MANAGEMENT’S PERCEPTION OF STOCK DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION IN AN EMERGING CAPITAL MARKET: THE CASE OF KUWAIT

The purpose of this study is to investigate perceptions of top managers of Kuwaiti companies regarding factors the affect their companies’ decision to distribute stock dividend ( SD ). A questionnaire listing 32 reasons that could explain companies’ decisions to declare SDs was distributed to a sample of 120 randomly selected top managers from 100 Kuwaiti companies and 73 responses were received (representing a 61% response rate ). Participants were classified according to: ( 1 )business sector ( investment, real estate, banking, service, and industrial ) and ( 2 ) size of SDs ( small ( less than 25% ) and large ( 25% or more )). Nonparametric statistical tests were employed to analyze the data.Stock Dividends, Importance Ratings, Trading Liquidity, Institutional Investors

Intraocular nematode with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Live intraocular nematode is a rare occurrence. Nematode can migrate actively within the eye, creating visual symptoms and damaging ocular tissue.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 26-year old man presented with painless reduced vision of the left eye for one week duration. It was associated with floaters. Visual acuity on the left eye was hand movement. Anterior segment examination was normal with normal intra-ocular pressure. Fundus examination showed a live nematode lying subretinally at the macular area with macular oedema and multifocal chorioretinal lesions at peripheral retina. There was no vitritis, vasculitis or any retinal hemorrhage. Systemic examination revealed normal findings and laboratory studies only showed leucocytosis with normal eosinophil count and negative serum toxocara antibody. The diagnosis of introcular nematode with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis was made. He was treated with oral anti-helminths and a course of oral steroid at a reducing dose. The nematode had died evidenced by its immobility during the treatment and finally disintegrated, leaving macular oedema with mottling appearance and mild hyperpigmentation. Multifocal chorioretinal lesions had also resolved. However despite treatment his visual acuity during follow-up had remained poor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cases of intraocular nematode, though not commonly encountered, continue to present the ophthalmologist with the problem of diagnosis and management and hence poorer prognosis to the patient.</p

Dominant-negative variant in SLC1A4 causes an autosomal dominant epilepsy syndrome.

SLC1A4 is a trimeric neutral amino acid transporter essential for shuttling L-serine from astrocytes into neurons. Individuals with biallelic variants in SLC1A4 are known to have spastic tetraplegia, thin corpus callosum, and progressive microcephaly (SPATCCM) syndrome, but individuals with heterozygous variants are not thought to have disease. We identify an 8-year-old patient with global developmental delay, spasticity, epilepsy, and microcephaly who has a de novo heterozygous three amino acid duplication in SLC1A4 (L86_M88dup). We demonstrate that L86_M88dup causes a dominant-negative N-glycosylation defect of SLC1A4, which in turn reduces the plasma membrane localization of SLC1A4 and the transport rate of SLC1A4 for L-serine

University quality measurement model based on balanced scorecard

A Higher Education Institution (HEI) has the responsibility to track the processes through indicators that guarantee the measurement of the results in almost real time. This article presents the design of a management and quality model of the processes in a university, through the integration of a Balance Scorecard (BSC) and the implementation of an information system. For which it was required: a review of existing tracing and monitoring systems in the academic sector, definition of the requirements of the proposed technological, a diagnosis of the current measurement system of the HEI analyzed, identify measurement indicators and develop a technological tool. The designed model presents a precise and clear methodological guide that can be replicated in any HEI to monitor its processes

When the brain changes its mind: Oscillatory dynamics of conflict processing and response switching in a flanker task during alcohol challenge

<div><p>Despite the subjective experience of being in full and deliberate control of our actions, our daily routines rely on a continuous and interactive engagement of sensory evaluation and response preparation streams. They unfold automatically and unconsciously and are seamlessly integrated with cognitive control which is mobilized by stimuli that evoke ambiguity or response conflict. Methods with high spatio-temporal sensitivity are needed to provide insight into the interplay between automatic and controlled processing. This study used anatomically-constrained MEG to examine the underlying neural dynamics in a flanker task that manipulated S-R incongruity at the stimulus (SI) and response levels (RI). Though irrelevant, flankers evoked automatic preparation of motor plans which had to be suppressed and reversed following the target presentation on RI trials. Event-related source power estimates in beta (15–25 Hz) frequency band in the sensorimotor cortex tracked motor preparation and response in real time and revealed switching from the incorrectly-primed to the correctly-responding hemisphere. In contrast, theta oscillations (4–7 Hz) were sensitive to the levels of incongruity as the medial and ventrolateral frontal cortices were especially activated by response conflict. These two areas are key to cognitive control and their integrated contributions to response inhibition and switching were revealed by phase-locked co-oscillations. These processes were pharmacologically manipulated with a moderate alcohol beverage or a placebo administered to healthy social drinkers. Alcohol selectively decreased accuracy to response conflict. It strongly attenuated theta oscillations during decision making and partly re-sculpted relative contributions of the frontal network without affecting the motor switching process subserved by beta band. Our results indicate that motor preparation is initiated automatically even when counterproductive but that it is monitored and regulated by the prefrontal cognitive control processes under conflict. They further confirm that the regulative top-down functions are particularly vulnerable to alcohol intoxication.</p></div

Group-average maps of event-related theta source power estimates and the associated timecourses, expressed as percent change from pre-flanker baseline.

<p>‘F’ and ‘T’ correspond to flanker (at -200 ms) and target (0 ms) presentation respectively and colored arrows mark average reaction times for CO, SI and RI respectively. Gray windows highlight the peak activity across ROIs (450-600ms for most ROIs and 400-600ms for ACC to account for earlier activation to RI). Under placebo, sensorimotor cortex (SMOT) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) show higher theta to both types of incongruity, while right inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are especially responsive to RI trials. Alcohol abolished sensitivity to both types of incongruity in SMOT, but retained higher theta to response incongruity in pre-SMA. Theta increase to RI trials was abolished in the IFC under alcohol, but preserved in the ACC.</p

Schematic of the modified color version of Eriksen flanker task.

<p>Two flanker squares of the same color are presented for 200ms, followed by a central target square for 200ms. During the 1200ms fixation period, subjects are asked to respond to the color of the target using one of two buttons with their left (L) or right (R) index fingers, each corresponding to two of four colors. Congruent (CO) trials use the same color for flankers and target. Stimulus-incongruent (SI) trials have different colors, but both colors are mapped to the same button. Response-incongruent (RI) trials have different colors mapped to different buttons.</p

Group average maps and timecourses of phase-locking values across pairs of ROIs in theta band.

<p>‘F’ and ‘T’ correspond to flanker (at -200 ms) and target (0 ms) presentation respectively. PLV is expressed in percent change from baseline. The right IFC shows increased synchronization with the lateral (SMOT) and medial (preSMA) motor regions. In the earlier time window (150–250 ms), higher PLV is found between the right IFC and right preSMA to both types of incongruity. In the later time window (400–500ms), the IFC co-oscillates with the SMOT and preSMA on RI trials only, indicating their engagement in response execution under conditions of response switching. Alcohol dysregulates co-oscillations between both pairs of ROIs.</p

Beta power timecourses time-locked to the response (button press at time zero), expressed as percent change from baseline in the SMOT areas.

<p>Darker colors in each condition signify the contralateral hemisphere to the responding hand, which always has more beta decrease than the ipsilateral hand (lighter color) at the time of the response. On RI trials, the early time window of -300 to -200ms pre-response (highlighted in peach color) shows that the ipsilateral (primed) hemisphere has more beta decrease, but the two hemispheres switch at 173 ms before the response, marked by the arrow. After the switch and immediately preceding the response (highlighted in dark blue color), the primed hemisphere rebounds back to baseline while the responding hemisphere continues to decrease. In the right panel, lateralized beta power is presented in the bar graphs as a subtraction of beta power in the contralateral—ipsilateral SMOT in the early (-300 to -200 ms) vs late (-100 to 0 ms) time windows.</p

Spontaneous bilateral peripapillary, subhyaloid and vitreous hemorrhage with only minor platelet deficit in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Loo Wan-Wei,1,2 Tuan-Jaffar Tengku-Norina,1 Ahmad-Alwi Azma-Azalina,1 Abdul-Ghani Zulkifli,1 Embong Zunaina21Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu, 2Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, MalaysiaAbstract: A 45-year-old female with underlying idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) complained of acute onset of reduced vision and floaters, in both eyes, for 3 weeks. Visual acuity was 6/36 and 6/60 in the right eye and left eye, respectively. Ophthalmoscopy showed bilateral peripapillary, subhyaloid and vitreous hemorrhage. Hematological evaluation revealed moderate anemia (hemoglobin: 93 g/L) and mild thrombocytopenia (platelets: 120&times;109/L). She was co-managed by a hematologist and ophthalmologists; she was treated medically. Follow-up care during the next 6 weeks revealed spontaneous, partially resolving hemorrhage, with improvement of visual acuity. The purpose of this case report is to highlight ophthalmic involvement of ITP in this patient, despite her only-mild thrombocytopenia, and her spontaneous recovery, despite her receiving only medical treatment.Keywords: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, subhyaloid hemorrhage, vitreous hemorrhag