Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ownership Structure, Board Size, Board Composition And Dividend Policy: New Evidence From Two Emerging Markets

Good corporate governance practices build equilibrium between management and shareholders and eliminate agency problems, as results managers pursue a suboptimal dividend policy. The aim of this study is to examine the potential relationship between ownership structure, board size, board composition, CEO duality and dividend policy of 176 listed firms at KSE and 280 listed firms at BSI from 2010-2015. We used pooled OLS regression test to analyse the association between corporate governance determinants and dividend policy. Among other methods, VIF and Hausman tests had been used to check the fitting of Random effects and fixed effects, while fixed effect method was chosen to test the hypothesis. We discover a positive association between managerial ownership, board size, board independent and dividend policy, while a negative association of ownership concentration and dividend policy. Finally, it is observed that there is a positive impact of return on assets (ROA) and size on dividend policy. This study will contribute to the existing literature through investigating the impact of corporate governance on dividend policies of listed firms in emerging markets. KeyWords: Dividend policy, board size, Ownership structure and board independence
Parameter estimation of exponentially damped sinusoids using a higher order correlation-based approach

A very common problem in signal processing is parameter estimation of exponentially damped sinusoids from a finite subset of noisy observations. When the signal is contaminated with colored noise of unknown power spectral density, a cumulant-based approach provides an appropriate solution to this problem. We propose a new class of estimator, namely, a covariance-type estimator, which reduces the deterministic errors associated with imperfect estimation of higher order correlations from finite-data length. This estimator allows a higher order correlation sequence to be modeled as a damped exponential model in certain slices of the moments plane. This result shows a useful link with well-known linear-prediction-based methods, such as the minimum-norm principal-eigenvector method of Kumaresan and Tufts (1982), which can be subsequently applied to extracting frequencies and damping coefficients from the 1-D correlation sequence. This paper discusses the slices allowed in the moments plane, the uses and limitations of this estimator using multiple realizations, and a single record in a noisy environment. Monte Carlo simulations applied to standard examples are also performed, and the results are compared with the KT method and the standard biased-estimator-based approach. The comparison shows the effectiveness of the proposed estimator in terms of bias and mean-square error when the signals are contaminated with additive Gaussian noise and a single data record with short data length is available.
Factors Associated with Antihypertensive Prescribing

Objective To investigate factors associated with treatment approaches to hypertension, a major risk factor for coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease and a significant healthcare problem in the US. The study reports on three cross-sectional national surveys of patient–physician encounters. Population Visits were selected for adults with hypertension diagnoses from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, which represent office encounters during a given year. Years of observation included 1989, 1990, and 1991. Methods Multiple variable logistic regression was used to identify predisposing, need, enabling, and health utilization characteristics associated with whether the visit resulted in a prescription of an antihypertensive. Additionally, the association of these visits with combination therapy is determined. Results For each of the 3 years, 69–75% of the encounters were associated with a prescription for drugs to treat hypertension. Prescribing is consistent with current literature demonstrating decreasing reliance on diuretics and β-blockers, and increasing reliance on calcium antagonists. Combination therapy decreased as a percentage of prescriptions in 1990 and 1991. Variables associated with receiving an antihypertensive prescription included predisposing characteristics (patient age >65 y), need characteristics (diagnosis of congestive heart failure [CHF]), and health utilization characteristics (physician specialty, previous diagnosis of hypertension). The most significant variables associated with combination therapy were predisposing characteristics (patient age >65 y), need (CHF diagnosis, diagnosis of hypertension with end organ involvement), and health utilization characteristics (physician specialty). Conclusions These national estimates reinforce previous regional data regarding the categories of hypertension medications used. Patient visits involving multiple diagnoses, cardiologists, or patients older than 65 years, are more likely to generate prescriptions for combination antihypertensive therapy.
The larval stages of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

The adult body plan of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is established within the imaginal rudiment during the larval stages. To facilitate the study of these stages, we have defined a larval staging scheme, which consists of seven stages: Stage I, four‐arm stage; Stage II, eight‐arm stage; Stage III, vestibular invagination stage; Stage IV, rudiment initiation stage; Stage V, pentagonal disc stage; Stage VI, advanced rudiment stage; and Stage VI, tube‐foot protrusion stage. Each stage is characterized by significant morphological features observed for the first time at that stage. This scheme is intended as a guide for determining the degree of larval development, and for identifying larval and adult structures. Larval anatomy was visualized using light and confocal microscopy as required on living material, whole mount fixed specimens, and serial sections. Antibody staining to localize specific gene products was also used. Detailed analysis of these data has furthered our understanding of the morphogenesis of the rudiment, and has suggested provocative questions regarding the molecular basis for these events. We intend this work to be of use to investigators studying gene expression and morphogenesis in postembryonic larvae. J. Morphol. , 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Decreased acute rejection and improved renal allograft survival using sirolimus and low-dose calcineurin inhibitors without induction therapy.

BACKGROUND Chronic nephrotoxicity of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) causes irreversible renal dysfunction and shortens renal transplant survival. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to test a hypothesis that de novo CNI minimization combined with sirolimus (SRL) improves graft survival in renal transplant patients without antibody induction therapy. METHODS Between october 2000 and august 2007, we performed 100 cases of renal transplantation with de novo CNI (either cyclosporine or tacrolimus) minimization combined with sirolimus (SRL group). The initial target trough levels were 100-200 ng/ml for cyclosporine (CSA) and 4-8 ng/mL for tacrolimus (TAC). SRL was given at a loading dose of 6 mg plus 2 mg/day for maintenance. The results for the SRL group were compared to those of 104 transplant recipients given standard CNI- (CsA- or TaC-) based immunosuppressive regimens including mycophenolate mofetil (MMF group) during the same period. RESULTS The 1-year rejection-free survival (94.8%) and 5-year graft survival (87.7%) rates of the SRL group were significantly better than those of the MMF group (85.5% and 75.2%, respectively). On univariate analyses, 6-month estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), acute rejection and SRL therapy had a significant impact on graft survival, and SRL therapy and tacrolimus therapy had a significant impact on rejection-free survival. Multivariate analyses identified 6-month eGFR as the only prognostic factor for graft survival. Acute rejection and SRL therapy were significant for post-transplant renal function. CONCLUSIONS De novo CNI minimization combined with SRL could decrease acute rejection and improve renal function and graft survival after renal transplantation without the use of antibody induction therapy.
An Appointment Shrouded in Mystery The profiles of ten Swedish Auditors-General Introduction

The Auditors-General can have a profound impact on the work of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), in terms of the quality, autonomy and efficiency of audit work. In Sweden, this recruitment is prepared by the Committee on the Constitution, before the final decision is made by Parliament. The appointment is, however, shrouded in mystery and not even candidate profile requirements are openly advertised. This lack of transparency is problematic, since the SAI is positioned at the heart of the democratic accountability process. Because Sweden has a model with ten parallel Auditors-General, there have been ten Auditors-General over the period 2003-2015. This article compares their profiles and outlines five explanations. Results show that their professional and academic qualifications have increased, whereas their experience from hands-on audit work has decreased. Results also indicate that most of the Auditors-General have been recruited from a rather narrow circle of people around the Government Offices. Five explanations are outlined. In particular, we argue that the recruitments can be understood as an expression for a wish to increase the standing of the Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO) and the quality of its work. This follows partly from an increasing awareness of the extensive powers at the hands of the Auditors-General in the Swedish model.
A "Virtual Body" Model for Surgical Education and Rehearsal

A general digital model of human anatomy is very helpful both in supporting the process of anatomical segmentation and as a reference system for simulating surgical situations or even rehearsal of interventions. This article describes the data structure and implementation of such a model. Neither superhero nor crash-test dummy, Voxel-Man is an attempt to combine in a single framework a detailed spatial model enabling realistic visualization with a symbolic model of the human body. We show that although a general model does not correspond in detail to an individual patient, it does provide a variety of novel features for surgical education and training.
IRON AND α-ELEMENT PRODUCTION IN THE FIRST ONE BILLION YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG ,,

We present measurements of carbon, oxygen, silicon, and iron in quasar absorption systems existing when the universe was roughly one billion years old. We measure column densities in nine low-ionization systems at 4.7 < z < 6.3 using Keck, Magellan, and Very Large Telescope optical and near-infrared spectra with moderate to high resolution. The column density ratios among C ii, O i, Si ii, and Fe ii are nearly identical to sub-damped Lyα systems (sub-DLAs) and metal-poor ([M/H] ⩽ −1) DLAs at lower redshifts, with no significant evolution over 2 ≲ z ≲ 6. The estimated intrinsic scatter in the ratio of any two elements is also small, with a typical rms deviation of ≲ 0.1 dex. These facts suggest that dust depletion and ionization effects are minimal in our z > 4.7 systems, as in the lower-redshift DLAs, and that the column density ratios are close to the intrinsic relative element abundances. The abundances in our z > 4.7 systems are therefore likely to represent the typical integrated yields from stellar populations within the first gigayear of cosmic history. Due to the time limit imposed by the age of the universe at these redshifts, our measurements thus place direct constraints on the metal production of massive stars, including iron yields of prompt supernovae. The lack of redshift evolution further suggests that the metal inventories of most metal-poor absorption systems at z ≳ 2 are also dominated by massive stars, with minimal contributions from delayed Type Ia supernovae or winds from asymptotic giant branch stars. The relative abundances in our systems broadly agree with those in very metal-poor, non-carbon-enhanced Galactic halo stars. This is consistent with the picture in which present-day metal-poor stars were potentially formed as early as one billion years after the big bang.
CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS II REGION IN NON‐HUMAN PRIMATES

The Major Histocompatibility Complex (Mhc) of many vertebrate species is characterized by a large number of genes. Some of these genes encode cell surface molecules displaying an extensive degree of allelic variation at the population level. Mhc molecules provide the context for recognition of antigens by T cells and as such play a key role in the discrimination between self and non-self structures. Most vertebrate species possess two major classes of Mhc molecules exhibiting specialized functions. The Mhc class I molecules, also referred to as the classical transplantation antigens, bind antigenic peptides from intracellular origin. Mhc class I molecules complexed with peptides from a virus or fungus, may be recognized by the T cell receptor complex on CD8' cytotoxic T cells triggering the lysis of infected target cells. Mhc class I1 molecules are heterodimer transmembrane sialoglycoproteins composed of an alpha and beta chain subunit; encoded by the A and B genes, respectively. From a structural point of view, Mhc class I1 molecules can be considered as receptors equipped with an antigen-binding site that can accommodate peptides (Brown et al. 1993). Mhc class I1 molecules present peptides of extracellular origin, for instance bacterial antigens, to CD4' T helper cells. Successful activation of T helper cells may result in cytokine release, followed by antibody production or lysis by cytotoxic T cells (Kaufman et af., 1984). Within humans, three major types of Mhc class I1 molecules have been identified, designated HLA-DR, -DQ and -DP. The polymorphism of Mhc class I1 molecules is to a large extent confined to exon 2 of the Mhc class I1 B gene, which encodes the floor and one of the alpha helices forming the boundary of the antigen binding site. Amino acid variation in the antigen binding site of Mhc molecules has great biological relevance since it influences directly the type of peptide bound. In this context, it is not surprising that many Mhc class I and I1 alleles are associated with either susceptibility or resistance to disease development (Bell et al., 1986; Schreuder et al., 1986; Nepom, 1988; Hill etal . , 1991; Bakker et al., 1992). It is thought that Mhc polymorphism reduces the chance that a limited number of pathogens may wipe out a population. Species that possess a limited degree of Mhc polymorphism, indeed show an enhanced risk from particular diseases (O'Brien et al., 1985; Watkins et al., 1988).
Lung cancer: Presentation and pattern of care in a cancer center in South India.

BACKGROUND In India lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in males and an increasing trend in the incidence is reported from the National Cancer Registry programme. AIMS The aim of this study is to find out the recent trends in presentation and management of lung cancer at Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum. METHODS Published reports of hospital based cancer registries (HBCR) and population based cancer registries (PBCR) of Trivandrum were compared with reported statistics from other parts of India and global data. RESULTS Lung is the leading site of cancer in males (15%) getting treatment at Regional Cancer Centre , Trivandrum in 2013 as per the HBCR. There is an increase in the age adjusted incidence rate of lung cancer among males in the Trivandrum PBCR from 14.6 to 18.5 during 2012 -2014. Among the patients who were treated at the Center majority (55.2%) presented with distant metastases with adenocarcinoma as the most common histological type (28.5%) and only 15.7% had undergone treatment with curative intent. CONCLUSIONS Lung cancer is the major cancer affecting males in India with a high incidence in Trivandrum and a very low percentage of patients receiving curative treatment which could be due to the high prevalence of tuberculosis and scarce availability of facilities and trained manpower for thoracic oncology.
Long-range dependence of the two-dimensional Ising model at critical temperature

The paper gives probabilists who are unfamiliar with the Ising model a coherent, integrated explanation of why the Ising model displays long-range dependence at critical temperature. The Ising model in two dimensions involves spins σj,k = ±1 located at every node (j, k) of the lattice, with nearest neighbor interactions. We shall focus on the covariances Eσ0,0σ0,N and Eσ0,0σN,N between the spin at the origin and the spin located either on the axis at (0, N) or located on the diagonal at (N,N), when the temperature equals a critical value. Using a recent formulation of the so-called “Szego’s theorem”, we explain why these covariances decrease to zero like N as N → ∞, thus at a slow enough rate so as to exhibit long-range dependence.
Performance in the beauty contest: How strategic discussion enhances team reasoning

This paper will analyze the influence that discussion has on the performance of two-player teams in an experimental beauty contest game. Teams were allowed to communicate via electronic chat. The findings suggest that teams are not more rational than individuals in terms of reasoning. However, strategically sophisticated discussion in teams such as the repetition of the experimental rules, as well as guesses at other players' behavior, positively influences their level of reasoning. On the other hand, simple communication without strategic elements does not enable the teams to improve their reasoning level. Focusing on the performance of teams in terms of distance to the target number, I demonstrate that the amount of information exchanged between team members improves the teams' performance if and only if the teams strategically discuss their choice. The experimental results underline the assumption that communication per se does not foster strategic thinking, but that sophisticated discussion in teams enables the players to succeed in a strategic environment such as a beauty contest game.
The Nicking Step in V(D)J Recombination Is Independent of Synapsis: Implications for the Immune Repertoire

ABSTRACT In all of the transposition reactions that have been characterized thus far, synapsis of two transposon ends is required before any catalytic steps (strand nicking or strand transfer) occur. In V(D)J recombination, there have been inconclusive data concerning the role of synapsis in nicking. Synapsis between two 12-substrates or between two 23-substrates has not been ruled out in any studies thus far. Here we provide the first direct tests of this issue. We find that immobilization of signals does not affect their nicking, even though hairpinning is affected in a manner reflecting its known synaptic requirement. We also find that nicking is kinetically a unireactant enzyme-catalyzed reaction. Time courses are no different between nicking seen for a 12-substrate alone and a reaction involving both a 12- and a 23-substrate. Hence, synapsis is neither a requirement nor an effector of the rate of nicking. These results establish V(D)J recombination as the first example of a DNA transposition-type reaction in which catalytic steps begin prior to synapsis, and the results have direct implications for the order of the steps in V(D)J recombination, for the contribution of V(D)J recombination nicks to genomic instability, and for the diversification of the immune repertoire.
The relationship between satisfaction components and service quality with the intention of customers’ future presence in private and government pools

Objective: The satisfaction is the result of the service quality and has a direct effect on a customer’s future perceptions and the improvement of service quality will increase a customer’s satisfaction and retention. The purpose of this study was to examine the rate of satisfaction and service quality with the intention of customers’ future presence in private and government pools of Guilan province. Methods: According to the topic and objectives of this study, the method was descriptive-survey. The statistical population of this study was customers who referred to all private and government pools in Guilan province. The validity of the questionnaires was obtained through the content validity method and the internal reliability with Cronbach’s alpha method for service quality questionnaires (0.812), satisfaction (0.798), and the intention of future presence (0.802). The collected data were classified by descriptive statistical methods and were analyzed by K-S Statistical methods, Pearson correlation coefficient, and independent t-test.
The Force of Crystallization and Fracture Propagation during In-Situ Carbonation of Peridotite

Subsurface mineralization of CO2 by injection into (hydro-)fractured peridotites has been proposed as a carbon sequestration method. It is envisaged that the expansion in solid volume associated with the mineralization reaction leads to a build-up of stress, resulting in the opening of further fractures. We performed CO2-mineralization experiments on simulated fractures in peridotite materials under confined, hydrothermal conditions, to directly measure the induced stresses. Only one of these experiments resulted in the development of a stress, which was less than 5% of the theoretical maximum. We also performed one method control test in which we measured stress development during the hydration of MgO. Based on microstructural observations, as well as XRD and TGA measurements, we infer that, due to pore clogging and grain boundary healing at growing mineral interfaces, the transport of CO2, water and solutes into these sites inhibited reaction-related stress development. When grain boundary healing was impeded by the precipitation of silica, a small stress did develop. This implies that when applied to in-situ CO2-storage, the mineralization reaction will be limited by transport through clogged fractures, and proceed at a rate that is likely too slow for the process to accommodate the volumes of CO2 expected for sequestration.
Corruption and the Public Display of Wealth

We build a principal-agent-client model of corruption, allowing for heterogeneity in the value of public projects relative to the cost of monitoring their execution and for uncertainty of corruptors regarding the value of a project conducted. We derive the conditions under which officials with low-value projects have an incentive to signal their projects' type, and thereby facilitate their corruption, by means of public displays of wealth. While such public displays reduce the probability with which bribes are offered to officials conducting high-value projects, they increase the probability with which these officials accept bribes sufficiently to offset any positive effect.