Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DOES THE BOARD INDEPENDENCE INFLUENCE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RISK DISCLOSURE AND FIRM VALUE? EVIDENCE FROM JORDAN

Purpose of the study: This paper aimed to investigate the influence of risk disclosure on corporate value and investigate whether the effect of risk disclosure on corporate value is moderated by the level of independence of boards of directors. Methodology: Using an analysis of annual reports, the study depended on a set of balanced panel data derived from 13 banks listed on the “Amman Stock Exchange” (ASE) from 2014 to 2018. Main Findings: The empirical results indicated that the association between risk disclosure and the corporate value was significant but negative. To examine the influence of the moderating variable, hierarchical regression models were used. The results regarding the moderating effect indicate that board independence (BI) positively moderated the association between risk disclosure and corporate value. Applications of this study: The findings of this article can provide insights into the association between risk disclosure and corporate value and the moderating influence of the board of directors' independence on this relationship. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study is particularly beneficial for understanding the importance of risk disclosure between the management and stakeholders as well as understanding the importance of the board of director composition in enhancing the influence of risk disclosure on corporate value. Moreover, this is the first study to investigate the moderating effect of board composition (represented by board independence) on the association between risk disclosure and corporate value.
Tidal amplification and along‐strike process variability in a mixed‐energy paralic system prograding onto a low accommodation shelf, Edgeøya, Svalbard

The study describes the depositional development and sediment partitioning in a prograding paralic Triassic succession. The deposits are associated with the advance of large prism‐scale clinoforms across a shallower platform area. Approaching the platform, the limited accommodation and associated relative higher rates of deposition generated straighter clinoforms with lower foreset angles. The vertical restriction across the platform is interpreted to have amplified the tidal signature. Sediment was redistributed from the coast into increasingly sandy delta‐front deposits, compared to offshore equivalents. The deposits comprise extensive compound dune fields of amalgamated and increasingly clean sandbodies up‐section. Rapid deposition of significant amounts of sand led to differential subsidence and growth‐faulting in the delta front, with downthrown fault blocks further amplifying the tidal energy through funnelling. A mixed‐energy environment created along‐strike variability along the delta front with sedimentation governing process‐regime. Areas of lower sedimentation were reworked by wave and storm‐action, whereas high sedimentation rates preserved fluvially dominated mouth bars. A major transgression, however, favoured tidally dominated deposits also in these areas, attributed to increasing rugosity of the coastline. Formation of an extensive subaqueous platform between the coast and delta front dampened incoming wave energy, and tidally dominated deposits dominate the near‐shore successions. Meanwhile formation of wave‐built sand‐bars atop the platform attest to continued wave influence. The strong tidal regime led to the development of a heterolithic near‐shore tidally dominated channel system, and sandier fluvial channels up‐river. The highly meandering tidal channels incising the subaqueous platform form kilometre wide successions of inclined heterolithic stratification. The fluvially dominated channels which govern deposition on the delta plain are narrower and slightly less deep, straighter, generally symmetric and filled with cleaner sands. This study provides important insight into tidal amplification and sand redistribution during shallowing on a wide shelf, along with along‐strike process‐regime variability resulting from variations in sediment influx.
The Impact of International Trade on Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia

This study examines the impact trade openness has on sustainable development in Saudi Arabia. It does so by employing the autoregressive distributed lag cointegration framework, using annual data over the period 1971 to 2016. Overall, the findings suggest the existence of a long-term relationship between trade openness and two indicators of sustainable development—are economic growth and environmental quality. Results indicate that trade openness does not affect both indicators of economic growth and environmental quality in the short-term. However, in the long-term, trade openness has a significant negative impact on economic growth when it is proxied by the variables the ratio of exports plus imports to GDP, and the ratio of exports to GDP; but a significant positive impact for the variable the ratio of imports to GDP. In addition, trade openness negatively affects environmental quality in the long-term. The tests used for diagnosing models show that they are valid, and thus, our findings are robust. Comprehensively, we find that trade openness could have led to the degradation of sustainable development in Saudi Arabia for the past fourteen years.
Consciousness reduced: The role of the ‘idiot’ in early evolutionary psychology

A conception of the idiotic mind was used to substantiate late 19th-century theories of mental evolution. A new school of animal/comparative psychologists attempted from the 1870s to demonstrate that evolution was a mental as well as a physical process. This intellectual enterprise necessitated the closure, or narrowing, of the ‘consciousness gap’ between human and animal species. A concept of a quasi-non-conscious human mind, set against conscious intention and ability in higher animals, provided an explanatory framework for the human–animal continuum and the evolution of consciousness. The article addresses a significant lacuna in the historiographies of intellectual disability, animal science, and evolutionary psychology, where the application of a conception of human idiocy to advance theories of consciousness evolution has not hitherto been explored. These ideas retain contemporary resonance in ethology and cognitive psychology, and in the theory of ‘speciesism’, outlined by Peter Singer in Animal Liberation (1975), which claims that equal consideration of interests is not arbitrarily restricted to members of the human species, and advocates euthanasia of intellectually disabled human infants. Speciesism remains at the core of animal rights activism today. The article also explores the influence of the idea of the semi-evolved idiot mind in late-Victorian anthropology and neuroscience. These ideas operated in a separate intellectual sphere to eugenic thought. They were (and remain) deeply influential, and were at the heart of the idea of the moral idiot or imbecile, targeted in the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act, as well as in 20th-century animal and human consciousness theory.
A Single 10k Run Session does not Change neither Skinfold Thickness nor Body Circumferences

Background and Aim: In everyday practice, the anthropometric assessment including measures of skinfolds and body girths must be performed avoiding previous physical exercise. However, few studies are conducted using situations with ecological validity. Thereby, this study aimed to compare if 10k treadmill run alters skinfold measures and body girths of runners. Methods: Eighteen runners of both sexes and levels (34 ± 6 years old with 8 ± 7 years of run practice and 63.6 ± 8.8 ml*kg-1*min-1 of VO2max) underwent body girths, skinfolds thickness and body weight assessments before and after the 10k run. The anthropometric parameters were compared by Student’s t-Test dependent for paired samples and correlations between body weight reduction and anthropometric parameters were compared by Pearson’s correlation coefficient with α= 5%. Results: The 10k run reduces 1.4% of body weight. However, no significant changes were observed in the sum and neither of skinfold thickness nor body girths. The percentage of body weight reduction also not correlated with the exercise-induced changes in skinfold thickness and body girths. Conclusion: Therefore, although 10k run causes a body weight reduction, the skinfold thickness and body girths were not altered by previously exercise and not correlates with body weight reductions. In this way, the use of these anthropometric assessment techniques can occur both before and after a conventional training session in runners.
Genomic differentiation of Deschampsia antarctica and D. cespitosa (Poaceae) based on satellite DNA

Repetitive DNA is a rapidly evolving component of vascular plant genomes, which can account for genomic differentiation in plant lineages. Satellite DNA (satDNA) is tandem repetitive DNA for which array size and disposition on chromosomes may vary between reproductively isolated groups, such as different populations or closely related species. Deschampsia is a cosmopolitan grass genus growing in temperate and cold regions; D. cespitosa is widespread all over the world, whereas D. antarctica is restricted to Antarctica and southern Patagonia. The present work aims to the identification, isolation and comparison of satDNA from the genomes of two Deschampsia spp. with bioinformatics tools and their subsequent analysis and cytological study. The genomic analysis of TAREAN found 34 families of satDNA included on 21 superfamilies, most of them shared between the two species. Some of these satDNAs presented homology with others previously reported for grasses. A few satDNA families were found exclusively in one of the species. Most satDNAs were found in both species and showed high sequence homology, but their distribution on chromosomes was different between species. This highlights the importance of changes in the genomic disposition of satDNA in the evolution of species. Based on the ‘satDNA library hypothesis’ the differential amplification of satDNAs between independent lineages may be the cause of such differences.
Satisfaction matters: the relationships between HRM practices, work engagement and turnover intention

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of employees' satisfaction with human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. training satisfaction, performance appraisal satisfaction and pay satisfaction) on work engagement and subsequently employee turnover intentions. The mediating role of work engagement between employee satisfaction with HRM practices and turnover intentions is also assessed.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from Malaysian oil and gas (O&G) professionals. A total of 442 useable questionnaires were obtained for the final data analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed to test the hypothesised relationships.FindingsThe findings indicate that training satisfaction and performance appraisal satisfaction are the key drivers of employee engagement at work. Work engagement in turn has a negative impact on employee turnover intentions. Furthermore, work engagement mediates the relationship between employees' satisfaction with HRM practices (i.e. training satisfaction and performance appraisal satisfaction) and turnover intentions. Nevertheless, it did not have any mediating effect on pay satisfaction and turnover intention.Practical implicationsTraining plans should be designed to make the relevant jobs more attractive and fulfilling, thus increasing employees' level of work engagement. Besides, ensuring that the appraisal system is fair is pivotal to work engagement. Work engagement will cultivate a strong sense of emotional attachment between employees and employers, thus reducing the turnover intention of Malaysian O&G professionals.Originality/valueTo date, little has been done on employees' satisfaction with HRM practices with respect to their attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The present study enhances our understanding of the importance of employees' satisfaction with HRM practices and its relation to employees' work engagement and turnover intentions.
Impact of Improved Mellor–Yamada Turbulence Model on Tropical Cyclone-Induced Vertical Mixing in the Oceanic Boundary Layer

It has been identified that there are several limitations in the Mellor–Yamada (MY) turbulence model applied to the atmospheric mixed layer, and Nakanishi and Niino proposed an improved MY model using a database for large-eddy simulations. The improved MY model (Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino model; MYNN model) is popular in atmospheric applications; however, it is rarely used in oceanic applications. In this study, the MY model and the MYNN model are compared to identify the efficiency of the MYNN model incorporated into an ocean general circulation model. To investigate the impact of the improved MY model on the vertical mixing in the oceanic boundary layer, the response of the East/Japan Sea to Typhoon Maemi in 2003 was simulated. After the typhoon event, the sea surface temperature obtained from the MYNN model showed better agreement with the satellite measurements than those obtained from the MY model. The MY model produced an extremely shallow mixed layer, and consequently, the surface temperatures were excessively warm. Furthermore, the near-inertial component of the velocity simulated using the MY model was larger than that simulated using the MYNN model at the surface layer. However, in the MYNN model, the near-inertial waves became larger than those simulated by the MY model at all depths except the surface layer. Comparatively, the MYNN model showed enhanced vertical propagation of the near-inertial activity from the mixed layer into the deep ocean, which results in a temperature decrease at the sea surface and a deepening of the mixed layer.
Out-of-plane shear property analysis of Nomex honeycomb sandwich structure

Honeycomb sandwich structure finds immense applications in aerospace manufacturing and other similar fields. The Nomex honeycomb sandwich structural material exhibits a complex structure and boundary conditions, making it difficult to obtain exact solutions for the equivalent out-of-plane shear modulus and shear strength of the Nomex honeycomb using current analytical methods. To this end, based on the energy method, the Kelsey model is simplified in this paper. Then, distribution of the shear forces in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the Nomex honeycomb core is analysed using the simplified model. Considering the effect of the wall thickness of the honeycomb core on the ultimate strength, the analytical expressions of the out-of-plane shear modulus and shear strength of the Nomex honeycomb are proposed. The shear properties and failure process of the Nomex honeycomb in two directions are then analysed experimentally. The accuracy of the analytical expressions of the equivalent shear modulus and shear strength is verified experimentally. The equivalent out-of-plane shear modulus and shear strength of the honeycomb was demonstrated to be effectively predicted by the analytical approach.
The Application of the Multivariate GARCH Models on the BRICS Exchange Rates

The study investigated the BRICS exchange rate volatility using the Multivariate GARCH models. The study used the monthly time series data for the period January 2008 to January 2018. The BEKK-GARCH model revealed that all the variables were found to be statistically significant. The diagonal parameters estimates showed that only Russia and South Africa were statistically significant. This implied that the conditional variance of Russia and South Africa’s exchange rates are affected by their own past conditional volatility and other BRICS exchange rates past conditional volatility. The BEKK-GARCH model also revealed that there is a bidirectional volatility transmission between Russia and South Africa. The results from the DCC-GARCH model revealed that Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa had the highest volatility persistence and India has the least volatility persistence. All the BRICS exchange rates show that the fitted residuals are not normally distributed except for Russia. The recommendations for future studies were articulated.
Bridging and Bonding: Disentangling Two Mechanisms Underlying the Diversity–Performance Relationship

Although extensive research has examined whether diversity hinders or improves organizational performance, the aggregate results remain inconclusive. Social bridging theories argue that diverse organizations perform better than homogeneous organizations, while social bonding theories argue that diverse organizations perform worse. When scholars test these competing theories, they often specify bridging and bonding as the inverse of one another. This study instead specifies them as distinct mechanisms and measures them independently using data from a national study of organizations containing information on the race, class, gender, and religion of each organization’s leadership team and the frequency, type, and content of their interactions. The analysis indicates that both bridging and bonding are positively associated with an organization’s performance; however, their respective performance benefits depend on the type of task being performed. The results suggest that social diversity facilitates performance related to accessing external resources and social interaction facilitates performance related to internal coordination.
The Scoraig wind trials – In situ power performance measurements of locally manufactured small wind turbines

This article presents new insight into the real-world performance of a range of open source locally manufactured small wind turbines designed to enable sustainable rural electrification. The power performance of seven machines was measured in situ and compared to wind tunnel, test site and other in situ data to produce a set of generic power curves. This article shows that the shape and size of the curve (and therefore the energy that will be generated) varies considerably. However, over-performance was just as likely as under-performance, validating the designer’s predicted energy yields. Nonetheless, optimising the power curve by tuning the small wind turbine increased energy yields by up to 156%. Developing low-cost practical tools that can enable rapid power curve measurements in the field could help reduce uncertainty when planning rural electrification programmes and ensure that small wind turbines are able to deliver vital energy services in off-grid regions of developing countries.
Multi-pollutant approach to model contaminants flow in surface and groundwater: A review

Pollution of surface and groundwater is largely caused by anthropogenic activities and the natural geogenic processes. Most of the contaminants in surface and groundwater have a common origin. The aim of this review is to highlight the importance of multi-approach modeling of pollutants which is required for various reasons, owing to the availability of different types and sources of water pollutants. We attempted a systematic review to assess the current progress in modeling water pollution using multi-approach methods. Results showed that (9) out of the eleven (11) chosen studies have applied some forms of multi-approach modeling methods to examine pollutants in surface and groundwater. Results also suggest that there is an increased concern on understanding how pollutants are transported from sources to surface water and how impurities are transported to groundwater aquifers by infiltering surface flows. A major limitation of water quality models is that models assumed a uniform environmental setting and can simulate contaminants only in the gas and aqueous states. The rationality of contaminant modeling using multi-pollutant approaches is mostly problematical to validate because suitable field data is wanting for comparison. Therefore, the model output must be scrutinized within the context of the uncertainty of the model inputs, data limitations and consistently essential application of established standards from the literature.
Microbiological profile of catheter associated urinary tract infection in ICUs of a tertiary care hospital Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Introduction: Among nosocomial infections catheter associated urinary infection (CA-UTI) is one of the most common infection. Uro- pathogens isolated from CAUTI were more multi-drug resistant than from community acquired urinary tract infection (UTI). Aim of the study: To isolate micro-organisms responsible for CA-UTI in ICUs, to find out antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolates and to know the Impact of CAUTI care bundle on reducing CAUTI rate. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from September 2017 to August 2018, urine samples were collected from 300 catheerised patients which were processed microbiologically and antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed. Results: Out of 300 catheterised paients , 76 patients developed CAUTI. So the incidence rate of CAUTI is 21.7%. A sum total of 38,067 catheter days were obtained in the study period from the month of September 2017 to August 2018. CAUTI rate was found to be 1.9 per 1000 catheter days over a period of 1 year Out of 76 total isolates 56 were Gram negative and 20 were Gram positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria included Escherichia coli 19(25%), followed by Klebsiella 14(19%), Proteus8 (11%) Pseudomomas 6(8%), Acinetobacter 4(8%). Among gram positive Enterococcus species is 17(22%) followed by staphylococcus spp.03 (4%). Enterobacteriaceae showed high resistant to commonly used antimicrobials like Gentamycin, Ceftriaxone, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin but were highly sensitive to Amikacin, ceftazidime, pipercillin Tazobactum, Imepenem, Meropenem. Enterococcus and staphylococcus were sensitive to Tigecyclin , Vancomycin, Teicoplanin and linezolid. Conclusion: The most common organism responsible for CAUTI is Escherichia coli followed by Klebsiella spp. and Enerococcus spp. Members of enterobacteriaceae are highly sensitive to Amikacin, ceftazidime, pipercillin Tazobactum, Imepenem, Meropenem. Enterococcus and staphylococcus are sensitive to Tigecyclin, Vancomycin, Teicoplanin and linez
Are Farmers as Risk-averse as They Think They Are?

Studies on the acceptance of innovation often identify risk preference to be a decisive factor for the adoption of sustainable practices. While in finance and management research, lottery tasks are mostly used to measure risk aversion, behavioural studies usually use measures of risk tolerance and risk perception derived from explicit self-assessment questions. We empirically test the influence of three different risk measures on farmers’ acceptance of a sustainability standard and the amount of investment made. The results of our analysis indicate that the results of lottery tasks are consistent with the risk-seeking behaviour of e.g. of investment decisions made, whereas the evaluation questions are more likely to capture other aspects like farmers' expectations of the innovation itself. The results suggest that we need to intensively investigate farmers' expectations of the single innovations in behavioural economic studies to distinguish more precisely between actual risk aversion or tolerance and a negative or positive opinion of the innovation.