Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance and Firms’Financial Performance of Listed Company in the West African Monetary Union (Wamu) Regional Financial Exchange

This study examines empirically the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on firm financial performance using listed firms in the West African Monetary Union (WAMU). Based on the review of existing literature, four corporate governance variables were selected namely: composition of board member, board size, CEO status and ownership concentration which served as the independent variables. The ordinary least square regression was used to estimate the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. A total of 39 firms were selected for the study cutting across all sectors of Regional Financial Exchange. Findings from the study show that there is positive and significant relationship between composition of board member and board size as independent variables and firm performance. CEO status also has positive relationship with firm performance but insignificant at P<0.05. However, ownership concentration has negative relationships with return on asset (ROA) but positive relationship with profit margin (PM). The relationships are not significant at 5%. A high concentration of shares tends to create more pressure on managers to behave in ways that are value-maximizing.
Study of Molecular Interactions in Binary Liquid Mixtures Containing Higher Alcohols at Different Temperatures

Ultrasonic velocity, density and viscosity are measured in binary liquid mixtures of cyclohexanone with n-heptanol, n-octanol and iso-octanol at temperatures (303.15, 308.15, 313.15 and 318.15) K over the entire range of composition. By using these data, parameters such as adiabatic compressibility, β, molar volume, V are calculated and some excess parameters like excess adiabatic compressibility, βE, excess molar volume, VE, deviation in viscosity, Δη, and excess Gibb’s free energy of activation for viscous flow, ΔG*E are calculated. The calculated excess and deviation functions have been fitted to the Redlich-Kister polynomial equation. The observed negative and positive excess values or deviation parameters have been explained in the light of intermolecular interactions present in these binary liquid mixtures.
An Approach for Alleviating Global Inanition

Inanition is familiarly known as Starvation. Starvation means lesser or no intake of calories, proteins and vitamins. It is the most extreme malnutrition. Protein malnutrition is prevalent in the developing parts of the world and children are the most affected [1]. Malnutrition is a significant public health problem not only in developing countries but also in the world [2,3]. It is a serious problem because it is causing death of 3.5 million children under 5 years old peryear. About half of the population affected from malnutrition are from Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia [3]. Its magnitude is still highest in Ethiopia as well as in Amhara region that remains a major public health problem. In general, elders are at increased risk of malnutrition due to insufficient amount of food intake and poor selection of food.
Personality Traits, Migration Intentions, and Cultural Distance

Personality traits are influential in individual decision-making but have been overlooked in economic models of migration. This paper investigates the relation between Big Five personality traits and individuals’ migration intentions among alternative destinations that vary in their culture distance. We hypothesize that Big Five personality traits may alter individuals’ migration decision and destination choice through their influence on perceived psychic costs and benefits of migration. We test our hypotheses using the Fachkraft survey conducted among university students in Germany. We find that extraversion and openness are positively associated with migration intentions, while agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability negatively relate to migration intentions. We show that openness positively and extraversion negatively relate to the willingness to move to culturally distant countries even when we control for geographic distance and economic differences between countries. Using language as a cultural distance indicator provides evidence that extravert individuals are less likely to prefer linguistically distant countries while agreeable individuals are more inclined to consider such countries as alternative destinations.
Gravity or Dummies? The Limits of Identification in Gravity Estimations

Trade economists often estimate gravity equations of international trade with fixed effects. Anderson and van Wincoop (2003, American Economic Review 93, 170–192) have shown the importance of controlling for multilateral trade resistances when estimating a gravity equation. This can be done by including exporter-time and importer-time fixed effects in a panel or exporter and importer fixed effects in a cross section estimation. I argue that this approach limits the identifiability of policy parameters that capture the effect of certain ”club memberships” (EU, NAFTA, euro area, WTO, etc.) on trade flows. I show that, in the baseline case, only one effect can be identified, which precludes, for example, the estimation of separate effects on the exporter and the importer side. The magnitude, and even the sign, of the estimated club effect are very sensitive to the precise identification assumptions, which are often left unspecified in empirical studies. The underlying problem is that club membership provides some, but very little bilateral variation. When heterogeneous club effects are to be identified, the membership dummies can become perfectly collinear with the fixed effects. Empirical researchers may not be aware of the lack of identification, because standard estimation techniques often permit them to run perfectly collinear regressions. I illustrate the findings with estimating the effect of EU enlargement in 2004 on the trade flows of new and old members. Finally, I discuss potential solutions.
Relative effects of toe-clipping and pen-marking on short-term recapture probability of McCann's skinks (Oligosoma maccanni)

There has been much debate about the use and acceptability of toe-clipping as a means of permanently marking reptiles and amphibians during scientific surveys. Trapping studies of reptiles and amphibians are frequently, although not always, compromised by low probabilities of recapture of individuals following their initial capture and marking. Low recapture rates can influence the precision of estimates of population size and home range that are derived from trapping data. We investigated whether there was a difference in the short-term probability of recapture of toe-clipped McCann's skinks (Oligosoma maccanni) compared with those marked non-invasively with a pen. We pitfall-trapped skinks for seven days in a dry scrub habitat on the South Island of New Zealand. On first capture, skinks were individually marked by either toe-clipping or writing a code on their ventral surface with a silver marker pen. The resulting recapture histories for 118 skinks were analysed using Huggins' closed-population models in the MARK program. The best supported models indicated that recapture probability was significantly affected by sex (females > males) and previous toe-clipping experience (previously clipped > not). There was no support for an effect of marking method on short-term recapture probability, which is likely to be affected by other sampling factors such as trap spacing, social behaviour or response to handling. Females' higher recapture probability may reflect their increased energetic requirements during the breeding season, making them more likely to enter traps in search of food. We speculate that previous experience of toe-clipping is a surrogate for age and social dominance leading to increased access to traps.
Empirical evidence on convergence across Brazilian States

This paper is aimed to analyze the convergence hypothesis across Brazilian States in a 60 year period (1947-2006). In order to test the existence of income convergence, the order of integration of the income differences between each State and Sao Paulo is examined. Sao Paulo is the richest State and for this reason is used as a benchmark. First of all, we employed the conventional unit root tests, finding evidence against the convergence hypothesis. However, given the lack of power of unit root tests, especially when the convergence is very low, we used ARFIMA models, which is also theoretically more appropriate [Michelacci and Zaffaroni (2000)]. Even so, the findings of the ARFIMA models cast doubts on the convergence hypothesis
Telework: conditions that have a positive and negative impact on the work-family conflict

Various investigations have shed light on the positive and negative effects of telework on the work-family conflict. These effects might be related to the conditions under which telework is carried out. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of six variables related to telework conditions on the work-family conflict, and the number of additional hours worked beyond normal office hours. ,Multiple linear regression models are calculated with data collected from a sample of 142 teleworkers in public institutions to evaluate the effect of the above variables. ,Results reveal that factors which affect work-family conflict include the space used for working at home, the presence of persons at home while someone is teleworking, the number of days of telework, the time a person has been teleworking, and the extent of responsibility a worker has outside of the work environment. ,There is a need for research to determine the ideal conditions and situations for teleworking. This study is specifically intended to strengthen some previous findings in this area, and to provide new evidence. ,Las investigaciones han mostrado efectos positivos y negativos del teletrabajo sobre el conflicto trabajo-familia. Estos efectos podrian estar relacionados con las condiciones en las que lleva a cabo el teletrabajo. Por ello, el presente estudio analiza la influencia de seis variables relacionadas con las condiciones del teletrabajo, sobre el conflicto trabajo-familia y la cantidad de horas laboradas adicionales a la jornada. ,Para evaluar el efecto de esas variables se procesan modelos de regresion lineal multiple con los datos obtenidos en una muestra de 142 teletrabajadores de instituciones publicas. ,Los resultados revelan que el espacio utilizado para trabajar en el hogar, la presencia de personas en el hogar mientras se teletrabaja, la cantidad de dias de teletrabajo, el tiempo que lleva un sujeto teletrabajando y el grado de responsabilidad que tiene el trabajador fuera del ambito laboral, influyen sobre el conflicto trabajo-familia. ,Hacen falta investigaciones que revelen las condiciones y situaciones idoneas para teletrabajar. Esta investigacion precisamente refuerza algunos hallazgos encontrados en esa linea y brinda nuevas evidencias.
Edge effects on gall-inducing insect Mikiola fagi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in the oriental beach forests.

This study investigated the influence of forest edges on the leaf galls induced by Mikiola fagi (Hartig) on oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky). Two main objectives of this study were a) to compare the effects of forest edges on the number of leaf galls, and b) to compare the forest edges and forest interiors concerning the length and weight of the galls. Investigations on this subject were conducted in 2013-2014 in the Forest Enterprise Chief of Tezcan in Kastamonu located in Western Blacksea region of Turkey. The results showed that 1) the number of leaf galls was greater along the forest edges than in the forest interiors, 2) the length and the weight of the galls did not differ significantly between forest edges and forest interiors.
THE EFFECT OF EMIGRATION ON THE LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES OF THE SENDER HOUSEHOLD: A LONGITUDINAL APPROACH USING DATA FROM NICARAGUA

n this paper, I use longitudinal data from the 1998 and 2001 Living Standard Measurement Surveys in Nicaragua to examine the impact of the emigration of household members on the household labor market integration and poverty. The main findings of the paper are that households from which an emigrant left had a reduction in members, a reduction in working members, a reduction in labor income than otherwise similar households. However, those households also had a reduction in poverty. This finding is a result of the different patterns of migration from Nicaragua to the United States and Costa Rica. Households with emigrants to Costa Rica tend to be poorer, to have emigrants that were working prior to migration, and to have the greatest relative improvements in poverty following emigration. I
An Efficient Single-Stage Wet Electrostatic Precipitator for Fine and Nanosized Particle Control

In this study, an efficient parallel-plate single-stage wet electrostatic precipitator (wet ESP) with a width of 75 mm, effective precipitation length of 48 mm and gap of 9.0 mm was designed and tested to control fine and nanosized particles without the need of rapping. The collection plates are made of sand-blasted copper plates coated with TiO2 nanopowder instead of hydrophilic membranes. Three gold wires (diameter: 100 μ m) were used as the discharge electrodes and a pulse jet valve was used to regularly purge the wires. The design of the present wet ESP is aimed at solving the problems of traditional dry ESPs: reduction of the collection efficiency due to particle deposition on the discharge electrodes and collection electrodes, back corona, and particle re-entrainment. The collection efficiency at initially clean and heavy particle loading conditions was tested and compared to a similar dry ESP. Experimental results showed that when the wet ESP was initially clean, the particle collection efficiency ranged from 96.9–99.7% for particles ranging from 16.8 to 615 nm in electrical mobility diameter at an aerosol flow rate of 5 L/min (residence time of 0.39 s) and an applied voltage of 4.3 kV. After heavy loading with TiO2 nanopowder about 1.2 ± 0.06 g/plate, the collection efficiency of the present wet ESP for corn oil particles was shown to reduce only slightly to 94.7–99.0% for particles from 16.8 to 615 nm in diameter.
Songs of Seoul: An Ethnography of Voice and Voicing in Christian South Korea

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Note on Romanization Introduction PART ONE. THE QUALITIES OF VOICE 1. Transformations of Voice 2. Voicing an Advanced Korea 3. Cultivating the Christian Voice 4. The Clean Voice PART TWO. THE SOCIALITY OF VOICE 5. Tuning the Voice 6. The Voice of Homecoming 7. Feeling the Voice Conclusion Notes References Cited Index
Rotational splittings for slow to moderate rotators. Latitudinal dependence or higher order effects in Ω

Context. The unprecedented photometric quality reached by the CoRoT and Kepler space missions opens new prospects for studying stellar rotation. Information about the rotation rate is contained on the one hand in the low frequency part of the power spectra, where signatures of nonuniform surface rotation are expected, and on the other hand in the frequency splittings induced by the internal rotation rate. Aims. We wish to figure out whether the differences between the seismic rotation period determined by a mean rotational splitting, and the rotation period measured from the low frequency peak in the Fourier spectrum – observed for some of CoRoT’s targets – can provide constraints on the rotation profile. Methods. For uniform moderate rotators,perturbative corrections to second and third order in terms of the rotation angular velocity Ω, must not be neglected. These effects, in particular, may mimic differential rotation. We apply our perturbation method to evaluate mode frequencies that are accurate up to Ω 3 for uniform rotation. The effects of latitudinal dependence are calculated in the linear approximation. Numerical results were obtained for selected models of the upper and lower parts of the main sequence. For the latitudinal dependence, we adopt two types of rotation profile: one with rotation uniform in depth, and one with a solar-like tachocline. Results. Deviations from the first-order splitting for a uniformly rotating star can be due to both cubic-order effects of rotation and latitudinal differential rotation. In models of β Cephei pulsators, which represent upper main sequence stars, third order effects become comparable to that of a horizontal shear similar to the solar one at rotation rates well below the breakup values. These nonlinear effects are strongly mode-dependent. We show how a clean signature of the latitudinal shear may be extracted. Our models of two CoRoT target HD 181906 and HD 181420, which are solar-like pulsators, represent lower main sequence objects. These are slow rotators and nonlinear effects in splittings are accordingly small. We use data for one low frequency peak and one splitting of a dipolar mode to constrain the rotation profile in HD 181420 and HD 181906. Conclusions. The relative influences of the two effects strongly depend on the type of oscillation modes excited in the star and the magnitude of the rotation rate. Given the mean rotational splitting and the frequency of a spot signature, it is possible to distinguish between the two hypotheses. In the case of differential rotation in latitude, we propose a method to determine the type of rotation profile and a range of values for the shear.
The Need for Study of Led Lights Capacity to Damage Fluid Milk

Light-exposure is a well-chronicled issue in the study of the quality of milk. Milk exposed to light during transport, processing, and storage can develop undesirable off-flavors and aromas, mainly due to riboflavin induced breakdown of proteins and lipids. Despite much study into these phenomena, most work to date has been carried out with incandescent or fluorescent light sources. The modern supply chain and retail environment is evolving, and currently the dairy industry is witnessing many suppliers adopting LED lighting in display cases, primarily as a cost saving and sustainability measure, due to lower running costs. This disregards, however, that LED lighting produces a much altered spectrum of light than the fluorescent systems currently favored. As light induces flavors in milk occur due to wavelength dependent physical processes, this review highlights the need for further study of LED light exposure of milk, to ascertain the degree to which these lights can damage fluid milk.
Assessment of an Organosolv lignocellulose biorefinery concept based on a material flow analysis of a pilot plant

The described work investigated ethanol-water fractionation of beech wood as the basic technology for a lignocellulose biorefinery. The main products were glucose, lignin and xylose. The fractionation technology was studied, scaled-up and successfully implemented on pilot scale. Based on an Aspen process simulation of an industrial production plant, the process was assessed economically and ecologically, pointing out the potential benefits of a “lignocellulose biorefinery” and the importance to valorize all the obtained fractions. The process assumptions of the assessment have been tested at the pilot plant and its feasibility was verified.
Explicit and implicit materialism vs. self-esteem and readiness for self-improvement in young people

The aim of the paper is to present an analysis of the relationship between explicit and implicit materialism, self-esteem, and readiness for self-improvement in teenagers. We carried out two studies. In the first one, we examined what object and activity categories are linked to teenage happiness and how the category of happiness associated with possessing things is linked to materialistic teenage attitudes. The second study looked into the associations of implicit materialism with implicit materialism, self-esteem, and readiness for self-improvement. The obtained results showed that (a) five categories of teenage happiness can be distinguished: people and animals, interests, sport, achievements, material possessions and money; (b) as initially assumed, implicit materialism is positively linked to explicit materialism and negatively linked to both self-esteem (Study 2) and readiness for self-improvement (Studies 1 and 2). However, no significant relationship was observed between explicit materialism and self-esteem or readiness for self-improvement.
Antioxidant potential in seed meal of different Indian mustard genotypes

activity alongwith Fe2+ chelating activity and radical scavenging activity in methanolic extracts of seed meal was determined in ten different genotypes. The methanolic seed meal extract exhibited a concentration and genotype dependent elimination of DPPH free radical. All the genotypes showed about 50 % inhibition in 3 mg of dry seed meal. As the concentration of seed meal increased, there was corresponding increase in eradiction of free radical. The highest antioxidant activity (22.45 mg/g) and Fe2+ chelating activity (36.00 %) was observed in the genotype LES-51. The Fe2+ chelating activity varied from 20.53 % (LES-50) to 36.00 % (LES-51).
Lipoproteins and Apolipoproteins of the Ageing Eye

The macula is the central part of the retina, the neurosensory portion of the eye, and it is responsible for detailed central and colour vision due to its high concentration of cone photoreceptors. Anatomically, the macula is centred on the foveola, and has a ganglion cell layer of more than one cell in thickness. The macula has a diameter of approximately 5.5 mm. The macula is characterised by a yellowish colour (hence the term macula lutea, which is Latin for ‘yellow spot’), attributable to the presence of macular pigment (MP). [1] The concentration of MP peaks at the centre of the macula, where the appearance of the ‘yellow spot’ may be clearly evident on clinical examination or fundus photography [Figure 1]. MP is optically undetectable outside the macula. [2] Within the layer structure of the retina, the highest concentration of MP is seen in the receptor axon layer and the inner plexiform layer. [1]
What Do We Know About the Relationship Between Regionalized Aspects of the Unemployment Insurance System and Internal Migration in Canada?

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the past four decades of empirical research on the relationship between internal migration and regional variation in the generosity of Canada’s unemployment insurance system. It has long been argued that because the Canadian insurance system is more generous towards people who live in relatively disadvantaged regions, it retards the out-migration that is part of the market process, thereby slowing economic development and contributing to the persistence of regional inequality in earned incomes. The survey shows, however, that there is no evidence in the empirical literature that regional variation in the generosity of the insurance system has altered internal migration patterns in Canada in a substantial manner.
Pairs Trading with Copulas

Pairs trading is a well-known speculative investment strategy, with the distance method the most commonly implemented variation. However, the profitability of this approach has decreased in recent years. This article seeks to generalize the pairs trading strategy using a copula technique to explicitly capture the marginal distributions as well as the dependency structure between the stock returns. With a better understanding of the joint distribution of the two stocks, practitioners could gain preferential entry positions and have more trading opportunities. The overall empirical results verify the proposed strategy’s ability to generate higher profits compared with the conventional distance method.