Performance in mismodeled wind was obtained by tracking no-wind reference profiles in the presence of actual winds. The results of the analysis are presented in terms of loss of time flexibility and fuel penalties compared to the optimum performance in modeled winds

On the use of Satellite Television in High Energy Physics

This paper assesses the feasibility of exploiting commercial satellite television technologies to broadcast video signals and data from major High Energy Physics facilities to collaborating institutes throughout the world.Comment: Invited talk at CHEP'98, Chicago, USA, August 31 - September 4, 199