Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ATTRIBUTES ON CASH HOLDINGS FOR NEW AND OLD ECONOMY FIRMS: THE BRAZILIAN CASE

This study investigates possible effects of Corporate Governance attributes on cash holdings policies. These effects are investigated in firms listed as new economy and old economy, due to their different investment opportunities. The classification into old or new economy was done according to that used by Ittner et al. (2003) and Murphy (2003). Corporate cash holding policies can be explained by economic theory, including trade-off and financial hierarchy theory. Trade-off theory postulates that transaction costs and precautionary issues are reasons to hold cash, thus suggesting the existence of an optimal level of cash. Financial hierarchy theory, in turn, based as it is on information asymmetry, posits that firms will hold as much cash as they can on their hands, suggesting there is no such optimal level. Additionally, retention of cash can also be explained by behavioral theory, including agency theory, which postulates that managers have more discretion when firms keep more cash. Four attributes of Corporate Governance, disclosure, board composition and function, ownership structure and control and shareholder rights, were analyzed. The Brazilian Corporate Governance Index (Lopes and Walker, 2008) was used to estimate these attributes. The subjects of investigation were 248 Brazilian companies that had stocks traded on Sao Paulo Stock Exchange during the years of 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 e 2006. 635 observations by each variable were initially sampled from the Economatica database, but adding corporate governance data reduced the sample to 463 observations by each variable. Wilcoxon nonparametric two-sample test is used in order to show the main differences between old and new economy companies. Additionally, cross-section time-series regressions with fixed year effect investigate possible effects of corporate governance attributes on cash holdings. Four models are investigated using Ordinary Least Squares regressions: (i) only with effects of disclosure attributes on cash holdings (ii) adding effects of board composition and function attributes (iii) incorporating effects of ownership structure and control characteristics (iv) finally, adding effects of shareholder rights. Evidences show that firms listed in new economy keep more cash than firms listed in old economy. Besides, disclosure and ownership structure have a negative effect on cash holdings, suggesting that new economy firms with higher disclosure have more facilities to get an external financing and that minority interests are not correctly protect or that there is a higher conflict between manager and shareholder than minority and majority shareholders in companies listed in new economy.
Chemical weathering of silicate rocks in Aldan Shield and Baikal Uplift : insights from long-term seasonal measurements of solute fluxes in rivers

A reassessment of available information from the Russian Hydrological Survey on long-term seasonal measurements of water, suspended matter and dissolved major element discharges in ~30 small and large watersheds draining acid silicate rocks (granites, gneisses, quartzites, shales) of the Aldan Shield and Baikal Uplift was combined with new data on river water chemistry for three granitic watersheds in order to calculate the fluxes of elements due to chemical weathering. In accord with data on world rivers, a positive correlation between chemical erosion rate and runoff is observed. The majority of cations are removed during summer monsoon. The spring flood yields 10–20% of the annual flux and the winter season accounts for only 5–15%. The mean multi-annual flux of total dissolved solid which is largely dominated by Ca (60–80%) on the Siberian Craton is comparable with that of temperate zones but higher than that of the Canadian Shield for similar runoff values, rock composition and annual temperatures. Important element recycling due to litter degradation and weathering acceleration via organic ligands produced by abundant vegetation over permafrost soils is invoked to explain these results. D 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Factors Affecting Behavioral Intention and Actual Use of Mobile Apps in Vietnam

Since the mobile phone industry in Vietnam presents very high growth potential, especially for mobile Apps, it is crucial and necessary to understand the behavioral intention and actual usage of Vietnamese smartphone users when using mobile Apps. Although mobile apps are already an influential medium in the new media industry as a whole, these apps have received little academic attention within the communication and marketing literature, especially in Vietnam perspective. Based on theoretical framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study develops and tests a hypothesized model to explain antecedents affecting smartphone user’s behavioral intention and their actual app usage in Vietnam population. The regression analysis resulted to a final model with three significant factors having directly influences on user’s behavioral intention to use mobile Apps, as well as showing the direct influence of user’s behavioral intention on their actual Apps usage. Beside marketing implications, this study also offers insight into various theoretical applications to the field of mobile communication research by suggesting a conceptual model for the acceptance of mobile apps. Keyword: mobile apps, technology acceptance model (TAM), user review, costeffectiveness, actual use * Graduate School of Business and Management, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology ** Department of Business and Administration, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology ISSN: 2249-1058 Impact Factor: 6.559 53 International Journal of Marketing and Technology http://www.ijmra. us, Email: editorijmie@gmail.com
Recent Studies and Advances in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women, accounting for approximately 30% of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. In the United States in 2017, an estimated 255,180 new cases of breast cancer and 63,410 cases of carcinoma in situ of the female breast will be diagnosed. However, Due to Major advances in breast cancer diagnosis, management, and treatment, breast cancer has been surpassed by lung cancer (as of 2013) as the most deadly female cancer. In 2017, 41,070 of the expected new cases, will die of breast cancer, which calculates out to an 84% survival rate. While the overall incidence of breast cancer has slightly increased since 2004, the death rate for female breast cancer dropped 38% from 1989 to 2014, further validating our improvements in breast cancer treatment. This means that of the expected 600,920 deaths related to cancer, only 6.8% will be attributable to breast cancer. Men are affected by breast cancer as well. An estimated 2,470 cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2017, making up 0.3 percent of all new cancer diagnoses, with 460 estimated deaths. This results in an approximately 19 percent mortality rate. In comparison, prostate, lung/bronchus, and colorectal cancer make up the top three cancers in men, accounting for nearly 42% of new cancer diagnoses. However, the combined mortality of colorectal and prostate cancer comes in at 17 percent, making male breast cancer more deadly if diagnosed [1].
An attempt to optimise the number of pupils in comprehensive secondary schools based on their learning outcomes

Research background: There may be a significant correlation between the number of pupils in a school and their learning perfor mance. Some studies point to the negative impact of schools with a large number of p upils on the educational results achieved. At the same time, the demographic crisis that has been deepening steadily for several years now represents an important mo tivation for rationalising the existing network of schools. Purpose of the article: The aim of the study was to determine the optimum size of schools based on the criterion of examination resul ts expressed through educational value added. Methodology/methods: The analysis covered all comprehensive secondary schools in Poland over the2013 to 2015 period (a to tal of 1,943 schools). It determined the correlation between the size of a school expressed through the average number of graduates, and the results of the matura examination (the secondary school leaving exam in Poland) expressed through ed ucational value added. Data for the analysis was obtained from the Section of E ducational Value Added of the Educational Research Institute in Warsaw. The compr ehensive secondary schools under study were divided into 5 classes, according to the criterion of the average annual number of graduates. The following analytica l cl sses were distinguished: class A up to 50 graduates, class B 51-100 grad uates, class C 101-150 graduates, class D 151 -200 graduates, class E above 201 graduates. Proceedings of the 9 th International Conference on Applied Economics Contemporary Issues in Economy: Quantitative Methods 303 Findings: The analyses conducted in this study showed that t he comprehensive secondary schools with over 600 pupils had the high est learning outcomes as expressed through educational value added. The lowest educational effectiveness was found in schools with less than 150 pupils. A depen dency was discovered whereby the effectiveness of education increases as the num ber of pupils grows. Due to the lack of data concerning examination results in scho ols with more than 1,000 pupils (value indicated in American studies as the thresho ld value for positive learning outcomes), it was not possible to determine the max i um number of pupils that guarantees satisfactory learning outcomes.
Effects of ripening stage and cooking methods on available glucose , resistant starch and estimated glycemic index of bananas ( Musa sapientum ; Nam-wa variety )

Introduction: Resistant starch (RS) has been associated with health benefits including reduced cholesterol absorption, and also been considered as a prebiotic. Little is known of the RS contents of bananas from Thailand. Methods: This study determined the digestibility of starch in bananas (Nam-wa variety) at different ripeness stages, based on roasting and boiling. In vitro glycemic response of the bananas was also investigated. Based on peel colour, banana maturity stages were classified into 8 stages namely, unripe (stages 3–5) and ripe (stages 6–8). Analysis methods used were in-vitro enzymatic digestion and HPLC analysis. Results: Unripened bananas contained less total sugar compared to ripened bananas. Rapidly Available Glucose (RAG) and Slowly Available Glucose (SAG) contents increased in tandem with progression of the ripening stage. However, there was no significant difference in the RS content with ripening stage (p>0.05). The RS content also did not show significant difference between the cooking methods. Boiling of banana at the same ripening stage considerably reduced the estimated glycemic index (eGI) (34-56), whilst roasting did not produce any marked changes in pGI (5356). Conclusion: The RAG and SAG amounts in the bananas studied were found to be directly related to ripening stage. Boiling was shown to be a better cooking method for lowering the pGI of bananas compared to roasting. Keyword: Banana, cooking, glycemic index, processing, resistant starch
Neuronal communication through coherence in the human motor system

This thesis explores the concept of neuronal communication through oscillatory synchronization. For most of the described research, we used the human motor system as a model system, in particular the cortico spinal system, in combination with non invasive recording techniques. Oscillatory synchronization is a well known property of neuronal activity in the motor system, both within brain regions, and between brain regions and the spinal cord. We used the coherence measure to quantify oscillatory synchronization between neuronal groups. We tested the underlying hypothesis that oscillatory synchronization subserves neuronal communication. We took three different approaches to investigate coherence: 1: Chapter 2 and 3 present data of experiments in which the relation between oscillatory neuronal synchronization and behaviour was investigated. Chapter 2 describes an experiment that provides support for the hypothesis that oscillatory synchronization within and between neuronal groups enhances neuronal communication and is behaviourally relevant. In chapter 3 an experiment is described, in which local and long range oscillatory synchrony was studied in the human motor system during a cued reaction time task. 2. : Chapter 4 describes a study in which coherence was used as a signature of neuronal interaction to identify a functional network involved in motor control. 3. : In chapter 5 and 6 we adopt a more mechanistic view on coherence. We test the prediction that phase locked oscillatory activity between neuronal groups makes their interaction effective and selective. The data presented in chapter 5 were obtained from the human motor system, and the data presented in chapter 6 were from the visual system of awake cats and monkeys
Minimum wages in formal and informal sectors : Evidence from the Colombian crisis

I estimate the effect of the minimum wage on formal wages, informal wages and employment in Colombia. I exploit an unexpected increase in the real minimum wage during the 1999 Colombian economic crisis to estimate short term effects of the minimum wage along the distribution of wages in both sectors. I find evidence of wage responses, with stronger incidence in the formal sector. Markets with a 10 % higher incidence of the minimum wage, measured by the number of workers affected, experienced wage increases of 4 % and 1.3 % in the formal and informal sector, respectively. I find negative employment effects on the informal sector, but no employment effects on the formal sector, and a lack of pass-through across sectors. My results suggest that minimum wages affect the informal labor market directly and not through the formal sector.
High prevalence of undernutrition among preschool children in Pattani Province , southern Thailand

Introduction: Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of childhood death. In the southern provinces of Thailand that are encountering a civil conflict, the extent of malnutrition among young children has not been adequately reported. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess the nutritional status of children aged 2-5 years enrolled in early childhood development centres (ECDC) in Pattani Province. A total of 112 ECDCs were randomly selected and 871 children who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Anthropometric measurements were taken and nutritional status determined according to World Health Organization (2006) growth standards. Statistical analyses of nutritional indicators, namely wasting, stunting, underweight and Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) across sociodemographic variables were carried out. Binary logistic regression models, based on the different nutritional indicators, were used to determine the relationships between undernutrition status and associated factors. Results: Prevalence of wasting (7.7%), stunting (19.6%) and underweight (16.8%) were determined. Based on CIAF, 27.4% of the children were undernourished. Logistic regression odds showed that prevalence of all forms of undernutrition was statistically independent of sex and place of residence. Religion was associated with all four indicators of undernutrition. Stunting was associated with child’s age and religion, while underweight and CIAF were associated with the child’s age, religion and mother’s occupation. Conclusion: Prevalence of undernutrition was estimated to be high in comparison with the national average figure. The study findings highlighted the need for more effective nutrition promotion activities to alleviate undernutrition problems among young children in Pattani Province.
ST segment resolution after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction

Objective: Mean platelet volume (MPV), one of the indices of platelet reactivity has been shown to be related to impaired angiographic reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary angioplasty or thrombolytics. However data regarding MPV and its association with ST-segment resolution; an indicator of epicardial and tissue level reperfusion in the setting of STEMI are limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether MPV on admission is associated with ST-segment resolution in STEMI patients treated with thrombolytics. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 232 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of first STEMI who were administered thrombolytic therapy within 12 hours of onset of chest pain. ST segment resolution based on baseline and 90 minute electrocardiographies were measured. Patients were grouped into two as with <50% and ≥50% ST-segment resolution. Admission MPV was measured and compared between two groups. Results: Admission MPV was higher in patients with <50% ST-segment resolution than patients with ≥50% ST-segment resolution (9.9±1.3 fL vs. 8.5±1.1 fL respectively, p<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded a cut-off value of 9.3 fL to predict ST-segment resolution, with sensivity and specifity being 66.7% and 77.9%, respectively. In-hospital mortality rate was high in patients with <50% ST -segment resolution (p=0.002). Conclusion: High MPV on admission in STEMI patients treated with thrombolytics is associated with impaired ST segment resolution. (Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2014; 14: 728-32)
Condition Monitoring Technologies for Steel Wire Ropes – A Review

In this research, we review condition-monitoring technologies for offshore steel wire ropes (SWR). Such ropes are used within several offshore applications including cranes for load handling such as subsea construction at depths up to 3-4000 meters, drilling lines, marine riser tensioner lines and anchor lines. For mooring, there is a clear tendency for using fiber ropes. Especially for heavy-lift cranes and subsea deployment, winches with strong ropes of up to 180 mm in diameter may be required, which has a considerable cost per rope, especially for large water depths. Today’s practice is to discard the rope after a predetermined number of uses due to fatigue from bending over sheaves with a large safety factor, especially for systems regulated by active heave compensation (AHC). Other sources of degradation are abrasion, fretting, corrosion and extreme forces, and are typically accelerated due to undersized or poorly maintained sheaves, groove type, lack of lubrication and excessive load. Non-destructive testing techniques for SWR have been developed over a period of 100 years. Most notably are the magnetic leakage techniques (electromagnetic methods), which are widely used within several industries such as mining and construction. The content reviewed in this research is primarily the developments the last five years within the topics of electromagnetic method, acoustic emissions (AE), ultrasound, Xand γ-rays, fiber optics, optical and thermal vision and current signature analysis. Each technique is thoroughly presented and discussed for the application of subsea construction. Assessments include ability to detect localized flaws (i.e. broken wire) both internally and externally, estimated loss of metallic cross sectional area, robustness with respect to the rough offshore environment, ability to evaluate both rope and end fittings, and ability to work during operation.
The GitHub Open Source Development Process

Open Source Software (OSS) projects, or software projects with publicly available source code, are realizing ever more important roles in both personal and business computing. As such, shifts in the way in which OSS is developed could have impacts on both the quantity and the quality of OSS projects. The development process by which these projects are produced is generally unstructured compared to commercial software, but many projects do exhibit general development patterns. GitHub, a popular OSS code hosting website, along with Git, the site’s Source Code Management (SCM) tool of choice, may have the potential to fundamentally change this process by facilitating new patterns and opportunities for developers. By analyzing a subset of GitHub repositories, this report will show how GitHub has influenced some intrinsic aspects of traditional OSS development, such as developer hierarchies and issue close velocity. We find that many of the traditional aspects of OSS development remain, such as most project development being done by a small group of core developers. Other traditional assumptions about OSS developer hierarchy, such as a large number of Issue Reporters compared to Committers, seems unsupported by the GitHub data. We conclude that GitHub represents an evolution of the OSS development process, and not necessarily a large shift.
Constructing the Organisational Learning Model for the Utility Asset Management

Under the evolving environment, a utility company is required to improve the operation and maintenance of its physical assets usually in the forms of an asset management program. In the past, conventional financial techniques were used to quantify the asset’s values and make decision relating to the asset accordingly. However, most of the time, the data and information required for the analysis are incomplete and even unavailable. This is due to the fact that it is not explicitly clear which data and information are required at the beginning of the asset’s life cycle. This paper proposes an organisational learning model for the utility companies with respect to the asset management activities. CommonKADS is utilised as a tool to capture the knowledge associated with managing the assets from the learning processes of the utility company. A case study of substations operating in the distribution network in Thailand is presented. The results show that by applying the proposed methodologies, the learning processes within the utility companies can be categorised and explained by five major learning steps of breakdown, corrective, preventive, predictive, and proactive maintenances. [Thananchana A, Chandarasupsang T, Chakpitak N. Constructing the Organisational Learning Model for the Utility Asset Management. Life Sci J 2014;11(12):777-785]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 143.
Test of the Bifactor Model of Job-Related Affective Well-Being

The multidimensional measure of the job-related affective well-being developed by Warr (1990) is a frequently used tool estimating affect in the work context. Alternative factorial models of this measure were tested in previous studies. Recently a bifactor model has been proposed as alternative factorial structure recommended for multifaceted constructs. It allows capturing the global aspect of the construct along with the specificity of its subdimensions. We conducted two studies to test a bifactor model on Warr’s measure and to compare it to factor models proposed in earlier studies. This bifactor model identified one general factor in addition to four unique factors. Two studies were conducted among employees (Study 1; N = 869) and entrepreneurs (Study 2; N = 204). Results of both studies corroborate a four correlated factors model as superior to the bifactor model. The model with four unique but correlated factors representing anxiety, comfort, depression, and enthusiasm is a good representation of job-related affective well-being measured by Warr’s instrument, both in a sample of employees and entrepreneurs.