Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance Practices and Firm Performance in Emerging Markets: Empirical Insights from India and Gulf Countries

The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of corporate governance practices on the performance of listed firms from countries like India and the Gulf countries. This research study relies on secondary data collected from annual reports of 100 companies covering 8 years, from 2010 to 2017, using manual content analysis. Fifty non-financial listed companies from each emerging market were selected; the selection is based on the market capitalization. Findings from countries’ dummy indicate that Indian companies perform better in corporate governance practices than Gulf countries. Moreover, corporate governance practices negatively impact Indian and Gulf countries’ firms’ performance measured by return on assets (ROA), except for governance effectiveness (GE) that has a positive impact. In contrast, corporate governance measured by board structure (BS) is negatively affected by the performance of Indian and Gulf countries’ listed companies measured by Tobin’s Q (TQ), whereas transparency and disclosure (TD), leverage (LEV) and GE have a positive impact. The results have implications for managers and policyholders to understand the corporate governance practices and their relationships with performance. Based on the best knowledge of the authors, this is one of the first studies that addresses the comparison between India and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Performance of Full-Scale Thermophilic Membrane Bioreactor and Assessment of the Effect of the Aqueous Residue on Mesophilic Biological Activity

To date, the management of high-strength wastewater represents a serious problem. This work aims to evaluate the performance on chemical pollutants and on sludge production of one of the two full-scale thermophilic membrane bioreactors (ThMBRs) currently operational in Italy, based on monitoring data of the last two and a half years. Removal yields on COD, N-NOx, non-ionic and anionic surfactants (TAS and MBAS), increased with the input load up to 81.9%, 97.6%, 94.7%, and 98.4%, respectively. In the period of stability, a very low value of sludge production (0.052 kgVS kgCOD−1) was observed. Oxygen uptake rate (OUR) tests allowed us to exclude the possibility that mesophilic biomass generally exhibited any acute inhibition following contact with the aqueous residues (ARs), except for substrates that presented high concentrations of perfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS), cyanides and chlorides. In one case, nitrifying activity was partially inhibited by high chlorides and PFAS concentration, while in another the substrate determined a positive effect, stimulating the phenomenon of nitrification. Nitrogen uptake rate (NUR) tests highlighted the feasibility of reusing the organic carbon contained in the substrate as a source in denitrification, obtaining a value comparable with that obtained using the reference solution with methanol. Therefore, respirometric tests proved to be a valid tool to assess the acute effect of AR of ThMBR on the activity of mesophilic biomass in the case of recirculation.
The Experience of a Gluten-free Diet in Children with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease

Abstract Objective This study examined overall self-reported adherence to gluten-free diet (GFD) in children with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease (T1DCD) compared to children with celiac disease (CD). Secondary objectives included gaining insight into self-reported symptoms, barriers to adherence, and experience of a GFD between groups. Methods Children <18 years old who had been seen at BC Children’s Hospital for T1DCD or CD were invited to participate in a web-based questionnaire and medical record review. Results A total of 26 children with T1DCD and 46 children with CD participated in the study. The groups’ demographics and symptoms of CD were similar; however, a greater proportion of those with T1DCD were asymptomatic at diagnosis (T1DCD 27%; CD 7%; P = 0.016). Overall adherence to a GFD was high in both groups (T1DCD 92%; CD 100%; P = 0.38) but those with T1DCD reported a significantly less positive effect on their health (P = 0.006) and a significantly greater negative effect on activities from a GFD (P = 0.03). Children with T1DCD reported more significant barriers to eating gluten-free at home and at restaurants, specifically with social pressure, cost and taste compared to those with CD only. Conclusion Children with T1DCD face specific barriers in adherence that are more impactful compared with children living with CD. These children are more often asymptomatic at diagnosis, and they go on to experience different impacts of a GFD spanning across home and social settings. Given the complexity of having a dual diagnosis, CD care should be tailored specifically to children living with T1DCD.
Towards a hermeneutics of sustainability in Africa: Engaging indigenous knowledge in dialogue with Christianity

The Brundtland report (1987) ‘Our common future’ defines sustainability as a ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland 1987:43). Long before, Qohelet talked about the future of the earth in this way: ‘one generation goes and another comes, but the earth remains forever’ (Qoh 1:3). The question is not about whether the earth will remain, but what kind of earth are we willing to transmit to the next generation. In other words, how healthy will the earth be when we transmit it to future generations?
THE STRATEGIES USED BY LECTURERS IN TEACHING TRANSLATION OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

It is known that the lexicon of a particular language is much more than a list of individual words. The English language is full of somewhat formulaic language, especially established idiomatic expressions. Considering everyday situations in which such expressions are used and the significant role that they play in communication, there has been increasing awareness of these expressions in second language teaching and learning. It is therefore very important for lecturers to create strategies to make these expressions more understandable and memorable to their students as possible. This study investigates teaching strategies used by lecturers in teaching translation of idiomatic expressions to translation students and to what extent are these strategies effective. The researchers conducted informal open-ended interviews with experts in the field of translation that analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that lecturers employ several different strategies in teaching translation of idiomatic expressions to improve students’ comprehension, which are authentic materials from real life, teaching within context, using L1 to comprehend L2 expressions, pictures, exercises, and activities, and dialogues and role play. In addition, the lecturers consider these strategies effective and useful in teaching figurative expressions. In light of these findings, the researcher recommends that idiomatic language should be taught inside classrooms before encountering the real English world, and it is the lecturers’ role to raise students’ awareness of these expressions and explore strategies that can improve students’ comprehension and production of these expressions. The study offers pedagogical suggestions on using multimodal strategies to teaching translation of English idiomatic expressions.
Is the six-factor asset pricing model discounting the global returns?

ABSTRACT The study proposed a six-factor asset pricing model to explain global returns. The study employed the global version of the six-factor model, besides Carhart four-factor and Fama–French five-factor models, to test the integrated international asset pricing hypothesis. Fama-MacBeth two-step procedure is used to estimate the parameters of both global and local version models. First the study finds that the six-factor model yields better estimates than the competing models in return predictability. Secondly, the study rejects the integrated international asset pricing hypothesis and argues that the local six-factor model yields better estimates than local competing models and outperforms global version models.
Out of tune: Perceptions of, engagement with, and responses to mental health interventions by professional popular musicians—A scoping review

Professional popular musicians are at increased risk of psychological distress, substance use problems, and suicide, yet little evidence is available on effective psychotherapeutic practices to address these issues. This scoping review aims to understand how professional popular musicians perceive, engage with, and respond to mental health interventions. Four databases were searched, garnering a total of 310 articles. Of these, six met inclusion criteria. Four thematic categories were explored: (1) amenability of professional popular musicians to particular therapeutic approaches; (2) attribution of treatment outcomes to tailored approaches; (3) professional popular musicians’ perceived barriers to treatment; and (4) recommendations for treatment approaches. The scoping review supports the importance of considering the characteristics of professional popular musicians as a distinct group with unique well-being needs, challenges, and strengths. There is a clear preference for tailored, affordable, and accessible approaches that consider the uniquities of musicianship and the need to explore the role of nonclinical support, such as friends, family, and industry peers.
Gas-Phase Synthesis of Ni–CeOx Hybrid Nanoparticles and Their Synergistic Catalysis for Simultaneous Reforming of Methane and Carbon Dioxide to Syngas

We develop a new Ni–CeOx hybrid nanoparticle as a high-performance catalyst for dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide (DRM) using a facile gas-phase synthetic approach. The crystallites of Ni and CeO2 were homogeneously self-assembled as a hybrid nanostructure, creating a large amount of Ni–Ce–O interface for a strong metal–support interfacial interaction. Chemical composition and oxidation state of the hybrid nanostructure were tunable directly in the aerosol state. The results show that the starting temperature of catalysis by Ni-based catalysts reduced by ∼150 °C through the hybridization with CeO2 followed by a direct H2 reduction in the aerosol state. In comparison to Ni-only nanoparticle, the Ni–CeOx hybrid nanoparticle showed stable and high conversion for CH4 and CO2 with a remarkably turnover frequency at low temperature (0.1 s–1 at 450 °C). The amount of coke formation greatly reduced by 18×, whereas the H2/CO ratio was constant at ∼0.8 by a 1.5× of the increase of CO2/CH4 ratio. The work.
Extremely short embryonic period of the intertidal pulmonate limpet Siphonaria sirius (Pilsbry, 1895)

ABSTRACT Siphonariidae is a panpulmonate family that occurs in intertidal rocky shores worldwide within temperate to tropical areas. Although the egg masses of Siphonaria sirius are commonly found in lower intertidal rocky shores in summer, there is a lack of information on their embryonic development. We examined the embryonic development and duration of S. sirius both in the laboratory and in the field. The study was conducted in Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan, during the summer of 2014 and 2015. The embryonic developmental process of S. sirius was similar to that of other planktotrophic siphonariids. However, S. sirius hatched within four days after oviposition at 27.35°C in the laboratory, which is the shortest in the Siphonariidae. In the field, hatching occurred notably faster at 1.6 days after oviposition, although the average temperature (27.42°C) was similar to that in the laboratory. The presence of egg predators, as well as other environmental factors, may be responsible for the short embryonic period of this species, especially in the field.
An overview of noninvasive ventilation in cystic fibrosis

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) use was initially reported in cystic fibrosis (CF) in 1991 as a bridge to lung transplantation, and over the decades, the use of NIV has increased in the CF population. Individuals with CF are prone to various physiologic changes as lung function worsens, and they benefit from NIV for advanced lung disease. As life expectancy in CF has been increasing due to advances such as highly effective modulator therapy, people with CF may also benefit from NIV for other diagnosis beyond advanced lung disease. NIV can improve gas exchange, quality of sleep, exercise tolerance, and augment airway clearance in CF. CF providers can readily become comfortable with this therapeutic modality. In this review, we will summarize the physiologic basis for NIV use in CF, describe indications for initiation, and discuss how to order and monitor patients on NIV. We will discuss aspects unique to people with CF and the use of NIV, as well as suggestions on how to reduce risks such as infection. We hope that this serves as a resource for CF providers, in particular those who do not have dedicated training in sleep medicine as we all continue to care for the CF patient population.
LECTURERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY OF ACHIEVERS UNIVERSITY, OWO, NIGERIA

This study examined the perception of lecturers and students of Achievers University, Owo, Nigeria, about the use of social media for teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, was carried out on 123 lecturers and 487 students from the 4 existing colleges through 5-point Likert scale questionnaires administered online. Data collected were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA in addition to the descriptive statistics. The findings of this study show that, social media was perceived to be useful for teaching by lecturers while students have a negative perception about its usefulness and ease of use. The study recommends that lecturers must be exposed through seminars and conferences to the best practices for developing and delivering online courses to make online teaching very productive and enjoyable for both lecturers and students
The role of government auditing in controlling the level of corruption in Indonesia

The regional autonomy system has a great impact on the Indonesian local government to create good governance so as to prevent corruption. This study aims to examine the impact of detection of irregularities, audit opinion, and audit rectification on the level of corruption in provincial governments in Indonesia. The data collected in this research was the audit report of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia and the annual report of The Corruption Eradication Commission in 34 provinces in 2015-2019. Further, the data was analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results indicate that the detection of irregularities and audit rectification has a positive impact on the level of corruption, while the irregularities and audit opinion do not have impact on the level of corruption. These results are expected to encourage the government to strengthen its financial supervision system.
Impact of community participation on sustainable development of marine protected areas: Assessment of ecotourism development

This study aims to investigate the role of community participation and its impact on economic, environmental, and social sustainability in marine protected areas (MPAs) in Malaysia through the development of ecotourism. A structured questionnaire was employed for collecting data and analyzed using the partial least square method. The results indicate that community participation explains a significant amount of variance in ecotourism development. The findings reveal that ecotourism development contributes toward economic, social, and environmental sustainability directly and indirectly. This implies that ecotourism development and community participation are of paramount importance in achieving sustainable development in MPAs.
Retirement in Western Germany – How Workplace Tasks Influence Its Timing

In this article, task data from the German Qualification and Career Survey (BIBB/IAB) is matched against the Sample of Integrated Labour Market Biographies (SIAB) to investigate what patterns are discernible in retirement between 1985 and 2005 in Western Germany. Set against a background of pension reforms and substantial structural change, the article asks whether the nature of occupational tasks has any significant effect on the timing of retirement. Through the use of event history analysis, the article reveals that having a large percentage of routine manual tasks in one’s job is associated with a greater likelihood of a job holder leaving employment, while having medium to high percentages of non-routine manual tasks in one’s job will tend to decrease that likelihood. There is also evidence that holding a job that includes a medium to high concentration of analytical and interactive tasks will tend to reduce the likelihood of early retirement.
Numerical Modeling of Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Intermodal Transport Chains

This paper discusses the most attractive emission compliance options (emission abatement technologies and cleaner fuels) in intermodal transport chains that include short sea shipping. Most studies on emissions-based transport chain comparisons have estimated high levels of nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions in maritime transportation, decreasing its competitiveness. However, the consequences of regulatory and technological developments and the integration of maritime transport in intermodal transport chains have not yet been considered in detail. In order to address this research gap, a numerical model for computing emissions from different transport modes in an intermodal transport network, under the effect of these developments, is presented that is based on bottom–up emission factors that depend on the fuel type, engine type, and operational profile of each vehicle. Different emissions scenarios are chosen for specific unimodal and intermodal routes (short sea shipping-based) between Portugal and northwestern Europe. Conclusions are drawn on estimated values of air pollutant emissions and greenhouse emissions, in CO2-eq per unit of cargo, in each scenario. These results allow the identification of the most environmentally friendly transport chains, thus supporting the development of adequate transport policies.
Porphyrin‐Derived Graphene‐Based Nanosheets Enabling Strong Polysulfide Chemisorption and Rapid Kinetics in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries hold great promise as a next‐generation battery system because of their extremely high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, ready lithium polysulfide (LiPS) diffusion and sluggish redox kinetics hamper their cyclability and rate capability. Herein, porphyrin‐derived graphene‐based nanosheets (PNG) are proposed for Li–S batteries, which are achieved by pyrolyzing a conformal and thin layer of 2D porphyrin organic framework on graphene to form carbon nanosheets with a spatially engineered nitrogen‐dopant‐enriched skin and a highly conductive skeleton. The atomic skin is decorated with fully exposed lithiophilic sites to afford strong chemisorption to LiPSs and improve electrolyte wettability, while graphene substrate provides speedy electron transport to facilitate redox kinetics of sulfur species. The use of PNG as a lightweight interlayer enables efficient operation of Li–S batteries in terms of superb cycle stability (cyclic decay rate of 0.099% during 300 cycles at 0.5 C), good rate capability (988 mAh g−1 at 2.0 C), and impressive sulfur loading (areal capacity of 8.81 mAh cm−2 at a sulfur loading of 8.9 mg cm−2). The distinct interfacial strategy is expected to apply to other conversion reaction batteries relying on dissolution–precipitation mechanisms and requiring interfacial charge‐ and mass‐transport‐mediation concurrently.
An effect of residual gas component on detected secondary ions during TOF‐SIMS depth profiling and a method to estimate contained component

With regard to Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) measurement of atmospheric gas elements, a problem occurs that the detected signal includes background components caused by residual gas along with contained components. Relating to this issue, an available method to quantify the contained components by separating the background ones had been established for Dynamic SIMS. Time‐of‐Flight SIMS with sputtering ion gun has also applied for depth profiling as well as Dynamic SIMS. However, few studies have attempted to investigate the secondary ion behavior of the atmospheric gas elements for depth profiling by Time‐of‐flight SIMS, especially for low concentration levels. In this study, experimental examinations of the secondary ions of the atmospheric gas elements, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon in the silicon substrate, has been conducted in various analytical conditions of TOF‐SIMS depth profiling mode. Under the analytical conditions of our study, it has been proved that the background intensity of these elements was correlated to the sputtering rate. For the analysis of Floating Zone Silicon substrate, the oxygen intensity of the background component was proportional to the inverse number of the sputtering rate. Based on these facts, the total detected intensity of the atmospheric gas elements was able to be separated into the contained components and background ones by changing the sputtering rate during TOF‐SIMS measurement. An experimental result has shown that the contained oxygen concentration in the Czochralsk Silicon substrate estimated by the “TOF‐SIMS Raster Change Method” has successfully agreed with the result by the Dynamic SIMS.
General education teacher practices: Assessment, decision-making and the influence of co-teaching

ABSTRACT The current emphasis on data-based decision-making ties discussions of accountability, school improvement and educational reform to the notion that gathering and using evidence addresses questions of rigor in our schools and classrooms. The purpose of this research was to survey secondary (middle and high school) general educators (n = 126) to determine which assessments and tools they used most frequently and the types of classroom and student-specific instructional decisions they made from those assessments, particularly for students with disabilities. In addition, comparisons were made to determine if responses differed for general educators engaged in co-teaching. Results indicated that assessments used most frequently were teacher-created tests, entrance/exit slips and questioning techniques. Teachers reported using those assessments and tools for checking for understanding and verifying whether students were retaining the material. Further, those who engaged in co-teaching reported feeling more effective in using data to design and individualize instruction and make adaptations for students with disabilities.