Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance and Performance of Firms Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange

The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of corporate governance on performance of firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). The author developed a corporate governance index as a proxy for corporate governance based on the seven attributes of the recently revised Capital Markets Authority (CMA) draft code of corporate governance practices for public listed companies in Kenya. The guidelines cover board operations and control, rights of shareholders, stakeholder relations, ethics and social responsibilities, accountability, risk management and internal audit, transparency and disclosure and supervision and enforcement. The survey questionnaire was the main tool of data collection and was distributed to 56 CEOs and corporation secretaries. The response rate was 87.5%. Annual reports for 2015 were used to compute the CGI score for the different organizations. The study found a statistically significant relationship between corporate governance and non-financial performance of firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange confirming that organizations can enhance their performance by implementing good corporate governance, specifically those attributes of good corporate governance that matter.
Early development of Northeast Arctic greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)

The early development of the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) has not been described. This study presents some preliminary notes on the egg development of the Northeast Arctic Greenland halibut. Buoyancy and morphometric characteristics of artificially spawned eggs are compared with field sampled eggs, in order to identify these to species. The eggs in the ovary of ripening females were large (about 4 mm), transparent, almost equal in size and stuck to the walls of the ovary. In running, artificially spawned females the ovulated eggs were all easily released in one batch. This may indicate that Greenland halibut has a comparatively long period between each egg batch delivered. Artificially spawned eggs of the Greenland halibut had a diameter varying from 3.3 to 4.2 mm and a neutral buoyancy in seawater of ca. 33‰ (c. 5°C) during the first four days of development. During gastrulation the egg density increased until closure of blastopore. Eggs from field surveys had a diameter raging from 3.9 to 4.7 mm and a neutral buoyancy in seawater of 35.2‰ (ca. 5°C). This corresponds to a density near 1.0279 g/cm3. This density is found at depths around 650 m (34.9‰ salinity and 1.8°C) in the spawning
Geometry-dependent critical currents in superconducting nanocircuits

In this paper, we calculate the critical currents in thin superconducting strips with sharp right-angle turns, 180? turnarounds, and more complicated geometries, where all the line widths are much smaller than the Pearl length ? =2? 2/d. We define the critical current as the current that reduces the Gibbs-free-energy barrier to zero. We show that current crowding, which occurs whenever the current rounds a sharp turn, tends to reduce the critical current, but we also show that when the radius of curvature is less than the coherence length, this effect is partially compensated by a radius-of-curvature effect. We propose several patterns with rounded corners to avoid critical-current reduction due to current crowding. These results are relevant to superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, where they suggest a means of improving the bias conditions and reducing dark counts. These results also have relevance to normal-metal nanocircuits, as these patterns can reduce the electrical resistance, electromigration, and hot spots caused by nonuniform heating.
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Literacy Classroom

This study examined the benefits of podcasting in the literacy classroom and beyond. The research was conducted in a small tutoring session, comprising of two high school students. During the study, participants listened, viewed, and created podcasts. Data was collected and analyzed through means of observation, student work samples, and personal interviews. The findings suggest that there are many benefits to be had for educators who incorporate podcasting into daily instruction. Increased motivation and engagement, building a sense of collaboration and community, capturing authentic learning experiences, and strengthening student writing skills are some of the benefits that podcasting lends itself to. Document Type Thesis Degree Name MS in Literacy Education Department Education First Supervisor Joellen Maples Subject Categories Education This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_ETD_masters/17 The Benefits of Podcasting in the Literacy Classroom
Cannibalism among green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis in the laboratory and field

The green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis plays an important ecological role as a consumer of kelp in temperate subtidal ecosystems, but is known to be omnivorous, and recent studies suggest it is potentially cannibalistic. This study ex- amined cannibalism of small juvenile S. droebachien- sis by larger conspecifics in the laboratory, and esti- mated rates of inter-cohort cannibalism in the field based on gut contents of adult sea urchins collected from subtidal sites in the Mingan Archipelago, St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada. Initial 48 h trials investi- gated factors (substratum, presence of food) that may influence cannibalism, and a subsequent 4 wk laboratory experiment found that adults and larger juveniles consumed 21 and 24% of small juveniles (3.5�6 mm test diameter), respectively, on cobble substratum when kelp was provided ad libitum. Fre- quencies of cannibalism from gut contents of urchins in the field were combined with an estimate of gut passage time determined in the laboratory and the densities of sea urchins at each site to estimate rates of cannibalism. The proportion of adults that had can- nibalized ranged from (mean ± SD) 0 ± 0 to 0.31 ± 0.12 across sites in 2013 and 2014, resulting in estimated rates of cannibalism from 0 ± 0 to 68.3 ± 0.60 small juveniles cannibalized m �2 wk �1 . This is the first study to report size-structured cannibalism among S. droe- bachiensis, and suggests that cannibalism can be a major source of mortality for small juvenile sea urchins in subtidal barren grounds.
Herd Behavior in the NASDAQ OMX Baltic Stock Market

This thesis investigates whether the stock market in the Baltic countries exhibit herd behavior during the period 2006-2014. A quantitative approach is used to see if investors show group oriented mentality in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and in the Baltics as whole. This is further complemented with a qualitative approach. The quantitative part is based on a market wide approach. The models proposed by Chang et al. (2000), Chiang and Zheng (2010) and Philippas et al. (2013) are used as major guidelines. Apart from testing herd behavior in the Baltic markets under different market conditions, the role of the US market is examined. In addition, the impact of investors’ sentiment on herd behavior is tested. We find supportive evidence for herding formation mostly in Tallinn and Riga. Overall, Vilnius shows the least amount of herd behavior. When considering up and down days and substantial up and down days, we find mixed results. Notably, we do not find evidence of herding during the crisis in 2008. Further on, evidence suggests that investors in the Baltics are influenced by the US, but they do not herd around the US market. Deterioration of investors' sentiment is found to be related with herd behavior. Investors in Tallinn and Riga exhibit herd behavior when they are anxious about future market conditions. However, this relationship is not observed during turbulent periods. (Less)
Searching for the Relative Potency of Monetary and Fiscal Policies in Selected African Countries: A Panel Data Approach to St. Louis Equation

With the aid of the St. Louis equation, this study applies panel data technique to real variables of some selected African countries with extended data from 1970 – 2012. The outcomes support both Keynesian and monetarist positive policy assertions. The monetary base and government expenditure are viable instruments to stabilize output. The study, as well, finds that utilizing the monetary base as a policy tool is more potent than using government expenditure. This is in line with the predictions of Milton Friedman and Schwartz (1963) and other advocates of the St. Louis equation. Therefore, in order to attain higher output growth, these economies should rely more on monetary policy as compared with fiscal policy.
Relationship between ownership structure and earnings quality

Ownership structure can play an important role in enhancing the quality of earnings and financial statement through acting as efficient internal control. This study aimed to define the relationship between ownership structure and earnings quality. This study used annual reports of industrial companies for five years (2009-2013). The results show that ownership structure (i.e. institutional ownership, family ownership and foreign ownership) were found to play a significant role in ensuring the quality of earnings. The findings of this study supported by agency theory and past studies and expanded the literature on these issues in Jordanian context
Exchange Rate, Market Size and Human Capital Nexus Foreign Direct Investment – A Bound Testing Approach for Pakistan

This study investigates the role of exchange rate, market size and human capital for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). In this regard, time series data on annual basis has been collected for the period 1985–2010 and an Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) unit root tests are utilized to determine the stationarity of the variables. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to co-integration was applied as all the variables in the model are first level stationary,e.g. I(1). The empirical findings of this study confirm the long run relationship among the variables. However, market size and human capital have strong positive and significant impact – in short- and long-run – for attracting FDI but exchange rate shows negative impact in this regard. The coefficient ECM is negative and significant, which means that it converges towards equilibrium. CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests were utilized to test the model’s stability and the plots of each test did not cross the lines of critical value, which indicates the stability of the estimated parameters and this model can be used by Pakistan in policy and decision making. For achieving higher economic growth and economies of scale, the country should concentrate on the ingredients of this study so that it could attract more FDI as compared to the other countries.
Off-axis point spread function characterization in laser guide star adaptive optics systems

Adaptive optics (AO) restore the angular resolution of ground-based telescopes, but at the cost of delivering a time- and space-varying point spread function (PSF) with a complex shape. PSF knowledge is crucial for breaking existing limits on the measured accuracy of photometry and astrometry in science observations. In this paper, we concentrate our analyses on anisoplanatism signature only onto PSF: for large-field observations (20") with single- conjugated AO, PSFs are strongly elongated due to anisoplanatism that manifests itself as three different terms for Laser-guide star (LGS) systems: angular, focal and tilt. We propose a generalized model that relies on a point-wise decomposition of the phase and encompasses the non-stationarity of LGS systems. We demonstrate it is more accurate and less computationally demanding than existing models: it agrees with end-to-end physical-optics simulations to within 0.1% of PSF measurables, such as Strehl-ratio, FWHM and fraction of variance unexplained.Secondly, we study off-axis PSF modelling is with respect to $C_n^2(h)$ profile (heights and fractional weights). For 10m class telescope, PSF morphology is estimated at 1% level as long as we model the atmosphere with at least 7 layers whose heights and weights are known respectively with 200m and 10% precision. As a verification test we used the Canada's NRC-Herzberg HeNOS testbed data, featuring four lasers. We highlight capability of retrieving off-axis PSF characteristics within 10% of fraction of variance unexplained, which complies with the expected range from the sensitivity analysis. Our new off-axis PSF modelling method lays the ground-work for testing on-sky in the near future.
Trend of Production, Adoption and Utilisation of High Quality Paddy Seeds: A Study in Orissa

The use of high-yielding seeds has not only resulted in substantial increase in foodgrains production but also has been acknowledged as one of the basic agricultural inputs essential for continued development of Indian agriculture. The 'Integrated Cereal Development Program Rice' has been implemented in the state of Orissa since 1994-1995 with an objective to augment the production of rice and enhancing its productivity through adoption of a package of scientific practices in cultivation. The probability of adopting and utilizing the high quality rice seeds in Orissa is inversely related with the age of farmers, input prices and the distance from the seeds sale centers but are directly connected with the number of years of education of the farmers, their land holding size and the regional location of the farmers' households. However, there are factors that hinder other farmers from availing the benefit of the seeds distribution program. Such factors include non-availability of seeds in appropriate time and in desired variety, higher price of seeds, unreliable quality of the seeds, transport bottleneck, inadequate extension backups, lack of confidence in the productive efficiency.
Miia Jansson THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATION ON CRITICAL CARE NURSES ’ KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN ADHERING TO GUIDELINES TO PREVENT VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA

Professional practice in critical care settings is characterized by the application of relevant theories, research and evidence-based guidelines to clinical practice. However, critical care nurses’ knowledge and skills in adhering to evidence-based protocols and guidelines for avoiding ventilator-associated pneumonia are inadequate. The aim of the study was to evaluate critical care nurses’ knowledge and skills in adhering to best-practice endotracheal suctioning recommendations and ventilator bundles, to develop and validate instruments to evaluate the care of mechanically ventilated patients, and to evaluate the effectiveness of continuing education on critical care nurses’ knowledge and skills, with a focus on ventilator bundles. In the first study, a descriptive and cross-sectional correlation study was conducted to evaluate critical care nurses’ (n = 40) endotracheal suctioning practices in relation to current best-practice recommendations. In the second study, a descriptive design with a literature review was conducted to assess the effectiveness of educational programmes in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. In the third study, an instruments validation study was conducted to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Ventilator Bundle Questionnaire (VBQ) and Observation Schedule (VBOS). In the fourth study, the effectiveness of human patient simulation education was evaluated among thirty (n = 30) critical care nurses who were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups (n = 15 each). Critical care nurses’ knowledge and skills in adhering to best-practice endotracheal suctioning recommendations and ventilator bundles continues to be inadequate. However, educational programmes were linked to significant improvements in learning and clinical outcomes. The VBQ and VBOS were developed and shown to have acceptable psychometric properties (CVI 0.99–1.0, ICC 0.93–1.0). After human patient simulation education, the mean skill scores of the intervention group increased significantly (pt*g = 0.02). Educational programmes may have a significant impact on clinical outcomes and thus, patients’ safety and quality of care, through improvements in nurses’ knowledge and skills in adhering to evidence-based guidelines in critical care settings. The VBQ and VBOS can provide an objective method measuring whether evidence-based guidelines are being used in clinical practice. In addition, there was a significant transfer of learned skills to clinical practice following human patient simulation education.
Social media: Insights for medical education from instructor perceptions and usage

The popularity and utility of social media in medical education have progressed dramatically during the last decade. Social media are increasingly used for educational and professional purposes and are known to be both theoretically beneficial and practically effective. We have investigated the perceptions and usage of social media by educators across multiple disciplines, roles and demographics in order to determine the present situation regarding social media as educational tools. We show that discipline and demographics have limited impact on perceptions of the value of social media. As medical educators, we consider our findings to be broadly pertinent to undergraduate medical education. Results presented here indicate that many educators at UK universities consider social media to be educationally valuable. However, this is not always directly translated into usage due to the presence of certain barriers. This finding is characterised by a disparity between the extent of positive perceptions of social media and the amount of practical usage within the context of medical education and other undergraduate disciplines. Our work has shed some light on the reasons why educators may choose not to use social media, in addition to how and why they do use it, which can provide a basis for developing strategies for training medical educators in approaches to social media in learning and teaching, and for encouraging appropriate usage of these valuable educational tools.
Possible Relation of Roseolovirus Infection with Fibromyalgia / Iespējamā Roseolovīrusu Infekcijas Saistība Ar Fibromialīiju

Abstract Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic widespread pain disorder that impacts 0.5%-7% of the general population worldwide. The aetiology and pathogenesis of the disease are still unknown. Human herpesvirus-6 and -7 belong to the family Herpesviridae, subfamily Betaherpesvirinae, and genus Roseolovirus and are immunomodulating viruses potentially pathogenic to the nervous system. Presence of anti-HHV-6 and -HHV-7 antibodies and viral genomic sequences, viral loads, HHV-6 variant-specificity, and TNF-α level were studied in 41 FM patients and 50 healthy individuals using polymerase chain reactions, restriction endonuclease analysis and ELISA. There was no difference in the presence of anti-HHV-6 and anti-HHV-7 IgG class antibodies between FM patients and control group individuals. Viral sequences were found in 80.5% of FM patients and in 62.0% of controls. Significantly higher rate of concurrent HHV-6 and HHV-7 infection and higher viral loads in peripheral blood were detected in FM patients compared to the control group individuals. Plasma viremia was detected only in FM patients. Significantly higher TNF-α levels were detected in virus positive FM patients. From all positive cases only in two FM patients HHV-6A was revealed. Significantly higher detection frequency of concurrent HHV-6 and HHV-7 infection, simultaneous HHV-6 and HHV-7 activation, higher viral loads and TNF-α expression levels in primary FM patients than in control group individuals indicate the potential involvement of Roseoloviruses in development of this disorder.
Effects Of Warming and Increased Sediment Inputs on Pelagic Food Webs

EFFECTS OF WARMING AND INCREASED SEDIMENT INPUTS ON PELAGIC FOOD WEBS by Nicholas J. Barrett Along with warming, alterations to other environmental factors must also be considered in the context of climate change. For example, predicted increases in precipitation (frequency and severity) and anthropogenic influence (e.g., development and agriculture) will lead to increased sediment inputs to aquatic systems via runoff. Both warming and sediment inputs may affect primary producers, consumers, and overall food web dynamics in complex ways, however their combined effects are poorly understood. To assess the effects of these factors on aquatic food webs, we implemented a fully factorial mesocosm experiment in which we manipulated temperature (+3°C), sediment input, and food chain length (presence or absence of bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus). Sediment inputs lead to increased phytoplankton biomass, but only when fish were present. On the other hand, warming decreased phytoplankton biomass, except when sediments were also added. Thus, sediment inputs mediated the response of phytoplankton biomass to both warming and fish presence. Fish reduced zooplankton biomass, but had no effect on zooplankton production, whereas warming reduced both zooplankton biomass and production. Warming increased fish survival, while sediment inputs decreased survival but increased fish growth. However, total fish biomass did not differ between treatments likely due to these contrasting effects of warming and sediment inputs on their growth and survival. Our results provide valuable insight into the independent and combined effects of warming and sediment inputs on aquatic food webs and thus, along with warming, factors that contribute to increased sediment inputs must also be considered in the context of climate change. EFFECTS OF WARMING AND INCREASED SEDIMENT INPUTS ON PELAGIC FOOD WEBS
Machine learning and cosmological simulations – II. Hydrodynamical simulations

We extend a machine learning (ML) framework presented previously to model galaxy formation and evolution in a hierarchical universe using N-body + hydrodynamical simulations. In this work, we show that ML is a promising technique to study galaxy formation in the backdrop of a hydrodynamical simulation. We use the Illustris Simulation to train and test various sophisticated machine learning algorithms. By using only essential dark matter halo physical properties and no merger history, our model predicts the gas mass, stellar mass, black hole mass, star formation rate, $g-r$ color, and stellar metallicity fairly robustly. Our results provide a unique and powerful phenomenological framework to explore the galaxy-halo connection that is built upon a solid hydrodynamical simulation. The promising reproduction of the listed galaxy properties demonstrably place ML as a promising and a significantly more computationally efficient tool to study small-scale structure formation. We find that ML mimics a full-blown hydrodynamical simulation surprisingly well in a computation time of mere minutes. The population of galaxies simulated by ML, while not numerically identical to Illustris, is statistically and physically robust and follows the same fundamental observational constraints. Machine learning offers an intriguing and promising technique to create quick mock galaxy catalogs in the future.
Inter-characters association studies for morphological, yield and yield attributes in the germplasm of french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India

The 74 french bean genotypes were evaluated for twenty two quantitative traits to study the character association and path analysis during Jan- May, 2014. Pod yield was highly significant and positive correlated with days to 50% flowering, seed yield per plant, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of pod clusters per plant, number of pods per cluster, number of seeds per pod, pod length and weight of single pod. Path coefficient analysis revealed that single pod weight and number of pods per plant had the highest positive contribution towards the pod yield.