Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of the board of directors and involvement in innovation activities: a cognitive perspective

This article focuses on the relationship between the characteristics of the board of directors and the innovation policies in the Tunisian context from a cognitive perspective of corporate governance. The method used in this study is based on the regression analysis. We directly regress the board of directors' characteristics with the firm level of innovation. Our model includes some control variables such as the firm's size, the firm's sector of activity and even whether firm is listed or not. We empirically demonstrate that only the inside directors and the duality of the CEO are positively and significantly associated with the firm's level of innovation. Moreover, the empirical results show that the big size of the board has a negative impact on the development of innovative firms. In the same way, we demonstrate that the compensation system which is based on long-term objectives has no influence on the determination of the innovation policies in Tunisian firms.
Non-Linear Adjustment of Import Prices in the European Union

This paper focuses on the non linear adjustment of import prices in national currency to shocks in exchange rates and foreign prices measured in the exporters' currency of products originating outside the euro area and imported into European Union countries (EU 15). The paper looks at three different types of non linearities: (a) non proportional adjustment (the size of the adjustment grows more than proportionally with the size of the misalignments), (b) asymmetric adjustment to cost increasing and cost decreasing shocks, and (c) the existence of thresholds in the size of misalignments below which no adjustment takes place. There is evidence of more than proportional adjustment towards long run equilibrium in manufacturing industries. In these industries, the adjustment is faster the further away current import prices are from their implied long run equilibrium. In contrast, a proportional linear adjustment cannot be rejected for some other imports (especially within agricultural and commodity imports). There is also strong evidence of asymmetry in the adjustment to long run equilibrium. Deviations from long run equilibrium due to exchange rate appreciations of the home currency result in a faster adjustment than those caused by a home currency depreciation. Finally, we also find that adjustment takes place in the industries in our sample only when deviations are above certain thresholds, and that these thresholds tend to be somewhat smaller for manufacturing industries than for commodities.
Determinants of Managerial Behaviour in the Tunisian Banking Industry

This paper determines management behaviour for Tunisian banking industry between 1989 and 2006. Following the Granger causality, we examine the intertemporal relationships between bank efficiency, loan loss provision and capitalisation. The possible relationships between the variables imply different modes of management behaviour namely bad management, bad luck, skimping, and moral hazard behaviour. We extend the Granger causality model developed by Berger and DeYoung (1997) by applying G.M. M dynamic panel estimators on a panel of Tunisian commercial banks. The econometric results suggest that the intertemporal relationships between the loan loss provision and productive efficiency are checked in only one direction. Our data provide evidence for the bad luck hypothesis suggesting the exogeneity of bad loans triggering inefficiency. In addition, we find no evidence of bad management hypothesis for the Tunisian commercial banks. Thus, these banks adopted a skimping behaviour over 1989-2006 period. Finally, the moral hazard behaviour, according to which the managers of the thinly capitalised banks assume additional portfolio risk, was identified in the context of the Tunisian banks.
Impact of Dividend- Per- Share on Common Stock Returns: A Case Study of Some Selected Manufacturing Firms Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

This study investigated the impact of dividend –per -share on common stock returns of the Manufacturing firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The data for the study was collected from ten companies randomly selected. The study period was from 1991-2003. The common stock returns for each of the 10 firms for the 13-years study period were calculated on weekly basis and annualized using geometric means. And, the actual dividend-per-share for each of the 13-years period was obtained from the various annual reports and accounts of the sampled firms. Multiple regressions were used to study the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable of this study. Pearson Moment Correlation was used for assessing the magnitude and the direction of the relationships between the variables of the study. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was found to be 0.735, which is highly significant because it is closer to 1 than it is to 0.The regression analysis of the data conducted in order to test the research hypothesis indicates that dividend-per-share has a significant impact on the common stock returns of the sampled firms (P < 0.01). Keywords: dividend-per-share, common stock return,
Closed-Form Formula of the Transverse Dynamic Stiffness of a Shallowly Inclined Taut Cable

The segmented vibration-governed equations and their general solutions for cables acted upon by intermediate transverse forces are derived by applying Hamilton’s principle. Including the effects of sagging, flexible stiffness, clamped boundary conditions, and inclination angle of the cable, the element-wise dynamic stiffness for each cable segment, split into segments having unique transverse forces, is derived. By using methods from the global stiffness assembly process of FEM, the global level of the cables’ dynamic equilibrium equation is obtained, and, as a result, the final closed-form formula of transverse dynamic stiffness is derived. Additionally, the corresponding analytic form, without considering sagging effects, is also obtained. Case studies are conducted on the aspects of accuracy, rationality of the distribution on the spatial field, and frequency domains of dynamic stiffness calculations. By comparison with the Guyan-based static FEM reduction method, it is shown that the result obtained from the proposed closed-form solution, which includes sagging effects, is exact and rational, thus creating a powerful tool in transverse vibration analysis.
Asia-Europe: The Third Link

[From the Summary]. This paper provides an overview of the relative weight of Europe and East Asia in the context of the world economy and it assesses interdependence between the two regions. The prime motivation of the paper is that linkages between Europe and East Asia remain frequently underestimated. While the “third link” between them is in many respects as important as the linkages between the two regions and North America, it is too often regarded only as of secondary importance.
Ocean temperature and salinity inverted from combined hydrographic and seismic data

Recently seismic reflection methods have been successfully applied to oceanographic issues. Here, we present a new approach, combining XBT and CTD surveys with seismic observations, to visualize long sections with a resolution down to a few meters. The challenge to a full investigation of mixing processes has been the tremendous span of spatial scales ranging from hundreds of kilometers to centimeters. Traditional hydrographic observations could only resolve the large scale effects by measuring temperature and salinity profiles at discrete locations typically several kilometers apart, whereas dedicated localized measurements allowed investigation of the ocean fine structure at the other end of the spatial spectrum. The intermediate scales have in contrast been difficult to observe systematically. Here we present temperature and salinity data inverted from seismic observations that cover the intermediate scales and provide a new approach to image mesoscale processes and allow the investigation of their dynamics at unprecedented resolution.
Effects of application of various forms of areca nut preparations in buccal mucosa of Sprague-Dawley rats with relation to the development of oral submucous fibrosis

Background: Areca nut is the main etiological agent in the development of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) and is consumed in different forms such as raw, roasted, boiled, and commercial preparations (pan masala, gutkha). This variation in availability of forms is closely linked to degree of affliction and clinical presentations of the disorder. Aims and Objectives: Identification and evaluation of tissue changes in rat buccal mucosa subjected to various areca nut forms (raw, roasted, and boiled), pan masala and pure arecoline solution for 36 weeks and its correlation with the development of OSF. Assessment of arecoline content in raw, roasted, boiled and commercial preparations of arecanut and its correlation to the tissue changes occurring after its administration along with development of OSF. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 healthy inbred rats were selected for the study. One rat was kept as normal (untreated) and rest divided into six groups (raw, boiled, roasted areca nut, pan masala, pure arecoline, and control group) and treated with respective extracts every alternate day for 36 weeks. At every 6 weeks interval, animals were sacrificed randomly and mucosal tissue biopsies collected and processed. hematoxylin and eosin, Van Gieson stains were used to assess the epithelium thickness, keratin thickness, fibrosis, and vascularity. Results: Significant histological changes seen in areca nut treated rats in comparison to control group. Histological changes included decreased keratin thickness, thinning of epithelium with partial or complete loss of rete ridges, consistent increase in deposition of compacted collagen fibers and decreased vascularity. Arecoline concentration was highest in raw areca nut, followed by pan masala, roasted areca nut, and boiled areca nut. Conclusion: Areca nut consumption in various forms (natural or processed) has significant detrimental effects on oral mucosa consistent with findings of OSF.
Dividend Announcements, Market Expectation and Corporate Governance

This paper examines wealth effects of dividend announcements in Germany, a country with a corporate governance system different from the US and the UK. Our study improves on earlier research by using a more advanced econometric technique, I/B/E/S forecasts as proxy for market expectations and specific hypotheses in the context of the particular Continental European institutional setting. Our results indicate that abnormal returns are significantly related to the information content of dividend announcements, with higher announcement returns in cases in which prior market expectations were less optimistic. In addition, ownership characteristics and conflicts between controlling and minority shareholders are shown to have a significant influence on announcement returns.
Encouraging engagement in enabling programs: The students’ perspective

Student retention is a key concern in tertiary education enabling programs with research showing that early engagement leads to higher completion rates (Hodges et al., 2013). But how do students new to university education learn how to engage effectively? This article outlines an engagement framework that foregrounds Guidance, Encouragement, Modelling and Structure (GEMS) as a holistic approach to facilitating effective student engagement. This framework was developed from qualitative data gleaned from students enrolled in the Preparing for Success Program at Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Australia. The findings from the students indicate that the GEMS framework activates student potential and enables them to use existing knowledge and experience to not only deepen and broaden their learning but also successfully prepare for further study.
THE HISTORY OF EARLY LOW FREQUENCY RADIO ASTRONOMY IN AUSTRALIA. 3: ELLIS, REBER AND THE CAMBRIDGE FIELD STATION NEAR HOBART

Low frequency radio astronomy in Tasmania began with the arrival of Grote Reber to the State in 1954. 1 After analysing ionospheric data from around the world, he concluded that Tasmania would be a very suitable place to carry out low frequency observations. Communications with Graeme Ellis in Tasmania, who had spent several years studying the ionosphere, led to a collaboration between the two in 1955 during which year they made observations at Cambridge, near Hobart. Their observations took place at four frequencies between 2.13 MHz and 0.52 MHz inclusive, with the results at the higher frequencies revealing a clear celestial component.
Engaging the community in educational and social amelioration: lessons and prospects

A crucial element to ensure the success of a project is the community’s engagement in it: in other words, the participation of individuals, communitybased organisations and institutions that would be affected by the endeavour is vital to its success. Studies suggest that strong community participation during a programme’s development and implementation is more likely to assure its long-term viability. There has been a proliferation of academic programmes that embrace community involvement, service-learning and volunteerism flowing from the understanding that community engagement constitutes one of the core functions in South African higher education. Universities attempt in their own ways to engage students in various projects and programmes to make them aware of the role that a university has to play in the social and economic development of the surrounding community. This paper reports on the lessons and prospects emanating from free attitude interviews (FAI) with five mathematics and science students, members of a non-governmental organisation (Pula) and a number of beneficiaries. Findings indicate that it is essential to craft a common purpose between the university, NGOs and beneficiaries. Youth educators also indicated that they derived a heightened sense of accomplishment when addressing challenges experienced by their peers.
Improving simulation of soil moisture in China using a multiple meteorological forcing ensemble approach

Abstract. The quality of soil-moisture simulation using land surface models depends largely on the accuracy of the meteorological forcing data. We investigated how to reduce the uncertainty arising from meteorological forcings in a simulation by adopting a multiple meteorological forcing ensemble approach. Simulations by the Community Land Model version 3.5 (CLM3.5) over mainland China were conducted using four different meteorological forcings, and the four sets of soil-moisture data related to the simulations were then merged using simple arithmetical averaging and Bayesian model averaging (BMA) ensemble approaches. BMA is a statistical post-processing procedure for producing calibrated and sharp predictive probability density functions (PDFs), which is a weighted average of PDFs centered on the bias-corrected forecasts from a set of individual ensemble members based on their probabilistic likelihood measures. Compared to in situ observations, the four simulations captured the spatial and seasonal variations of soil moisture in most cases with some mean bias. They performed differently when simulating the seasonal phases in the annual cycle, the interannual variation and the magnitude of observed soil moisture over different subregions of mainland China, but no individual meteorological forcing performed best for all subregions. The simple arithmetical average ensemble product outperformed most, but not all, individual members over most of the subregions. The BMA ensemble product performed better than simple arithmetical averaging, and performed best for all fields over most of the subregions. The BMA ensemble approach applied to the ensemble simulation reproduced anomalies and seasonal variations in observed soil-moisture values, and simulated the mean soil moisture. It is presented here as a promising way for reproducing long-term, high-resolution spatial and temporal soil-moisture data.
Community ecology of denitrifying bacteria in arable land

Denitrifying bacteria comprise a functional guild that under anaerobic conditions is able to use nitrogenous compound for respiration. Agricultural soils are often fertilized with nitrogen, and the reduction of nitrate and nitrite to nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and dinitrogen via the denitrification pathway, leads to gaseous emissions from the nitrogenous compounds, a subject of great environmental and economic concern. This thesis examined denitrifiers, nitrate reducers, ammonia oxidizers and total bacteria, in terms of community structure, abundance and function in different arable soils. Denitrifying bacteria were described using the signature genes that encode the analytic subunits of denitrification enzymes. Appropriate targets and methods for this were evaluated. An assessment was carried out of how these biological factors are affected by different fertilizer and management practices. The spatial distribution of the denitrifying bacteria, and how this was correlated to soil properties, was also explored. Long-term application of different organic and mineral fertilizers altered both the community structure and function of the different bacterial groups. However, fertilization practices producing the most different community structure were not correlated to the treatments with the most different activities. Thus activities were not coupled to community composition. However, a study with different carbon additions, with and without nitrogen additions, showed that nitrogen addition increased the microbial activity and biomass, and in this case community composition was correlated with potential activity. In long-term fertilization, pH, C:N ratio and organic carbon content were important drivers shaping the community composition of the denitrifiers and total bacteria. Determination of the structure and size of denitrifying bacteria at field scale revealed significant relationships between denitrifying community composition, size and activity, and soil factors. These results are important in identifying the resource-based niches for denitrifiers at scales relevant for developing sustainable land management and agricultural practices.
PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS OF ATORVASTATIN ON PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED IRAQI PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: Atorvastatin therapy is now recommended for reduction of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM), based on convincing evidence of reductions in mortality and vascular events in major clinical outcome trials. The aim is to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on proinflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6), HbA1c andleptin in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Sixty fivenewly diagnosed T2DM patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups; group I treated with metformin only; in group II atorvastatin was added with metformin. Twenty healthy subjects were enrolled as control group. While maintaining their usual eating habits, fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: HbA1c levelswere decreased significantlyonly in group I compared with baseline value; while serum levels of leptin, TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased significantly in both groups compared to baseline values. Conclusion: Atorvastatin is effective in reducing leptin and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels but associated with an increased risk of worsening HbA1c in patients with T2DM.
Obstacles to the growth of new SMEs in South Africa: A principal component analysis approach

The paper investigated the obstacles to the growth of new SMEs in South Africa using the principal component approach. New SMEs are seen as a significant component of the solution to South Africa’s development issues. However, most new SMEs do not grow; their failure rate in South Africa (75%) is one of the highest in the world. The objective of the study was to investigate the internal and external environmental obstacles to the growth of new SMEs. As a new business develops, it exists and survives in an environment characterized by both internal and external factors which impact negatively on the new business’ survival. Thirty variables were identified as obstacles. The principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to reduce the variables to five clusters. The most important obstacle was termed Financial which is largely an internal factor. The other obstacles respectively as determined by the PCA were Economic (external), Markets (external) Management (internal) and Infrastructure (external). Key words: New SMEs, growth, principal component analysis.
Cross-Sectional Variation in Investment Trust Discount Volatility

Discount volatility is generally an important component of total risk for closed-end funds but there is considerable cross-sectional variation in the magnitude of this discount volatility. These are interesting aspects of the closed-end fund discount puzzle which have received little attention in the literature, particularly as regards UK investment trusts. This paper seeks to explain the cross-sectional variation in discount volatility for the UK investment trust sector. The sample consists of 59 UK conventional investment trusts in continuous operation over the five years from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1996. Discount volatility is calculated using monthly intervals. Four explanatory variables are highly significant trust share turnover, standard deviation of NAV return, ln(market value) and percentage of underlying assets which are unquoted. There is no evidence that either small investor sentiment or UK specific sentiment has any impact on discount volatility.
Is there a sociodemographic model of acceptance of postmaterialist values?: The case of Serbia

The paper offers an analysis of the factors of acceptance of postmaterialist values in Serbia. In accordance with the assumptions of Inglehart's postmaterialist value theory, but also on the basis of empirical works of his critics, the correlation between postmaterialist values and four sociodemographic variables: age, level of education, level of family income and population size of settlement, was analyzed. The data, collected in a 2007 public opinion research including 1410 citizens of Serbia aged 15-89, indicate that all the analyzed factors are important, but that age is the best predictor of these values. The conclusion discusses the adequacy of generation hypothesis as a mechanism of changing predominant values in a society and the explanatory power of the analyzed sociodemographic model.
Microhabitat specialization of tropical rain-forest canopy trees in the Sovi Basin, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands

Abstract: Island biotas often have lower species diversity and less intense competition has been hypothesized as a result. This should result in lower habitat specificity compared with mainland habitats due to larger realized niches. We investigate microhabitat associations of canopy trees with regard to differences in topography on an oceanic island (Viti Levu, Fiji) using twenty 10 × 60-m plots. We find high tree-species diversity (112 species with dbh ≥ 10 cm in a total of 1.08 ha) and high endemism (c. 60%), compared with other islands in Western Polynesia. Our sample plots aggregate into three distinct groups that are mostly defined by micro-topography: (1) ridges and steep slopes (well-drained sites), (2) moderate slopes and ridge flats (moderate drainage), and (3) flats (poor drainage). Associations with microhabitat are found for more than 50% of the 41 most common species but only one species is apparently restricted to a single habitat. These findings are similar to other rain forests and demonstrate considerable niche differentiation among island rain-forest tree species.