Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dividend Payout Determinants for Australian Multinational and Domestic Corporations

I investigate the determinants of dividend payments for Australian Multinational Corporations (MCs) and Domestic Corporations (DCs). Six measures of dividend payout ratios are investigated, and five international factors are employed in addition to traditional factors. I find: MCs pay significantly less regular cash, special cash, total dividends and net dividends relative to DCs; the degree of foreign involvement is important in determining special cash and net dividend payments; MCs are more active than DCs in dividend increasing activities; and MCs are significantly less likely to be a dividend payer relative to DCs due to tax disadvantages coupled with unfavourable foreign risk exposures.
Maternal risk factors and anaemia in pregnancy: A prospective retrospective cohort study

Anaemia in pregnancy is still a concern during the reproductive period, as it is associated with increased maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. This study examined the maternal risk factors associated with increased prevalence of anaemia among antenatal and postnatal women. A prospective–retrospective cohort approach was carried out among 1,077 antenatal and 1,000 postnatal women. The haemoglobin was estimated using the cyanmethaemoglobin method. The maternal factors included were age, parity, education, socioeconomic status, spacing, history of bleeding, worm infestation, period of gestation, knowledge regarding anaemia in pregnancy, food selection ability and compliance to iron supplementation. Of the 1,077 antenatal women studied, 540 were anaemic. Among the 1,000 postnatal women, the prevalence was 537 (53.7%). The high prevalence was strongly associated with low socioeconomic status (OR 1.409 [1.048–1.899]; p < 0.023) which affected their knowledge and health seeking behaviour in both the groups. Hence it can be concluded that empowering women in terms of education and economic status is the key factor in combating anaemia in pregnancy to prevent the vicious cycle of associated problems.
Who gets to what? Access to community resources in two New Zealand cities

This article explores patterns of access to services, amenities and facilities in two neighbouring New Zealand cities. An area‐level indicator of community resource access, based on priorities identified by caregivers of young children, is analysed alongside census data to examine associations with community resource access in each city. Analysis reveals variations in resource access between the two cities that could not be solely explained by population density. Associations were found between resource access and patterns of deprivation, population density, age, and families with children. Of particular note was a positive association between areas of higher levels of resource access and areas of higher levels of deprivation within cities. There were, however, higher overall levels of resource access in the city with a less deprived profile. These findings support action by both central and local government to ensure equitable resource distribution to promote local well‐being.
Spread of Retailer Food Quality Standards

Privately initiated food quality standards are becoming increasingly important elements in the marketing of food and agricultural products in Western Europe. At the same time, they are at the centre of a discussion about the potential negative effects on small farmers and farmers in developing and transition countries in general. This study analyses the adoption of two private food standards, the BRC Food Technical Standard and GlobalGAP, at an aggregated cross-country level. The results of the econometric analysis reveal some (potential) barriers for developing and transition countries in accessing this type of organizational innovation. Certificates seem more likely to be issued in countries that are larger and wealthier, which have better institutional arrangements and better infrastructural conditions, and which are former UK colonies.
Dose dependency of the effect of ornithine α-ketoglutarate on tissue glutamine concentrations and hypercatabolic response in endotoxaemic rats

The optimal dosage of ornithine α-ketoglutarate (OKG) for repleting tissue glutamine (Gln) concentrations and maintaining N homeostasis after injury is unknown. We set out to perform ‘dose-ranging’ of OKG supplementation after an endotoxaemic challenge. Sixty-one male Wistar rats were injected with 3 mg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli/kg (n 50) or saline vehicle (9 g NaCl/l; controls n 11). After a 24 h fast, survivors were fed by gavage for 48 h with a polymeric standard diet (879 kJ/kg per d and 1·18 g N/kg per d) supplemented with non-essential amino acids (control, n 11; LPS-OKG-0·0, n 9), or with 0·5 g OKG/kg per d (LPS-OKG-0·5, n 12), 1·5 OKG/kg per d (LPS-OKG-1.5, n 11) or 4·5 g OKG/kg per d (LPS-OKG-4·5, n 10). The diets for all groups were made isonitrogenous with the LPS-OKG-4·5 diet by adding an appropriate amount of non-essential amino acids. Rats were killed on day 3 for blood and tissue sampling (muscle, jejunum mucosa, liver). Urine was collected daily for 3-methylhistidine and total N assays. The OKG dose was correlated with Gln concentrations in every tissue and with cumulative N balance (Spearman test, P<0·01). 3-Methylhistidine excretion was increased in endotoxaemic groups compared with controls (ANOVA, P<0·05) except in the LPS-OKG-4·5 group. Only the LPS-OKG-4·5 group achieved a positive post-injury N balance (t test, P<0·05). In conclusion, OKG exerted a dose-dependent effect on tissue Gln concentration and N balance, but only the highest dosage counteracted myofibrillar hypercatabolism and caused a positive N balance.
Population Structure and Spatial Influence of Agricultural Variables on Hessian Fly Populations in the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Population structure dictates the evolution of each population, and thus, the species as a whole. Incorporating spatial variables with population genetic statistics allows for greater discovery beyond traditional population genetics alone and can inform management decisions. The understanding of population structure in Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), a pest of wheat, has been limited in the past. We scored 14 microsatellite loci from 12 collections of Hessian fly in the southeastern United States. Through Bayesian clustering analysis, we found two major populations of Hessian fly covering the entire southeastern United States. We evaluated correlations between agriculturally significant spatial variables and population genetic differentiation to test if genetic structure has an ecological component in a wheat agro-ecosystem. Our results suggest the total amount of alternative host plants in the county may be driving some genetic differentiation. Although planting date may also be influential, geographic distance, mean annual temperature, and harvested wheat for grain do not seem to be contributing factors. The ecological or spatial component to population structure, however, may be minimal compared to factors such as genetic drift.
Prognathodes basabei, a new species of butterflyfish (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae) from the Hawaiian Archipelago

Abstract A new species of the butterflyfish genus Prognathodes is described from specimens collected at a depth of 55–61 m off Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This species has been observed by mixed-gas divers and from submersibles at depths ranging from 45–187 m throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, with shallower sightings in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and deeper in the Main Hawaiian Islands. It is similar to Prognathodes guezei (Maugé and Bauchot 1976) from the western Indian Ocean, and at least one other undescribed species of Prognathodes from Palau, differing from these species in the number of soft dorsal-fin rays, size of head, and body depth. There are also differences in the life color, and a substantial genetic difference from the Palauan species (d » .08 in mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I).
Software Piracy, Inequality and the Poor: Evidence from Africa

Purpose - – Poverty and inequality undoubtedly remain substantial challenges to economic and human developments amid growing emphasis on intellectual property rights (IPRs) (with recent advances in information and communication technology (ICTs)) and good governance. In the first empirical study on the incidence of piracy on inequality in Africa, the purpose of this paper is to examine how a plethora of factors (IPRs laws, education and ICTs and government quality) are instrumental in the piracy-inequality nexus. Design/methodology/approach - – Two-stage least squares estimation approaches are applied in which piracy is instrumented with IPRs regimes (treaties), education and ICTs and government quality dynamics. Findings - – The main finding suggests that, software piracy is good for the poor as it has a positive income-redistributive effect; consistent with economic and cultural considerations from recent literature. ICTs and education (dissemination of knowledge) are instrumental in this positive redistributive effect, while good governance mitigates inequality beyond the piracy channel. Practical implications - – As a policy implication, in the adoption IPRs, sampled countries should take account of the role less stringent IPRs regimes play on income-redistribution through software piracy. Collateral benefits include among others, the cheap dissemination of knowledge through ICTs which African countries badly need in their quest to become “knowledge economies. ” A caveat, however, is that, too much piracy may decrease incentives to innovate. Hence, the need to adopt tighter IPRs regimes in tandem with increasing income-equality. Originality/value - – It is the first empirical assessment of the incidence of piracy on inequality in Africa: a continent with stubbornly high poverty and inequality rates.
Association of the C3435T polymorphism of the MDR1 gene and therapeutic doses of warfarin in thrombophilic patients

V. C . DE OL I VE IR A A LME IDA , * A. C . DE SOUZA FER RE IRA , D. D . R IBE I RO , K . B . GO MES BO RGES , § A . P . SALLES MOURA FER NANDES§ and A . L . BRUNIALT I GODARD* *Laboratório de Genética Animal e Humana, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Departamento de Genética Molecular, Hermes Pardini; Ambulatório de Hematologia, Hospital das Clı́nicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; and §Departamento de Análises Clı́nicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Demands or resources? The relationship between HR practices, employee engagement and emotional exhaustion within a hybrid model of employment relations

This article explores the ways in which employees may experience and respond to tensions inherent in the mix of potentially conﬂ icting human resource (HR) practices that compose hybrid models of employment relations. By drawing on the job demands–resources (JD-R) literature and viewing HR practices as “demands” and “resources,” we explore the impact of performance manage-ment and employee voice practices on employee well-being, as exempliﬁ ed by engagement and emotional exhaustion, in a large public-sector organization in Ireland. Our ﬁ ndings suggest that employee voice mechanisms may act as a resource in both enhancing engagement and in counterbalancing the demands presented by a performance management system, thus reducing the deleteri-ous effects of emotional exhaustion. Our study extends understanding of hybrid models of human resource management (HRM) and of the ways in which employ-ees manage the contradictory signals that such models may send in terms of performance expectations.
Strategies of Developing Country Exporters: Empirical Evidence from Zimbabwe's Manufacturers

Abstract This study uses data from a 1999 survey of manufacturing exporters in Zimbabwe. The paper focuses on export strategies of the manufacturers. It uses correlation and regression analysis to find which export strategy variables significantly account for performance. Results show three strategies positively impacting on performance. These are standardisation vis-ä-vis customisation, finish status of the export product, and promotion by agents and distributors. Two variables are significantly but negatively impacting on performance. These are current organisational structure and visits to clients as part of promotion. Strategy variables outlined above explain more than 50% of variation in export performance of Zimbabwe's manufacturers.
Toward Developing an Effective Board: Evidence From UAE-Listed Companies

This article employed multiple regression analysis to investigate the variables that significantly determine the effectiveness of the board of directors in listed companies in the Middle East with a particular focus on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This empirical study revealed significant links between board and shareholder characteristics and company performance as measured by the price-earnings ratio. Board processes and the presence of private institutional investors proves to be the central factors for board effectiveness. The structural aspects of the board such as size and composition are shown not to be significant for shaping board output.
An Investigation into the Effective Assessment Practices Use in Large Classes at the University

Management of large classes effectively has been a concern and major phenomenon among higher institution of learning. Large classes give someone the opportunity to improve their teaching and presentation skills while many lecturers that faced with large classes might be tempted to give up, thinking that there is no chance of getting so many students to learn. Therefore the study investigates the effective assessment practices used in large classes at University. Two research questions were asked and answered. Structured questionnaire which was divided into three sections to answer the two research questions were validated and used with the reliability co-efficient of r=0.87. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. One hundred and ten lecturers (N=110) were randomly selected from different universities. The results showed that all the indicators mentioned are said to be significant in effective assessment practices in larges classes. It was however recommended that attention should be paid to these indicators so as to facilitate effective assessment practices and teaching in large classes at our universities. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n6p255
Measuring Individual Risk Attitudes When Preferences are Imprecise

There is widespread interest in measuring risk attitudes and incorporating such measures into broader econometric analyses. We consider three elicitation procedures currently in use. We find considerable variability within – and even more, between – the results they produce. We suggest that this reflects the way that different instruments interact with imprecise underlying preferences. The short run implication is that such procedures need to be used with caution and are likely to be highly context-specific. The longer run implication is that adding ‘white noise’ to deterministic models is inadequate: we need to develop models that allow for imprecision and procedural variation.
Investigation of cell wall composition related to stem lodging resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by FTIR spectroscopy

We explored the rapid qualitative analysis of wheat cultivars with good lodging resistances by Fourier transform infrared resonance (FTIR) spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis. FTIR imaging showing that wheat stem cell walls were mainly composed of cellulose, pectin, protein, and lignin. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to eliminate multicollinearity among multiple peak absorptions. PCA revealed the developmental internodes of wheat stems could be distributed from low to high along the load of the second principal component, which was consistent with the corresponding bands of cellulose in the FTIR spectra of the cell walls. Furthermore, four distinct stem populations could also be identified by spectral features related to their corresponding mechanical properties via PCA and cluster analysis. Histochemical staining of four types of wheat stems with various abilities to resist lodging revealed that cellulose contributed more than lignin to the ability to resist lodging. These results strongly suggested that the main cell wall component responsible for these differences was cellulose. Therefore, the combination of multivariate analysis and FTIR could rapidly screen wheat cultivars with good lodging resistance. Furthermore, the application of these methods to a much wider range of cultivars of unknown mechanical properties promises to be of interest.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass Hemorrhage: A Surgeon's Point of View

Despite shorter operating time, more experience and improved equipment, the introduction of anticoagulants and the mechanical trauma (inherent in cardiopulmonary bypass) acting independently or in combination may lead to excessive bleeding [11]. The question, under these circumstances, concerns the methods and technics [7, 13] which can be employed to minimize bleeding while quickly, and deliberately identifying and treating [17] those situations of a nonsurgical nature so as to avoid unnecessary reoperation, conserve blood, and reduce transfusion reactions. In essence, these bleeding problems are caused by an inadequate surgical closure or result from an increased utilization or destruction of hemostatic factors. Additional causes relate to the presence of circulating anticoagulants or a reduction in hemostatic factors due to underproduction or dilution of transfused blood as well, as to the disease process under treatment or to an adverse drug response. The result, in any instance, is excessive bleeding, manifested as (1) an open blood vessel, (2) an excess of circulating fibrin(ogen) split products or fibrinolysis, (3) an excessive heparin or protamine effect, (4) an intrinsic or extrinsic factor defect, or (5) any combination of the above findings.
Directors’ Political Connections and Compliance with Board of Directors Regulations: The Case of S&P/Tsx 300 Companies

Further to the various scandals that shook North-American markets in the early 2000s, Canada reacted in 2004 and 2005 by changing its regulations on the governance practices of listed companies. Faccio (2006) and other authors have argued that politically connected companies can have less regulatory oversight than unconnected firms. This affirmation raises an issue that this article attempts to solve, i.e., whether politically connected Canadian companies are less compliant with regulatory requirements on governance than unconnected firms, and with board of directors requirements in particular. Although politically connected and unconnected firms differ significantly in their compliance with regulation, the analyses show that the state of being politically connected tends to have little bearing on regulatory compliance.
Active labour market policies and job tenure

In this paper, we study the effect of subsidised on-the-job training, training for the unemployed and pure wage subsidies on the probability of leaving an employer. We base the analysis on a sample of unemployed workers who have been hired during the 1991-92 period. Since individuals benefiting from the policy were over represented in the sample, we face an endogenous sampling problem apart from the well known selectivity problem in evaluation analysis. The analysis deals with these two issues simultaneously. We find that each of the labour market policies increases the length of job tenure. Yet, in line with the literature (Lalonde 1986, Fraker and Maynard 1987), the magnitude and the significance of this effect depend crucially on the parametric assumptions in the model. Nevertheless, one robust conclusion is that subsidised on-the-job training schemes significantly decrease the incidence of job termination. We claim that this result supports Stevens' (1994, 1996) hypothesis of transferable training and consequently of the underprovision of training by the market. Training programs for the unemployed and pure wage subsidies only have an important positive but non significant effect on job tenure. We argue that the stated effect of training programs provides weak support for human capital theories as opposed to matching theories in the explanation of job turnover.
Systemic inflammation increases cancer cell adhesion to hepatic sinusoids by neutrophil mediated mechanisms

Interactions between endothelial selectins and selectin ligands expressed on tumor cells have been implicated in the binding of circulating metastatic cancer cells to the vascular endothelium during extravasation. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that inflammatory environments can accelerate the progression of metastasis by neutrophil mediated mechanisms. In this study, a physiologically relevant in vivo model of early metastasis coupled with intravital microscopy was used to visualize the trafficking of tumor cells within the liver vasculature in real time. Using GFP‐labeled Lewis lung carcinoma subline H‐59 cells, we show here that disrupting the interactions between endothelial selectins and tumor cell selectin ligands diminished tumor cell recruitment to the liver. Furthermore, systemic inflammation induced by intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide significantly enhanced the metastatic potential of these lung carcinoma cells by increasing their propensity to adhere to the liver sinusoidal endothelium. Confocal microscopy revealed frequent colocalization of cancer cells with neutrophils and neutrophil depletion in vivo significantly attenuated the lipopolysaccharide‐induced increase in H‐59 cell adhesion. Although direct selectin–selectin ligand interactions contributed significantly to tumor cell adhesion to sinusoidal endothelial cells, we show here that in addition, interactions between adherent neutrophils within the inflamed sinusoids and circulating tumor cells may further increase tumor cell arrest in the liver. © 2009 UICC
Nursing staff teamwork and job satisfaction.

AIM The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of unit characteristics, staff characteristics and teamwork on job satisfaction with current position and occupation. BACKGROUND Teamwork has been associated with a higher level of job satisfaction but few studies have focused on the acute care inpatient hospital nursing team. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 3675 nursing staff from five hospitals and 80 patient care units. Participants completed the Nursing Teamwork Survey (NTS). RESULTS Participants' levels of job satisfaction with current position and satisfaction with occupation were both higher when they rated their teamwork higher (P<0.001) and perceived their staffing as adequate more often (P<0.001). Type of unit influenced both satisfaction variables (P<0.05). Additionally, education, gender and job title influenced satisfaction with occupation (P<0.05) but not with current position. CONCLUSIONS Results of this present study demonstrate that within nursing teams on acute care patient units, a higher level of teamwork and perceptions of adequate staffing leads to greater job satisfaction with current position and occupation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Findings suggest that efforts to improve teamwork and ensure adequate staffing in acute care settings would have a major impact on staff satisfaction.