Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CEO POWER AND BOARD DYNAMICS*

We use a new panel dataset to examine corporate governance from 1918 to 2011 in the context of a bargaining model between the CEO and board of directors. Substantial director turnover occurs when a new CEO is hired but, despite this turnover, board structure is persistent. The changes in board structure that do occur are consistent with economic theory: (i) In the year that a new CEO is hired, board independence increases significantly, consistent with new CEOs having less bargaining power initially; (ii) As the CEO’s tenure (and bargaining power) increases, an additional year on the job is associated with a significant decline in board independence, an increase in the probability that the CEO holds the board chairman title, and an increase in compensation; (iii) The tenure-board independence relation is weaker when there is more uncertainty about the CEO’s ability and after events that reduce CEO power, such as targeting by activist investors; (iv) Powerful CEOs are less likely to be replaced conditional on poor firm performance; (v) Finally, event studies document a positive market reaction when powerful CEOs die in office, in contrast to no market reaction to typical CEO deaths, consistent with powerful CEOs becoming entrenched. * We appreciate comments from Ofer Eldar, Byoung-Hyoun Hwang, Andrew Karolyi, Peter Limbach, Roni Michaely and seminar and conference participants at Binghamton University, Cornell University, Duke University, IDC Summer Finance Conference, Tuck, Rome Junior Finance Conference (EIEF), University of Kentucky, University of Rochester, USC, University of Utah, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the WSJ CEO Forum, excellent research assistance from Penghao Chen, Hyungjin Choi, David Hong, Dawoon Kim, Jason Lee, Boyao Li, Song Ma, Youngjun Song, Curtis Wang, Daniel Woo, Hyun Gu Yeo, Gang Zhang, and data support from the librarians at Cornell, Duke, Harvard, and MIT. We thank William Goetzmann for sharing data on historical stock prices and Charlie Hadlock, Jesus Salas, and Timothy Quigley for sharing data on CEO deaths. † Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and NBER; Email; john.graham@duke.edu; Phone: (919) 660-7857. ‡ Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University; Email: hk722@cornell.edu; Phone: (607) 255-8335. § Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis, and NBER; Email: leary@wustl.edu; Phone: (314) 935-6394.
Importance of initial conditions in the polarization of complex networks

Currently used models of opinion formation use random initial conditions. In reality, most people in a social network, except for a small fraction of the population, are initially either unaware of, or indifferent to, the disputed issue. To explore the consequences of such specific initial conditions, we study the polarization of social networks when conflicting ideas arise on two different seed nodes and then spread according to a majority rule. Using the configuration model and the stochastic block model as examples, we show that this framework leads to substantially different outcomes than those which employ random initial conditions. Moreover, the empirically observed splits in the karate and the dolphins' networks naturally come out of this paradigm. Our work thus suggests that the existing opinion dynamics models should be reevaluated to incorporate the initial condition dependence.
A Culturally Focused Exercise Program in Hispanic Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based, culturally focused, exercise program for adults in the Hispanic community with type 2 diabetes. Methods A pretest/posttest design using a culturally designed exercise program through dance was used. A total of 19 Mexican American men and women (39 to 64 years of age) with type 2 diabetes were recruited. Mean preprogram and postprogram differences were examined in hemoglobin A1C, lipid panel, body mass index (BMI), and psychological well-being. Results Feasibility was demonstrated by exceeding our recruitment goal and achieving an 84% completion rate and 75% attendance rate for the exercise sessions. Mean hemoglobin A1C, lipids, and psychological well-being demonstrated trends toward improvement from the beginning of the program to the end. BMI remained unchanged. Physical activity increased and all participants met the physical activity goals from the national physical activity guidelines for Americans by the end of the program. Conclusions The culturally focused exercise program detailed here is effective in promoting regular physical activity among Hispanic adults with type 2 diabetes.
A Model for the Prediction of Strength Enhancement in Concrete Cores under Passive Lateral Confinement

A behaviour-oriented model is proposed for the confinement effectiveness and strength enhancement of concrete under axial compression, passively confined by lateral reinforcement. The model is developed on the basis of three dimensional concrete constitutive law based FEM simulation results and idealized experimental results on laterally confined concrete cores. Confinement efficiency of lateral reinforcement layouts are quantified through a mechanically defined confinement effectiveness index, which is the ratio of induced spatial average confining stress to the maximum potential confinement capacity of lateral reinforcement arrangement. This index is represented by lateral reinforcement detailing as well as material parameters in the model. Influence from uniformity of confining reinforcement layouts on confinement effectiveness was identified through FEM simulation results, which is used to formulate the basic form of the model. Concept of lowest confined section is adopted to formulate the strength enhancement due to confinement, based on average confining stress and double effect of uniformity of lateral confinement layout.
Specificity and Application of the Lantibiotic Protease NisP

Lantibiotics are ribosomally produced and posttranslationally modified peptides containing several lanthionine residues. They exhibit substantial antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including relevant pathogens. The production of the model lantibiotic nisin minimally requires the expression of the modification and export machinery. The last step during nisin maturation is the cleavage of the leader peptide. This liberates the active compound and is catalyzed by the cell wall-anchored protease NisP. Here, we report the production and purification of a soluble variant of NisP. This has enabled us to study its specificity and test its suitability for biotechnological applications. The ability of soluble NisP to cleave leaders from various substrates was tested with two sets of nisin variants. The first set was designed to investigate the influence of amino acid variations in the leader peptide or variations around the cleavage site. The second set was designed to study the influence of the lanthionine ring topology on the proteolytic efficiency. We show that the substrate promiscuity is higher than has previously been suggested. Our results demonstrate the importance of the arginine residue at the end of the leader peptide and the importance of lanthionine rings in the substrate for specific cleavage. Collectively, these data indicate that NisP is a suitable protease for the activation of diverse heterologously expressed lantibiotics, which is required to release active antimicrobial compounds.
The resident's dilemma: a female choice model for the evolution of alternative mating strategies in lekking male ruffs (Philomachus pugnax)

Previous models for the evolution of alternative male mating behavior have virtually ignored the role of female choice. We present a model in which female choice favors the evolution and maintenance of alternative mating strategies in male ruffs, Philomachuspugnax. Resident male ruffs establish and defend courts on leks against other residents, while non-territorial satellite males move between leks and among courts on a lek. Residents appear to actively recruit satellites to their courts, even though satellites may mate with females once there. Resident behavior toward satellites and data on female behavior suggest that residents benefit from a satellite's presence due to some female preference for mating on co-occupied courts. However, if all residents accept satellites, none gains any relative advantage, yet all pay the costs of having satellites on their court. We present a game theoretical model that shows that the relative nature of female choice places residents in an evolutionary dilemma with respect to satellite acceptance. Although all residents would benefit if satellites could be cooperatively excluded from leks, the only evolutionarily stable strategy for individual residents is to defect and accept satellites. The model also demonstrates that this "resident's dilemma" likely exists only in a local sense, since the failure of residents to cooperatively exclude satellites from leks need not result in globally lower payoffs, due to frequency-dependent selection on the proportion of satellites in the population. Our analysis suggests that the resident-satellite relationship in ruffs, despite its obvious competitive elements, is fundamentally a cooperative association favored by female choice. Female choice has also been proposed as the primary mechanism selecting for male association to form leks in ruffs. In this context, resident-satellite associations may be thought of as transitory "leks within a lek. "
Environmental signaling: from environmental estrogens to endocrine‐disrupting chemicals and beyond

The landmark report (Herbst et al. 1971) linking prenatal treatment with a synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol (DES), to cancer at puberty in women whose mothers took the drug while pregnant ushered in an era of research on delayed effects of such exposures on functional outcomes in offspring. An animal model developed in our laboratory at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences confirmed that DES was the carcinogen and exposure to DES caused, as well, functional alterations in the reproductive, endocrine, and immune systems of male and female mice treated in utero. DES was also being used in agriculture and we discovered, at the first meeting on Estrogens in the Environment in 1979 (Estrogens in the Environment, 1980), that many environmental contaminants were also estrogenic. Many laboratories sought to discern the basis for estrogenicity in environmental chemicals and to discover other hormonally active xenobiotics. Our laboratory elucidated how DES and other estrogenic compounds worked by altering differentiation through epigenetic gene imprinting, helping explain the transgenerational effects found in mice and humans. At the Wingspread Conference on the Human‐Wildlife Connection in 1991 (Advances in Modern Environmental Toxicology, 1992), we learned that environmental disruption of the endocrine system occurred in many species and phyla, and the term endocrine disruption was introduced. Further findings of transgenerational effects of environmental agents that mimicked or blocked various reproductive hormones and the ubiquity of environmental signals, such as bisphenol A increased concern for human and ecological health. Scientists began to look at other endocrine system aspects, such as cardiovascular and immune function, and other nuclear receptors, with important observations regarding obesity and metabolism. Laboratories, such as ours, are now using stem cells to try to understand the mechanisms by which various environmental signals alter cell differentiation. Since 2010, research has shown that trauma and other behavioral inputs can function as ‘environmental signals,’ can be encoded in gene regulation networks in a variety of cells and organs, and can be passed on to subsequent generations. So now we come full circle: environmental chemicals mimic hormones or other metabolic signaling molecules and now behavioral experience can be transduced into chemical signals that also modify gene expression.
Acute sleep fragmentation does not alter pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in brain or peripheral tissues of leptin-deficient mice

Obesity and sleep fragmentation (SF) are often co-occurring pro-inflammatory conditions in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Leptin is a peptide hormone produced by adipocytes that has anorexigenic effects upon appetite while regulating immunity. The role of leptin in mediating inflammatory responses to SF is incompletely understood. Male C57BL/6j (lean) and ob/ob mice (leptin-deficient mice exhibiting obese phenotype) were subjected to SF or control conditions for 24 h using an automated SF chamber. Trunk blood and tissue samples from the periphery (liver, spleen, fat, and heart) and brain (hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus) were collected. Quantitative PCR was used to determine relative cytokine gene expression of pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (TGF-β1) cytokines. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine serum corticosterone concentration. Ob/ob mice exhibited elevated cytokine gene expression in liver (TNF-α, TGF-β1), heart (TGF-β1), fat (TNF-α), and brain (hippocampus, hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex: IL-1β, TNF-α) compared with wild-type mice. Conversely, leptin deficiency decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in heart (IL-1β, TNF-α). SF significantly increased IL-1β and TNF-α gene expression in fat and TGF-β1 expression in spleen relative to controls, but only in wild-type mice. SF increased basal serum corticosterone regardless of genotype. Taken together, these findings suggest that leptin deficiency affects cytokine gene expression differently in the brain compared to peripheral tissues with minimal interaction from acute SF.
Cdx2 Regulates Gene Expression through Recruitment of Brg1-associated Switch-Sucrose Non-fermentable (SWI-SNF) Chromatin Remodeling Activity*

The packaging of genomic DNA into nucleosomes creates a barrier to transcription that can be relieved through ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling via complexes such as the switch-sucrose non-fermentable (SWI-SNF) chromatin remodeling complex. The SWI-SNF complex remodels chromatin via conformational or positional changes of nucleosomes, thereby altering the access of transcriptional machinery to target genes. The SWI-SNF complex has limited ability to bind to sequence-specific elements, and, therefore, its recruitment to target loci is believed to require interaction with DNA-associated transcription factors. The Cdx family of homeodomain transcript ion factors (Cdx1, Cdx2, and Cdx4) are essential for a number of developmental programs in the mouse. Cdx1 and Cdx2 also regulate intestinal homeostasis throughout life. Although a number of Cdx target genes have been identified, the basis by which Cdx members impact their transcription is poorly understood. We have found that Cdx members interact with the SWI-SNF complex and make direct contact with Brg1, a catalytic member of SWI-SNF. Both Cdx2 and Brg1 co-occupy a number of Cdx target genes, and both factors are necessary for transcriptional regulation of such targets. Finally, Cdx2 and Brg1 occupancy occurs coincident with chromatin remodeling at some of these loci. Taken together, our findings suggest that Cdx transcription factors regulate target gene expression, in part, through recruitment of Brg1-associated SWI-SNF chromatin remodeling activity.
Development of dual phase magnesia-zirconia ceramics for light water reactor inert matrix fuel

Development of Dual Phase Magnesia-Zirconia Ceramics for Light Water Reactor Inert Matrix Fuel. (December 2004) Pavel Medvedev, M.S., Idaho State University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Kenneth L. Peddicord Dual phase magnesia-zirconia ceramics were developed, characterized, and evaluated as a potential matrix material for use in light water reactor inert matrix fuel intended for the disposition of plutonium and minor actinides. Ceramics were fabricated from the oxide mixture using conventional pressing and sintering techniques. Characterization of the final product was performed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis, and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. The final product was found to consist of two phases: cubic zirconia-based solid solution and cubic magnesia. Evaluation of key feasibility issues was limited to investigation of long-term stability in hydrothermal conditions and assessment of the thermal conductivity. With respect to hydrothermal stability, it was determined that limited degradation of these ceramics at 300C occurred due to the hydration of the magnesia phase. Normalized mass loss rate, used as a quantitative indicator of degradation, was found to decrease exponentially with the zirconia content in the ceramics. The normalized mass loss rates measured in static 300C de-ionized water for the magnesia-zirconia ceramics containing 40, 50, 60, and 70 weight percent of zirconia are 0.00688, 0.00256, 0.000595, 0.000131
Genetics of acute rejection after kidney transplantation

Treatment of acute rejection (AR) following kidney transplantation has improved in recent years, but there are still limitations to successful outcomes. This review article covers literature in regard to recipient and donor genetics of AR kidney and secondarily of liver allografts. Many candidate gene and some genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) have been conducted for AR in kidney transplantation. Genetic associations with AR in kidney and liver are mostly weak, and in most cases, the associations have not been reproducible. A limitation in the study of AR is the lack of sufficiently large populations that account for population stratification to study the AR phenotype which in this era occurs in <10% of transplants. Furthermore, the AR phenotype has been difficult to define and the definitions of classifications have evolved over time. Literature related to the pharmacogenomics of tacrolimus is robust and has been validated in many studies. Associations between gene expression and AR are emerging as markers of outcomes and AR classification. In the future, combinations of pretransplant genotype for AR risk prediction, genotype‐based immune suppressant dosing, and pharmacogenomic markers to select AR maintenance or treatment and expression markers from biopsies may provide valuable clinical tools for guiding treatment.
A Genetic Algorithmic approach for Energy Efficient Task Consolidation in Cloud Computing

In cloud, processing loads arrive from many users at random time instants in the form of task. A proper resource allocation policy attempts to assign this task to available VMs on different host so to complete the execution of the tasks in the shortest possible time with minimum power consumption. The complexity of the resource allocation problem with cloud increases with the number of hosts and becomes difficult to solve effectively. The resource allocation problem is a combinatorial problem and known to be NP-complete. The exponential solution space of the load balancing problem can be searched using heuristic techniques based on Genetic algorithms to obtain a sub - optimal solution in acceptable time. The novel genetic algorithm framework has been proposed for task scheduling to minimize the energy consumption in cloud computing infrastructure. The performance of the proposed GA resource allocation strategy has been compared Random and Round Robin scheduling using in house simulator. The experimental results show that the GA based scheduling model outperforms the existing Random and Round Robin scheduling models.
Bipartite output consensus in networked multi-agent systems of high-order power integrators with signed digraph and input noises

ABSTRACT In this paper, we concentrate on investigating bipartite output consensus in networked multi-agent systems of high-order power integrators. Systems with power integrator are ubiquitous among weakly coupled, unstable and underactuated mechanical systems. In the presence of input noises, an adaptive disturbance compensator and a technique of adding power integrator are introduced to the complex nonlinear multi-agent systems to reduce the deterioration of system performance. Additionally, due to the existence of negative communication weights among agents, whether bipartite output consensus of high-order power integrators can be achieved remains unknown. Therefore, it is of great importance to study this issue. The underlying idea of designing the distributed controller is to combine the output information of each agent itself and its neighbours, the state feedback within its internal system and input adaptive noise compensator all together. When the signed digraph is structurally balanced, bipartite output consensus can be reached. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to verify the validity of the developed criteria.
Unsupervised Neural Machine Translation

In spite of the recent success of neural machine translation (NMT) in standard benchmarks, the lack of large parallel corpora poses a major practical problem for many language pairs. There have been several proposals to alleviate this issue with, for instance, triangulation and semi-supervised learning techniques, but they still require a strong cross-lingual signal. In this work, we completely remove the need of parallel data and propose a novel method to train an NMT system in a completely unsupervised manner, relying on nothing but monolingual corpora. Our model builds upon the recent work on unsupervised embedding mappings, and consists of a slightly modified attentional encoder-decoder model that can be trained on monolingual corpora alone using a combination of denoising and backtranslation. Despite the simplicity of the approach, our system obtains 15.56 and 10.21 BLEU points in WMT 2014 French-to-English and German-to-English translation. The model can also profit from small parallel corpora, and attains 21.81 and 15.24 points when combined with 100,000 parallel sentences, respectively. Our implementation is released as an open source project.
Estimating correlated observation error statistics using an ensemble transform Kalman filter

For certain observing types, such as those that are remotely sensed, the observation errors are correlated and these correlations are state- and time-dependent. In this work, we develop a method for diagnosing and incorporating spatially correlated and time-dependent observation error in an ensemble data assimilation system. The method combines an ensemble transform Kalman filter with a method that uses statistical averages of background and analysis innovations to provide an estimate of the observation error covariance matrix. To evaluate the performance of the method, we perform identical twin experiments using the Lorenz '96 and Kuramoto-Sivashinsky models. Using our approach, a good approximation to the true observation error covariance can be recovered in cases where the initial estimate of the error covariance is incorrect. Spatial observation error covariances where the length scale of the true covariance changes slowly in time can also be captured. We find that using the estimated correlated observation error in the assimilation improves the analysis.