Macro and Micro Earnings Manipulation: The Role of Accounting Standard Setting Process

Preparers of financial statements are in aposition to influence the view of economic reality presented inthose statements to interested parties. The term 'macromanipulation'is used to describe the lobbying of preparersagainst regulators (accounting standards setters) to persuadethem to produce regulation that is more favorable to theinterests of preparers. The aime of this paper is to introduce asuggested tool that could be used to ascertain why somefinancial accounting standards turn out to the benefit of one ofthe stakeholders involved in the process of accountingstandards setting. This paper utilizes the construct of power toreveal the influences from parties involved in the process ofaccounting standards setting. The comprehensive incomereporting standard is used in this paper as an example of thesetypes of standard that may involve 'macro-manipulation'

The Usefulness of Different Accounting Earnings Measures: The Case of Egypt

The objective of this paper is to investigate whichmeasure of accounting income (comprehensive income,operating income, or net income) is more useful to equityinvestors in explaining future earnings, future cash flows, andstock returns. This study proposes that different measures ofincome are more useful for different uses. The research isundertaken within the Egyptian environment that allowsconsiderable asset revaluations and holds the reporting ofextraordinary items. Therefore, such environment provides arich ground for testing the expected effects of reportingcomprehensive income and its components on the Egyptianinvestors. The results do not support the superiority ofcomprehensive income measures in explaining the followingperiod’s net income compared to net income. None of the fourtested measures of earnings is able to explain the followingperiod’s cash flows. Operating income is superior to the otherthree measures of income in explaining stock return

An Interpretive Analysis of how Audit Quality is Perceived in Economies in Transition

With the movement of many internationalaccounting firms into Egypt, and the growth of local auditfirms, it is particularly interesting, and relevant forgovernmental legislators, to study how the providers of theaudit service perceive the quality of what they do. In thissense, the purpose of this paper is to report the perceptions ofprofessional auditors in Egypt concerning how they perceivethe quality of the service they provide. The paper also analyzesdifferences between perceptions of the Big 4 audit firms andother local audit firms. Based on 28 semi-structuredinterviews, it was revealed that the interviewees generallybelieved that the audit quality is preserved high in thepresence of four factors: (1) high ethical standards to guideand regulate the profession; (2) a well planned and conductedaudit; (3) a more knowledgeable audit team; and (4) having agood relationship with the client management

Performance of FSO Communication System under Various Weather Condition

In this paper, the performance FSO communication under different weather condition is theoretically analyzed, using L-PPM modulation technique and a Si PIN photodiodes receiver over FSO channels. Based on the attenuation coefficient of different weather and impacts on a received signal power, SNR, BER, and channel are analyzed. Simulation results indicate that the performance of 16-PPM is more suited for FSO communication. Keywords: Communications, FSO Communications, Bit Error Rate, Channel Capacity

CLEMASTINE, THE H1 HISTAMINE RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST, ALTERS THE HUMAN SEX AND THYROID HORMONAL PROFILES

  Objective: Clemastine is widely used as an antihistaminic drug. However, clemastine effectively acts as an antagonist of H1 histamine receptor, it has significant burden adverse effects causing common nervous system, psychiatric, and gastrointestinal ailments, as well as rare cardiac and immune system disorders. The objective of this study is to investigate whether there is a remarkable impact of clemastine administration on the human hormonal pituitary-thyroid-adrenal axis.Methods: To achieve that, hormonal profile was tested in the sera of males and females treated and untreated individuals with clemastine. This is to measure serum estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, fasting insulin, and cortisol levels. The circulating hormonal levels were measured quantitatively using enzyme-link immunosorbent assay.Results: We resulted that there were significant differences of the human hormonal profile on clemastine treatment.Conclusion: Hormonal profiling showed that there were remarkable signatures could be of great interest to underline some recommendations and guidelines optimizing the clemastine dosage to avoid burdens associated with the administration of this drug as well as maintain the physiological and psychological performances of both sexes exposing to clemastine during the period of allergic treatment

Synthesis of new thiophene derivatives and their use as photostabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride)

Five new thiophenes, namely, N-[(3-bromo-2-methylthiophen-5-yl)methylene]-4-methoxyaniline (4a), N-[(3-bromo-2-methylthiophen-5-yl)methylene]-3,4-dimethoxyaniline (4b), N-[(3-bromo-2-methylthiophen-5-yl)methylene]-3,4-dimethylaniline (4c), 3-[(3-bromo-2-methylthiophen-5-yl)methyleneamino]-2-methylquinazolin-4(3H)-one (4d), and 3-[(3-bromo-2-methylthiophen-5-yl)methyleneamino]-2-isopropylquinazolin-4(3H)-one (4e), have been synthesized. All of these materials brought about a reduction in the level of photodegradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films containing the synthesized thiophenes (0.5%; by weight). The results obtained showed that the extent of photostabilization of PVC in the presence of an additive was in the order 4e > 4d > 4b > 4a > 4c. For the most favorable additive (4e), the rate of appearance of infrared absorption bands of degradation products was reduced by around two-thirds, while the quantum yield of chain scission was calculated to be reduced by a factor of more than one thousand. It is suggested that the additives may help stabilize PVC by direct absorption of UV radiation and dissipation of the energy as heat or that electrostatic attraction between the additives and PVC may assist transfer of energy from excited state PVC to the additive, from where it can be dissipated

BEHAVIOUR OF HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE COMPOSITE SLABS WITH DIFFERENT END ANCHORAGES

This study is performed to investigate experimentally the behaviour of steel deck composite slabs with different end anchorages. End anchorage as a type of shear connection for composite slabs plays an important role to prevent relative slip between concrete and steel deck. The presented composite slab specimens are made of high strength concrete and loaded at a specific shear span. Objectives of this study is to evaluate experimentally load carrying capacity, end slip, mode of failure, shear bond capacity, and the end anchorage contribution to the whole composite slab behaviour. Research also presents a comparison between the experimental results and the theoretical results derived according to m-k and partial shear connection methods included in these standards (BS 5950-4:1994, CSSBI S3-2003, and EC4 EN 1994-1-1:2004)

A Research Study in the Synthesis and the Applications of Coumarin Derivatives

Many organic and medicinal chemists are interested in the coumarin compounds because of their potential for use in pharmaceuticals and other industries. Coumarin compounds are a significant class of biologically active chemicals. Here, we outline the steps for producing coumarin derivatives quickly and effectively from commercially accessible substrates via multicomponent condensation processes involving pyrone and benzene derivatives. These substances were examined for their potential anti-tumor effects, including their ability to block carbonic anhydrase, activate the cell apoptosis protein, and coumarin and its derivatives are the primary oral anticoagulants. Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Fusarium solani are three distinct fungus species that are resistant to the antifungal properties of synthetic coumarins. Long known are the coumarins' antibacterial, antifilarial, antiulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Coumarin has long been valued as a major raw element in the fragrance sector due to its distinct sweet aroma and stability. When mixed with organic essential oils like lavender, citrus, rosemary, and oak moss, it is used as an odour-enhancer to produce a long-lasting impact. It has been utilized as a bleaching or brightening agent in detergents. Materials such as liquid crystalline, organic/inorganic composites, as well as light harvesting, energy transferring compounds, and electro-optics materials are all employed as a dye in organic photo-redox catalysis and as potent photo-sensitizers reagent. These materials polymerize epoxy-silicones, under near-UV and visible light. Coumarin has also found useful as metal-free sensitizers for solar cells

The use of lexical complexity for assessing difficulty in instructional videos

Although measures of lexical complexity are well established for printed texts, there is currently no equivalent work for videos. This study, therefore, aims to investigate whether existing lexical complexity measures can be extended to predict second language (L2) learners’ judgment of video difficulty. Using a corpus of 320 instructional videos, regression models were developed for explaining and predicting difficulty using indices of lexical sophistication, density, and diversity. Results of the study confirm key dimensions of lexical complexity in estimates of video difficulty. In particular, lexical frequency indices accounted for the largest variance in the assessment of video difficulty (R2 = .45). We conclude with implications for CALL and suggest areas of further research