Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CORPORATE PERFORMANCE AND BOARDS’ DILEMMA OF LISTED SUBSIDIARIES

The paper focuses on listed companies controlled by other (listed or not listed) entities. The decision-making power of listed subsidiary’s boards could be strongly influenced by (or instead could be autonomous from) the parent companies’ board. However, so far literature on corporate governance seems not to have considered adequately this aspect as well as the impact of that influence on listed companies’ financial performance and on corporate governance variables. The main objective of this paper is to explore how and why this phenomenon is relevant, giving some preliminary suggestions on the interpretation of the ownership structure, board demography and the financial performances of directed listed subsidiaries. In order to explore the relevance of the phenomenon, we use a sample of Italian listed companies controlled and consolidated by other companies for the year 2010. The analysis shows that 71.4% (145 firms) of Italian non-financial listed companies are consolidated by the respective controlling entities and 24.1% (35 firms) of these listed subsidiaries declare to be directed by their parents. Thus, they are not independent economic entities and the effort to study the relationship between corporate governance variables and firm performance could be strongly biased.
A Learning-Based Model of Quality of Use: Insights from a Case Study of ERP Implementation

It has been argued that simple conceptualizations of usage are inadequate for understanding and studying use of complex information technologies. In this paper we argue that quality of use, instead of simple usage, is useful for understanding the extent to which a complex information technology is being used. An inductive case study of complex technology was conducted which led to the development of a learning-based model of quality of use. This model suggests the inclusion of factors relating to training (either formal or informal), learning, perceptions, and attitudes, their impact on quality of use, and their change over time. Moreover, it describes how perceptions of the system at a given time, along with newly acquired knowledge of the system, may influence perceptions at a later time. Evidence from the case study along with constructs and relationships from the literature are provided to support the model. Implications for future research are also discussed. * The authors worked equally on this and are thus listed alphabetically.
Psychosocial problems among students in preparatory school, in Dessie town, north east Ethiopia

Background : The family environment is critical in supporting a healthy adolescent development. With the establishment of preparatory schools, many students of school age move from rural areas to nearby towns leading to changes in their living arrangement and possibly family connectedness. However, whether this phenomenon predisposes adolescents to greater psychosocial problems is not clear. Objective : This study assesses differential vulnerabilities of preparatory school adolescents to psychosocial problems with reference to their living arrangement and parental attachment. Method: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 667(512 male and 155 female) preparatory school students in Dessie town, north east Ethiopia in 2004 using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. Qualitative information was also obtained from four focus group discussions. Result : Approximately a quarter of the students included in the study reported feeling of sadness which made them stop performing some regular activities. Six percent of the adolescents also reported having attempted suicide in the 12 months preceding the study. The study revealed that lower family connectedness and having a living arrangement separate from both biological parents (or living with friends, relatives or alone) were associated with increased odds of having a depressive symptom after controlling for observed covariates. Suicide attempts reported in the 12 months preceding the study were linked to having a history of suicide attempt in the family or among friends, female gender and sexual activity but not with family connectedness. Conclusions : The findings indicate that the burden of psychosocial concerns including depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are high and living with both biological parents and good parent-teen connectedness are related to better psychosocial health. The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development Vol. 20(1) 2006: 47-55
Carbon markets, neo-liberalism and human rights: towards a win-win approach

Most of the time, applying human rights language into market-based systems is seen as an attempt to merge waters from two different ponds that can never meet. This paper argues that the perceived dichotomy between human rights and market instruments as presented in the literature, stem from the failures of scholars to consider the possibilities of instruments and approaches that present a mutually beneficial relationship and a win-win scenario between both. This paper argues that human rights instruments could in fact strengthen the efficiency of market-based mechanisms if properly applied. This paper proposes a human rights based approach to carbon finance as an approach that could enable us draw on the flexibility of markets, but at the same time mainstream human rights standards into market instruments to protect market abuse, human rights violations and unsustainability.
In vitro Antioxidant Activity between Bioactive Compounds from Nine Species of Passiflora

Antioxidants are an important line of defense against free radical damage and are critical factors for maintaining optimum health and wellbeing conditions. Antioxidants are capable of stabilizing or deactivating free radicals before the latter attack biological targets in cells, so they are crucial for maintaining cumulative and debilitating oxidative stress [1]. The antioxidant activity In vitro Antioxidant Activity between Bioactive Compounds from Nine Species of Passiflora DAV Montero1, LC Ming1, MG Borguini2, M Cavalcante2, GPP Lima2, S Fabian3 and LMM Meletti4 1Laboratory of Medicinal Plants and Ethnobotany, Horticulture Faculty of Agronomic Science, State University of São Paulo, Botucatú, Brazil 2Laboratory of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Bioscience, State University of São Paulo, Botucatú, Brazil. 3Gruppo Ricerca Piante Officinali, Dipartimento di Agronomia Animali Alimenti Risorse Naturali e Ambiente, Universitá degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy 4Horticulture center, Agronomic Institute, Campinas, Brazil
Do the Type of Sukuk and Choice of Shari’a Scholar Matter?

Sukuk, the shari’a-compliant alternative mode of financing to conventional bonds, have considerably expanded over the last decade. We analyze the stock market reaction to two key features of this instrument: sukuk type and characteristics of the shari’a scholar certifying the issue. We use the event study methodology to measure abnormal returns for a sample of 131 sukuk from eight countries over the period 2006–2013 and find that Ijara sukuk structures exert a positive influence on the stock price of the issuing firm. We observe a similar positive impact from shari’a scholar reputation and proximity to issuer. Overall our results support the hypotheses that the type of sukuk and the choice of scholars hired to certify these securities matter for the market valuation of the issuing company.
Synthesis of Calcium Hydroxyapatite‐Tricalcium Phosphate (HA‐TCP) Composite Bioceramic Powders and Their Sintering Behavior

Composite (biphasic) mixtures of two of the most important inorganic phases of synthetic bone applications-namely, calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (HA)) and tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2 (TCP))-were prepared as submicrometer-sized, chemically homogeneous, and high-purity ceramic powders by using a novel, one-step chemical precipitation technique. Starting materials of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate salts that were dissolved in appropriate amounts in distilled water were used during powder precipitation runs. The composite bioceramic powders were prepared with compositions of 20%-90% HA (the balance being the TCP phase) with increments of 10%. The pellets prepared from the composite powders were sintered to almost full density in a dry air atmosphere at a temperature of ~1200°C. Phase-evolution characteristics of the composite powders were studied via X-ray diffractometry as a function of temperature in the range of 1000°-1300°C. The sintering behavior of the composite bioceramics were observed by using scanning electron microscopy. Chemical analysis of the composite samples was performed by using the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy technique.
Shallow Transits—Deep Learning. I. Feasibility Study of Deep Learning to Detect Periodic Transits of Exoplanets

Transits of habitable planets around solar-like stars are expected to be shallow, and to have long periods, which means low information content. The current bottleneck in the detection of such transits is caused in large part by the presence of red (correlated) noise in the light curves obtained from the dedicated space telescopes. Based on the groundbreaking results deep learning achieves in many signal and image processing applications, we propose to use deep neural networks to solve this problem. We present a feasibility study, in which we applied a convolutional neural network on a simulated training set. The training set comprised light curves received from a hypothetical high-cadence space-based telescope. We simulated the red noise by using Gaussian Processes with a wide variety of hyper-parameters. We then tested the network on a completely different test set simulated in the same way. Our study proves that very difficult cases can indeed be detected. Furthermore, we show how detection trends can be studied and detection biases quantified. We have also checked the robustness of the neural-network performance against practical artifacts such as outliers and discontinuities, which are known to affect space-based high-cadence light curves. Future work will allow us to use the neural networks to characterize the transit model and identify individual transits. This new approach will certainly be an indispensable tool for the detection of habitable planets in the future planet-detection space missions such as PLATO.
The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment FDI on Economic Growth of Jordan

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been one of the significant sources of economic growth in Jordan, and become an important channel for Jordan to enhance the economy and financial systems. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of FDI on economic growth of Jordan. The study covered the period from 1990 to 2012 using time series data from World Development Indicator and IMF International Financial Statistics tables, published by International Monetary Fund (IMF) to detect the correlation relationship between foreign direct investment FDI and the economic growth in Jordan. An empirical analysis and ordinary least square (OLS) regression are conducted. Our findings indicate that Jordan’s economic performance is positively influenced by foreign investment and its gross domestic investment also has capitalized its economy. Additionally, the results shown that trade have a positive impact on the economic growth. While, the nation’s debt, inflation have found to have a negative impact on its GDP. In addition the inflow of foreign investment will not leave a significant impact on the unemployment level. Keywords : FDI, GDP, Domestic Investment, Trade.
Enterprise Architecture for a Facilitated Transformation from a Linear to a Circular Economy

The circular economy is central to the agenda of responsible production and consumption with propositions for the conservation of natural resources and a broader understanding of the obligations of enterprises and product developers. The circular economy is challenging traditional operating models of enterprises due to the need to manage larger parts of the product life cycle and value chains. A linear economy will normally address a smaller part of the life cycle. The operating models of companies are supported with respect to information and technology with an enterprise architecture model. This article examines the necessary steps for analysing and designing the enterprise architecture model, aiming to facilitate the transformation of an enterprise from operating in a linear to operating in a circular economy model. The fundamentals and requirements of the circular economy enterprise are extracted to isolate the design requirements for the operating model, entailing cross-enterprise collaboration, traceability, and a broader value chain understanding. Furthermore, it conceptualizes enterprise architecture and its role and importance in connecting business strategies and operating technologies. This article develops an enterprise architecture framework, named the Circular Economy Enterprise Architecture Framework (CEEAF), which can form and support the effort of transitioning companies or be embedded into existing enterprise architecture frameworks. The CEEAF differs from traditional enterprise architecture frameworks by addressing the broader responsibility of the enterprise, the extended enterprise, the elimination of end-of-life perspectives and mind-sets, and the capabilities of the individual enterprise and its design activities.
The probability distribution of daily precipitation at the point and catchment scales in the United States

Abstract. Choosing a probability distribution to represent daily precipitation depths is important for precipitation frequency analysis, stochastic precipitation modeling and in climate trend assessments. Early studies identified the two-parameter gamma (G2) distribution as a suitable distribution for wet-day precipitation based on the traditional goodness-of-fit tests. Here, probability plot correlation coefficients and L-moment diagrams are used to examine distributional alternatives for the wet-day series of daily precipitation for hundreds of stations at the point and catchment scales in the United States. Importantly, both Pearson Type-III (P3) and kappa (KAP) distributions perform very well, particularly for point rainfall. Our analysis indicates that the KAP distribution best describes the distribution of wet-day precipitation at the point scale, whereas the performance of G2 and P3 distributions are comparable for wet-day precipitation at the catchment scale, with P3 generally providing the improved goodness of fit over G2. Since the G2 distribution is currently the most widely used probability density function, our findings could be considerably important, especially within the context of climate change investigations.
Relative importance of dynamical and chemical contributions to Arctic wintertime ozone

We present the first complete budget of the interannual variability in Arctic springtime ozone taking into account anthropogenic chemical and natural dynamical processes. For the winters 1991/1992 to 2003/2004 the Arctic chemical ozone loss is available from observations. This work investigates the dynamical supply of ozone to the Arctic polar vortex due to mean transport processes for the same winters. The ozone supply is quantified in a vortex‐averaged framework using estimates of diabatic descent over winter. We find that the interannual variability of both dynamical ozone supply and chemical ozone loss contribute, in equal shares, to the variability of the total ozone change. Moreover, together they explain nearly all of the interannual variability of Arctic springtime column ozone. Variability in planetary wave activity, characterized by the Eliassen‐Palm flux at 100 hPa, contributes significantly to the variability of ozone supply, chemical ozone loss and total springtime ozone.
Forage yield, quality, and fertility of sorghum sudan grass hybrids in A1 and A3 cytoplasm

Currently, no information is available comparing the agronomic performance of At and A3 cytoplasms in sorghum x sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moenchl hybrids. The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of A1 and A3 cytoplasm on the maturity, fertility, height, forage yield, and forage quality of sorghum x sudangrass hybrids. In 1989, pollen from a bulk of eight sudangrass populations was used to pollinate four sorghum lines that had been male-sterilized in both At and A3 cytoplasm. Hybrids were grown at the Univ. of Nebraska Field Laboratory, Ithaca, NE, in 1990 and 1991, in a split-plot design with inbreds (females) treated as whole plots and cytoplasms treated as subplots. The soil was a Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine montmorillonitic, mesic Typic Agriudoll). Cytoplasm had no effect on days to 50% anthesis, height, forage yield, in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), or crude protein. Seed set under selfing bags (fertility restoration) in A3 hybrids was observed, with interaction among A3 cytoplasm sources and lines.
Doubt, uncertainty and vulnerability in leadership: using fiction to enable reflection and voice

Exploration of our organisational life has much to gain from fiction so as to reflexively engage with provisional processes of uncertainty, doubt and paradox. These are often neglected qualities of how we go on together in our organizational lives. Here I take an autoethnographic approach presenting one narrative of a fraught meeting that I was part of to explore my leadership development. I do this in relation to Homer, Shakespeare and Allen-Poe to explore leadership issues of: paradox and how we become enmeshed in unfolding events; the interaction between a leader’s future intent and how this plays out in action. In doing this I offer an invitation to explore literature that speaks to and develops our practice of leadership and how we might develop and communicate useful insights.
Rings of symmetric functions as modules over the Steenrod algebra

We write P s for the polynomial ring on s letters over the field Z=2, equipped with the standard action of Us , the symmetric group on s letters. This paper deals with the problem of determining a minimal set of generators for the invariant ring . P s / Us as a module over the Steenrod algebra A. That is, we would like to determine the graded vector spaces Z=2 A.P s / Us . Our main result is stated in terms of a “bigraded Steenrod algebra” H. The generators of this algebra H, like the generators of the classical Steenrod algebra A, satisfy the Adem relations in their usual form. However, the Adem relations for the bigraded Steenrod algebra are interpreted so that Sq 0 is not the unit of the algebra; but rather, an independent generator. Our main work is to assemble the duals of the vector spaces Z=2 A.P s / Us , for all s 0, into a single bigraded vector space and to show that this bigraded object has the structure of an algebra over H.
Study on effects of thoron and thermal treatment for aging-related diseases in humans

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of thoron and thermal treatment for aging-related diseases in humans. Materials and Methods: All subjects inhaled thoron with a high concentration (about 4900 Bq/m 3 ) for 2 weeks. Blood pressures were measured and blood samples were collected after each treatment 1, 2 and 3 weeks after the first treatment. Results: The α-atrial natriuretic peptide level of the rheumatoid arthritis group was increased and the blood pressure was significantly decreased. Superoxide dismutase activity of rheumatoid arthritis group was significantly increased by treatment. In addition, thoron and thermal treatment significantly enhanced the concanavalin A-induced mitogen response and increased the level of CD4-positive cells; it decreased the level of CD8-positive cells. The results suggest that thoron and thermal treatment activates antioxidative function. Furthermore, these findings suggest that thoron and thermal treatment prevents diabetic ketoacidosis and contributes to the prevention of aging-related diseases. Conclusion: Thoron and thermal therapy may be part of the mechanism for the alleviation of diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012; 9(4): 221­229
IMPACT OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT OF ZIZYPHUS MAURITIANA (LAMB.) ON THE YIELD OF KUSMI LAC

Lac production is a major economic activity of rainfed farmers in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh. In the district lac production is carried on both Butea monosperma and Zizyphus mauritiana plants. The lac productivity is low due to no nutrient management of these host trees. The study impact of nutrient management of Z. mauritiana on the yield of Kusmi lac was conducted in Dhapara village, Barghat Block, Seoni District, MP from May 2013 to February 2014. The trial consisted on forty eight Z. mauritiana plants with four treatments (basal application of Urea- T 1 , Urea and SSP-T 2 , Urea, SSP and MOP- T 3 , and control- T 4 ) and six replications. The results revealed that the mean weight of 100 fresh cells of lac at harvest as well as the dry cell weight increased significantly in nutrient treated Z. mauritiana plants as compared to the control. The highest increase in the mean fresh weight of 100 cells over the control in was T 3 (30.61%) followed by T 1 (17.26%) and T 2 (12.21%). Similarly the mean dry weight of 100 cells was highest in T 3 (36.63%) followed by T 1 (21.62%) and T 2 (16.02%) over the control respectively. The mean yield of Kusmi lac per Z. mauritiana was highest in T 3 (39.16%) followed by T 1 (32.63%) and T 2 (18.53%) over the control. The yield of Kusmi lac (kg) per Z. mauritiana was 5.08, 4.54, 5.33 and 3.83kg respectively among the different treatments T1, T2, T3, and T4. Thus the nutrient management of Z. mauritiana for lac production significantly increased the yield up to 39.16 percent.
GENETIC ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN CMS BASED HYBRIDS OF RABI SORGHUM

SUMMARY Seed yield is a complex character governed by several contributing characters. Hence, variability and the extent of variation along with heritability were assessed for seed yield and its seven attributing traits in CMS based rabi sorghum hybrids. The study indicated moderate heritability coupled with low to high genetic advance for various traits. Character association was studied to assess the relationship among yield and its component characters for enhancing the usefulness of the selection criterion to be followed. The study revealed that most of the yield attributing traits viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, panicle length and test weight exhibited positive significant correlation with seed yield. Path analysis revealed that panicle length, number of leaves per plant, test weight and fodder yield exhibited positive direct effects on seed yield at phenotypic level.
Thinking About the Causes of Diabetes: Cultural Models, Gender and Individual Adjustment to Type 2 Diabetes in a Mexican Community

Type 2 diabetes affects about 8% of the adult population in Mexico. In the Social Security hospitals in Guadalajara, where this research was carried out, Type 2 diabetes was the leading cause of death. Social workers and other health care professionals have to focus on a creation of new approaches to diabetes prevention and care that would extend beyond biomedical model of the disease and would address social and cultural aspects of illness behavior. The main purpose of this study is to examine cultural influences on diabetes related knowledge and behavior in an urban Mexican community, where Type 2 diabetes is a serious health problem.