Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Corporate Governance Elements Predict Firm Value: Evidence from Brazil

We contribute to the evidence on the association between corporate governance and firm market value in emerging markets. We use data from an early 2005 survey of Brazilian firms to construct a corporate governance index, and show that the overall index and subindices for ownership, board procedure, and minority shareholder rights predict higher lagged Tobin’s q. In contrast to other studies, we find a negative association between board independence and Tobin’s q. There is a significant association between governance and market value manufacturing (but not nonmanufacturing) firms, large (but not small) firms, and high-growth (but not low-growth) firms. Our results suggest that country characteristics importantly influence which aspects of governance are associated with firm market value, and at which firms that association is found.
Oligosaccharide production and proteolysis during lactose hydrolysis using crude cellular extracts from lactic acid bacteria

Le degre d'hydrolyse du lactose et la formation d'oligosaccharides par reaction de transgalactosylation sous l'action d'extraits cellulaires bruts (ECB) contenant de la β-galactosidase obtenue par rupture de Lactobacillus delbruekii subsp. bulguricus 11842, Lactobacillus delbruekii subsp. lactis DMF 3078 et Steptococcus thermophilus 143 ont ete etudies sur des solutions tamponnees de lactose ou sur le lait ecreme. L'hydrolyse du lactose a ete effectuee sur des concentrations de 5 a 30 % (masse) a des temperatures de 30, 40, 50 et 60 °C pour une duree totale de 120 min. L'activite proteolytique des ECBs sur les systemes a base de lait ecreme a egalement ete evaluee. Tous les ECBs ont produit des di-, tri- et tetrasaccharides en plus des monosaccharides comme composants majeurs de l'hydrolyse du lactose contenu dans les solutions tamponnees. Toutefois, seul Lb. lactis a produit des tetrasaccharides a un niveau significatif avec le lait ecreme. La quantite et la vitesse de formation d'oligosaccharides ont ete affectees de maniere significative (P < 0.05) par la provenance de l'enzyme, la concentration en lactose et la temperature. La production maximale d'oligosaccharides, pour tous les ECBs a ete obtenue a 50 °C et une concentration en lactose de 30 % (masse). Les ECBs provenant de St. thermophihis ont produit de facon significative (P < 0.05) plus d'oligosaccharides que les deux autres preparations, ceci pour toute concentration en lactose. Toutefois, Lb. bulgaricus ECB a montre une plus grande capacite d'hydrolyse et une activite proteolytique superieure aux deux autres ECBs. L'hydrolyse du lactose s'effectue generalement plus rapidement a 50-60 °C qu'a 30-40 °C alors que l'activite proteolytique atteint son maximum a 40 °C.
A new perspective on static and low order anti-windup synthesis

By viewing the anti-windup problem as a decoupled set of subsystems and relating this configuration to a general static anti-windup set-up, LMI conditions are established which guarantee stability and performance of the resulting closed-loop system. The approach taken, and the mapping used for the performance index, are logical and intuitive–-and, it is argued, central to the ‘true’ anti-windup objective. The approach enables one to construct static anti-windup compensators in a systematic and numerically tractable manner. The idea is extended to allow low-order anti-windup compensators to be synthesized, which, while being sub-optimal, can improve transient performance and possess several desired properties (such as low computational overhead and sensible closed-loop pole locations). In addition, low-order anti-windup synthesis is often feasible when the corresponding static synthesis is not.
Emnenamn: A STUDY TO EXPLORE MALE INVOLVEMENT IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE IN NORWAY AND ZAMBIA

The impact of male involvement in reproductive health and early childhood care in European countries including Norway has shown to yield great benefits for both the mother and child and the man himself. It has demonstrated significant potential in encouraging men’s positive roles in building gender equality and improving men’s and women’s health. However, this is a new concept for most African countries including Zambia where the culture of differences in gender and gender roles is promoted. This has drastically affected the lives of children, women and including men. Involving men in reproductive and early childhood care is one of the strategies that Zambia is using to attain the MDGs 3, 4, and 5 which are; gender equality, promotion of maternal health and reduction of infant mortality. The purpose of the study was to explore male involvement in reproductive health and early childhood care in Norway and Zambia. A qualitative study design that was explorative, descriptive and contextual was used to purposively select nurses working at the health institution, men who are fathers and the grandfather in Sogndal. The sample consisted of 12 informants; three nurses providing reproductive health services in Sogndal, 5 men from Norway including a grandfather and 4 men from Zambia who were studying in Norway. The sample size was determined by saturation. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview schedule and analysed using content analysis. The findings of our study showed that men in Norway are very involved in reproductive health and early childhood care while the informants from Zambia also reported having participated in reproductive health and early childhood care. However, this is not typical of the Zambian men as this is done by a few men who have the information and know the benefits of gender equality. Findings of this study also showed that Norway is a high modern society which promotes gender equality while Zambia is a traditional society where there is inequality between men and women. The results of this study further showed that both Norwegian and Zambian men were proud of their participation in reproductive health and early childhood care as it made them to be responsible fathers as well as strengthened the relationship with their partner and baby. However, one of the challenges experienced by both Norwegian and Zambian men in their participation in reproductive health and early childhood care was to make adjustments to their work/school program in order to help their partners take care of the baby. This was more pronounced by the grandfather who participated despite the practice not having been common during his time.
Volatility Spillovers on Precious Metals Markets: the Effects of the Asian Crisis

This paper investigates the nature of volatility spillovers between precious metals returns over the 1995July 2007 period. We analyzed daily closing values for precious metals data, we took the US$/Troy ounce for gold, the London Free Market Platinum price in US$/Troy ounce, the London Free Market Palladium price in US$/Troy once, and the Zurich silver price in US$/kilogram. We divide our sample into a number of sub periods, prior to, during and after the Asian crisis, with the objective to provide a wide analysis of the behaviour of the precious metals markets during this crisis; we use GARCH and EGARCH modelling. The results show that there is clear evidence of volatility persistence between precious metals returns. In terms of volatility spillovers effects, the main findings are that there is evidence of volatility spillovers running in a bidirectional way in almost all the cases, with the exception of gold, that tend to generate effects in all the markets, but with little evidence in the case of the other precious metals influencing the gold market. Finally, the results from asymmetric spillover effects show that negative news have a stronger impact in these markets than positive news.
Intensity of nepotism expression in organizations of Lithuania

The results of the empirical research of the influence of nepotism on organisational culture are presented in the article. The questionnaire is composed of two parts: the phenomenon of nepotism and the sick culture of the organisation. This article presents the first part of the results of the research evaluating the expression of nepotism in relations with co-workers, the expression of nepotism in respect of managers and the aspects of positivity and negativity of nepotism. The results of this research are useful for both the public and private sector organisations, as they reflect the general approach of people working in Lithuanian organisations towards the phenomenon of nepotism.
Ecosystem effects of ocean acidification in times of ocean warming: a physiologist’s view

Ocean warming and acidification occur at global scales and, in the case of temperature, have already caused shifts in marine ecosystem composition and function. In the case of CO2-induced ocean hypercapnia and acidification, however, effects may still be so small that evidence for changes in the field is largely lacking. Future scenarios indicate that marine life forms are threatened by the specific or synergistic effects of factors involved in these processes. The present paper builds on the view that development of a cause and effect understanding is required beyond empirical observations, for a more accurate projection of ecosystem effects and for quantitative scenarios. Identification of the mechanisms through which temperatureand CO2-related ocean physicochemistry affect organism fitness, survival and success, is crucial with this research strategy. I suggest operation of unifying physiological principles, not only of temperature but also CO2 effects, across animal groups and phyla. Thermal windows of optimized performance emerge as a basic character defining species fitness and survival, including their capacity to interact with other species. Through effects on performance at the level of reproduction, behaviour and growth, ocean acidification acts especially on lower marine invertebrates, which are characterized by a low capacity to compensate for disturbances in extracellular ion and acid–base status and sensitivity of metabolism to such disturbances. Available data suggest that one key consequence of these features is a narrowing of thermal tolerance windows, as well as a reduced scope for performance at ecosystem level. These changes in bioenvelopes may have major implications for the ranges of geographical distribution of these organisms and in species interactions.
FloGARCH: Realizing Long Memory and Asymmetries in Returns Valitility

We introduce the class of FloGARCH models in this paper. FloGARCH models provide a parsimonious joint model for low frequency returns and realized measures and are sufficiently flexible to capture long memory as well as asymmetries related to leverage effects. We analyze the performances of the models in a realistic numerical study and on the basis of a data set composed of 65 equities. Using more than 10 years of high-frequency transactions, we document significant statistical gains related to the FloGARCH models in terms of in-sample fit, out-of-sample fit and forecasting accuracy compared to classical and Realized GARCH models.
Effect of a dietary essential oil mixture on performance of laying hens in the summer season

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplements of either an essential oil mixture (EOM) or a mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) as alternatives to an antibiotic feed additive (avilamycin) for layers kept under hot summer conditions. Four hundred and eighty 54-week old NickBrown hens were assigned to four dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of four replications of 10 cages (three hens per cage). The treatment groups were: 1) Control: Basal diet without additive; 2) Basal diet plus antibiotic (10 mg avilamycin/kg feed); 3) Basal diet plus 1 g MOS/kg feed; 4) Basal diet plus 24 mg EOM/kg feed. Performance of laying hens was affected by dietary treatments. Dietary supplementation of EOM and MOS significantly increased egg production compared with control and antibiotic groups. There were no significant differences in feed consumption between treatments. The EOM significantly improved feed conversion ratio above that of the control group. Egg weights were significantly different between treatments. Laying hens consuming MOS produced significantly lower egg weights than the other groups, while egg weights in the EOM, antibiotic and control groups did not differ significantly. Cracked-broken egg rate was decreased by dietary addition of EOM, MOS and antibiotic compared with the control. Number of deaths among hens was significantly affected by dietary treatments with the number of deaths in the MOS treatment being significantly lower than in the other treatments. The performance of laying hens during the summer season could be maintained with inclusions of EOM and MOS in the diet.
Determinants of Islamic Banking Profitability in Malaysia

Islamic banks were experiencing tremendous growth by showing high profitability level and less affected by the financial turmoil. Thus, the objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of bank-specific as well as industry-specific and macroeconomic indicators upon Islamic banks profitability, particularly in Malaysia, for the period of 2006 to 2010. Using pooled regression analysis, and by taking 10 Islamic banks/windows, the result shows that the bank size is a vital importance in affecting its profitability. In addition, financial market development and market concentration has a significant positive impact in determining profitability. Finally, from the macro-economic variables, inflation has a significant positive impact on Islamic banks'profitability which shows the different nature between Islamic and conventional banks.
What number of you can read but still not see? A comment on a recent survey of carotid guidelines

The administration of various therapeutic conditions is disputable. It is, in this way, frequently troublesome for singular experts to judge dispassionately which one of a few treatments is best for their patients. Along these lines, rules have advanced as an approach to encourage ideal patient results by abridging current information when it is mind boggling, developing, and troublesome for invested individuals to survey all alone. Lamentably, the way toward characterizing rules is defective, and the potential for this is highlighted in an as of late distributed efficient survey of 34 ebb and flow universal rules managing the treatment of carotid ailment in patients with moderate or extreme asymptomatic (ACS) or symptomatic carotid stenosis (SCS) [1].
The Impact of (Opportunity and Necessity) Entrepreneurship on Economic Growth: Does Human Capital Matter?

O empreendedorismo e geralmente definido como a criacao de novas empresas e, de acordo com a literatura, e o processo pelo qual novas empresas sao criadas e se tornam sustentaveis. Um consideravel numero de pesquisas estudou o impacto do empreendedorismo no crescimento economico. Contudo, poucos desses estudos analisaram o impacto dos tipos (oportunidade versus necessidade) de empreendedorismo no crescimento economico. Alem disso, o ultimo conjunto de estudos ignorou a relevância do capital humano como fator intermediario na relacao entre o (tipo de) empreendedorismo e crescimento economico. O presente estudo tem como objetivo ultrapassar a lacuna acima mencionada, avaliando ate que ponto o impacto direto e indireto do (tipo de) empreendedorismo, via capital humano, e importante para o crescimento economico dos paises. Em termos metodologicos, recorremos a estimacoes de dados em painel envolvendo um conjunto alargado de (OCDE e nao-OCDE) paises num extenso periodo de tempo (1990-2016). Os resultados sugerem que o empreendedorismo global apresenta um impacto positivo no crescimento economico. Distinguindo os tipos de empreendedorismo, ha claras evidencias de que o empreendedorismo de oportunidade apresenta um impacto positivo no crescimento economico enquanto que o empreendedorismo de necessidade inibe o crescimento economico. De forma interessante, o capital humano tende a mitigar o impacto negativo do empreendedorismo de necessidade sobre o crescimento economico. No caso do empreendedorismo de oportunidade, o impacto direto positivo fica reduzido em contextos caracterizados por elevados niveis de capital humano, o que pode ser influenciado pelo aumento dos custos de oportunidade.
Mineral dynamics in beef cattle diets from a southern mixed-grass prairie.

Acute and chronic dietary deficiencies in macro and micro minerals have significant impacts on production efficiency on rangelands throughout the world. However, limited information is available on the mineral quality of diets primarily because salivary and soil mineral contamination of esophageal extrusa precludes quantitative recovery of dietary minerals. Mineral profiles of diets can be estimated indirectly, however, if forage species composition of diets and mineral concentrations of selected forages are known. The objective of this study was to utilize this approach to estimate seasonal dynamics of phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) in cattle diets' relative requirements. Two diet selection scenarios were developed: the first, maximum mineral intake, assumed cattle consumed only live plant tissue of a forage if it was available; the second, considered minimum mineral intake, assumed cattle consumed live and dead tissue in direct proportion to their availability. Calculated concentrations of P and Ca in diets showed P concentrations were below and Ca concentrations were above their respective requirements for spring calving cows regardless of selection scenario or season of the year. However, K and Mg concentrations varied as a function of selection scenario and season of year and ranged from adequate during periods of rapid vegetation growth to marginally inadequate during periods of water (drought) or temperature (winter) induced dormancy.
Effects of cytokinins on antioxidant enzymes in in vitro grown shoots of Pelargonium hortorum L. H. Bayley

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of meta -topolin ( m T) and 6-benzyl-aminopurine (BAP) on the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) level and antioxidant enzymes activities in relation to the shoot formation and senescence process in Pelargonium hortorum cultivars, which differ in their susceptibility to leaf yellowing under in vitro conditions. In an early senescing cultivar ‘Grand Prix’, the addition of an aromatic cytokinin m T to abscisic acid (ABA)-enriched Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium more efficiently inhibited leaf yellowing than BAP. In both genotypes, meta -topolin was also the most effective in shoot formation. It was found that Pelargonium species varying in their susceptibility to senescence differ in H 2 O 2 production and antioxidant enzymes activities. Generally, meta -topolin more effectively enhanced H 2 O 2 production and POD activity than BAP and control medium, but its effect depended on genotype. The highest H 2 O 2 production stimulated by m T was observed on day 5 of subculture in late senescing cv. ‘Bergpalais’. In both geranium genotypes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were highest at the beginning of the subculture period, during the initiation of shoot formation. SOD showed the highest activity on day 5 of subculture on the medium without cytokinin and generally being higher in cv. ‘Bergpalais’ than in cv. ‘Grand Prix’. CAT activity was positively regulated by both cytokinins. POD activity was most effectively enhanced by m T, but on different days of subculture - on the 2 nd day of subculture in cv. ‘Bergpalais’ and on the 22 nd day of subculture in cv. ‘Grand Prix’. The enhanced activity of POD in the presence of m T, 4-fold higher than on control medium, at the end of subculture in P. hortorum ‘Grand Prix’ coincided with the inhibition of leaf senescence.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-RELATED MORBIDITIES AMONG STREET SWEEPERS AND WASTE COLLECTORS AT BENI-SUEF, EGYPT

Introduction: Street sweepers play an important role in maintaining the health and hygiene in the communities. However, their job exposes them to various hazards while, little or no attention is paid to their health status. Aim of the work: To study the possible work-related morbidities among street sweepers and waste collectors emphasizing on the occupational risks they are exposed to and the preventive measures they take to avoid their job-related hazardous exposures. Materials and Methods: A total of 138 street sweepers and waste collectors and a matching control group of randomly selected 127 university workers and clerks were interviewed, answered the study questionnaire, and had medical examination, then they offered blood and stool samples for laboratory investigations. Results: Compared to the control group, street sweepers and waste collectors had significantly higher rates of HCV seropositivity, parasitic infestations, skin irritation, respiratory complaints and work-related injuries; but with significantly lower mean hemoglobin levels, (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was detected for HBV infection, eye complaints, joint or lower back pains. Most of street sweepers had never been medically examined, vaccinated, trained for safety practices or even health educated regarding their occupation-related health hazards. Conclusion: Street sweeping and waste collection is a hazardous job that exposes its workers to infections especially with the little, in any, protective measures they apply. Guidelines for safety measures and controlling infections should be emphasized and employed for those workers, while offering periodic medical examinations and supplying them with personal protective equipments.
Minimum-Data Analysis of Ecosystem Service Supply in Semi-Subsistence Agricultural Systems

Antle and Valdivia (2006, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 50, 1–15) proposed a minimum-data (MD) approach to simulate ecosystem service supply curves that can be implemented using readily available secondary data and validated the approach in a case study of soil carbon sequestration in a monoculture wheat system. However, many applications of the MD approach are in developing countries where semi-subsistence systems with multiple production activities are being used and data availability is limited. This paper discusses how MD analysis can be applied to more complex production systems such as semi-subsistence systems with multiple production activities and presents validation analysis for studies of soil carbon sequestration in semi-subsistence farming systems in Kenya and Senegal. Results from these two studies confirm that ecosystem service supply curves based on the MD approach are close approximations to the curves derived from highly detailed data and models and are therefore sufficiently accurate and robust to be used to support policy decision making.