The Determinants of Capital Structure: Analysis of Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and Properties Companies Listed in Bursa Malaysia

Capital structure refers to the way a corporation finance its assets through some combination of equity, debt or hybrid securities. It is primarily comprises of long term debt, preferred stock and net worth. It also can be quantified by taking how much of each type of financing a company holds as a percentage of all its financing. Most of the companies raise funds by equity or debt. This study was set out to focus on the determinants of capital structure for the properties and real estate investment trust (REITs) companies that listed in the Bursa Malaysia. By using trade off and pecking order theories as theoretical background, 54 sample firms were analyzed. The data was collected for a 10 year time period (2001 – 2010). Leverage was used as dependent variable and six market variables were used as independent variable for the analysis; growth opportunities, profitability, size of the firm, tangibility, volatility and liquidity. Result of multiple linear regression found that, profitability, size of the firm, tangibility, volatility and liquidity were determinants of capital structure of Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) in Malaysia. It appears that less profitable, larger, more tangible, less volatile and less liquid firms are more likely to have higher leverage level

Identification of Worm Types that Infest Bali Cattle in Bolo District

Bali cattle are the primary genetic resources of Indonesia. Besides beef cattle are used as breeds, they are also distributed to all regions in Indonesia. One of the requirements for good quality of beef cattle is to be free from parasitic diseases. Bima Regency is one of the areas of Bali cattle population centers in West Nusa Tenggara, but the Bali cattle maintenance system in Bima Regency is generally still extensive, certainly increasing the potential for diseases. The disease can cause economic losses, disrupt the health of livestock and the health of people who consume meat derived from parasitic-infected animals. This study used 50 stool samples of Bali cattle aged 5 to 12 months taken randomly. The sedimentation and flotation method was used to identify nematode worm eggs. The parameters observed were gastrointestinal parasitic morphology, and then the data were analyzed descriptively. It was found two types of parasites that infected bali cattle in Bolo Sub-district, Ascaris spp, and Trichuris sp. As caris spp infected as many as 72% of 50 bali cattle faecal samples, 72% were infected by Trichuris sp., and mixture of Ascaris spp and Trichuris spp infected 54 % of the sampled cattle. The improvement of cage management and cattle maintenance system are necessary to implement. Those are by taking into high-quality nutrition feeding, regular anthelminthic treatment, and avoiding the feeding of green forage to avoid worm infection and re-infection.

PERKEMBANGAN PARIWISATA ZIARAH MAKAM SYAIKHONA MUHAMMAD KHOLIL DI BANGKALAN TAHUN 2005-2018

Pariwisata adalah kegiatan melakukan perjalanan dengan tujuan mendapatkan kenikmatan, mencari kepuasan, mengetahui sesuatu, memperbaiki kesehatan, menikmati olahraga atau istirahat, menunaikan tugas dan berziarah. Penelitian ini akan membahas mengenai perkembangan pariwisata ziarah di makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil di Bangkalan yang dilihat dari perkembangannya mulai tahun 2005-2018. Perkembangan ini berupa di lakukannya pemugaran pada masjid makam dan perkembangannya wisatawan yang berkunjung ke makam hingga perkembangan dari sosial ekonomi masyarakatnya.Rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah tentang (1) Bagaimana perkembangan wisata Makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil di tahun 2005-2018 (2) Bagaimana Pengaruh peziarah terhadap perkembangan masyarakat sekitar wisata religi Makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil. Metode dalam penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian sejarah yang terdiri dari empat langkah yaitu, heuristik, kritik, interprestasi dan historiografi. Dari penelitian ini terlihat bahwa kegiatan berziarah masih sangat melekat di diri masyarakat Madura karena memang turunan dari para leluhur mereka.Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa wisata ziarah makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil setelah masjidnya selesai di bangun tahun 2008 dan akses yang mudah di jangkau pengunjung dari pulau jawa tahun 2009 membuat makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil dikenal masyarakat luas hingga ke luar pulau dan mancanegara. serta sempat adanya permasalahan lahan yang terjadi pada tahun 2015. Mengakibatkan terjadinya peningkatan pengunjung yang cukup signifikan pada tahun 2018.Kata Kunci : Wisata ziarah, makam Syaikhona Muhammad Kholil, dampak sosial dan ekonomi

The challenge of predicting flash floods from thunderstorm rainfall.

A major characteristic of the hydrometeorology of semi-arid regions is the occurrence of intense thunderstorms that develop very rapidly and cause severe flooding. In summer, monsoon air mass is often of subtropical origin and is characterized by convective instability. The existing observational network has major deficiencies for those regions in providing information that is important to run-off generation. Further, because of the complex interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere, mesoscale atmospheric models are currently able to reproduce only general features of the initiation and development of convective systems. In our research, several interrelated components including the use of satellite data to monitor precipitation, data assimilation of a mesoscale regional atmospheric model, modification of the land component of the mesoscale model to better represent the semi-arid region surface processes that control run-off generation, and the use of ensemble forecasting techniques to improve forecasts of precipitation and run-off potential are investigated. This presentation discusses our ongoing research in this area; preliminary results including an investigation related to the unprecedented flash floods that occurred across the Las Vegas valley (Nevada, USA) in July of 1999 are discussed

O-Cell Testing of Reinforced Concrete Driven Piles

Precast and prestressed concrete piles, approximately 12 to 18 inch diameter or width are frequently used to support heavy building and bridge structures. Fly ash has long been recognized as a construction material used frequently in several Portland cement and concrete products, structural fills, embankments, and road bases/subbases. However, use of Illinois PCC bottom ash in construction of precast concrete piles so far has been very limited, if any, mainly due to the lack of technical data to convince the engineering community that bottom ash could be used in precast and prestressed concrete piles without jeopardizing their performance and the structural integrity to resist the anticipated loads. The main objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of using Illinois PCC bottom ash on the performance of precast concrete driven piles when subjected to axial loads using O-Cell. This goal was accomplished by performing field tests on full-size piles made with concrete composites containing Illinois PCC bottom ash and comparing their performance with the performance of a similar pile made with an equivalent conventional concrete. The test results show that that the performance of piles made with concrete composites was similar to that of piles made with an equivalent conventional concrete

Quality Control/Quality Assurance Testing for Joint Density and Segregation of Asphalt Mixtures

Longitudinal joint quality control/assurance is essential to the successful performance of asphalt pavements and it has received considerable amount of attention in recent years. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the level of compaction at the longitudinal joint and determine the effect of segregation on the longitudinal joint performance. Five paving projects with the use of traditional butt joint, infrared joint heater, edge restraint by milling and modified butt joint with the hot pinch longitudinal joint construction techniques were selected in this study. For each project, field density and permeability tests were made and cores from the pavement were obtained for in-lab permeability, air void and indirect tensile strength. Asphalt content and gradations were also obtained to determine the joint segregation. In general, this study finds that the minimum required joint density should be around 90.0% of the theoretical maximum density based on the AASHTO T166 method. The restrained-edge by milling and butt joint with the infrared heat treatment construction methods both create the joint density higher than this 90.0% limit. Traditional butt joint exhibits lower density and higher permeability than the criterion. In addition, all of the projects appear to have segregation at the longitudinal joint except for the edge-restraint by milling method

Quality control/quality assurance testing for longitudinal joint density and segregation of asphalt mixtures

AbstractLongitudinal joint quality control/assurance is essential to the successful performance of asphalt pavement and it has received considerable amount of attention in recent years. Five paving projects were selected for sampling and evaluation in Iowa. For each project, joint quality is compared with regard to the “center” of the pavement mat (6′ right of joint). Field densities and permeability test were made. Cores were obtained for subsequent lab permeability, density and indirect tensile (IDT) strength testing. Asphalt content and gradations were also obtained to determine the joint segregation.In general, this study found that methods providing the most reliable measurements of joint quality are the AASHTO T166, AASHTO T331 (CoreLok) density tests and the permeability test by Karol-Warner Permeameter. The minimum required joint density for quality control should be around 90.0% and 88.5% of theoretical maximum density based on the AASHTO T166 and AASHTO T331 method respectively. Based on various mix design and longitudinal joint construction methods, the joints show differences in asphalt content and level of segregation. Results of this study indicate that poor quality of longitudinal joint should be a combination of segregation, asphalt content variation and insufficient density

Digital technology and patient and public involvement (PPI) in routine care and clinical research-A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Patient and public involvement (PPI) has growing impact on the design of clinical care and research studies. There remains underreporting of formal PPI events including views related to using digital tools. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of hosting a hybrid PPI event to gather views on the use of digital tools in clinical care and research. METHODS: A PPI focus day was held following local procedures and published recommendations related to advertisement, communication and delivery. Two exemplar projects were used as the basis for discussions and qualitative and quantitative data was collected. RESULTS: 32 individuals expressed interest in the PPI day and 9 were selected to attend. 3 participated in person and 6 via an online video-calling platform. Selected written and verbal feedback was collected on two digitally themed projects and on the event itself. The overall quality and interactivity for the event was rated as 4/5 for those who attended in person and 4.5/5 and 4.8/5 respectively, for those who attended remotely. CONCLUSIONS: A hybrid PPI event is feasible and offers a flexible format to capture the views of patients. The overall enthusiasm for digital tools amongst patients in routine care and clinical research is high, though further work and standardised, systematic reporting of PPI events is required

Validation of Gyratory Mix Design in Iowa

The design number of gyrations (Ndesign) introduced by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) and used in the Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement (Superpave) mix design method has been commonly used in flexible pavement design throughout the US since 1996. Ndesign, also known as the compaction effort, is used to simulate field compaction during construction and has been reported to produce air voids that are unable to reach ultimate pavement density within the initial 2 to 3 years post-construction, potentially having an adverse impact on long-term performance. Other state transportation agencies have conducted studies validating the Ndesign for their specific regions, which resulted in modifications of the gyration effort for the various traffic levels. Validating this relationship for Iowa asphalt mix designs will lead to better correlations between mix design target voids, field voids, and performance. A comprehensive analysis of current Ndesign levels investigated the current levels with existing mixes and pavements and developed initial asphalt mix design recommendations that identify an optimum Ndesign through the use of performance data tests

Potent anti-inflammatory effects of an H2 S-releasing naproxen (ATB-346) in a human model of inflammation

ATB-346 is a hydrogen sulfide-releasing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (H2 S-NSAID) derived from naproxen, which in preclinical studies has been shown to have markedly reduced gastrointestinal adverse effects. However, its anti-inflammatory properties in humans compared to naproxen are yet to be confirmed. To test this, we used a dermal model of acute inflammation in healthy, human volunteers, triggered by ultraviolet-killed Escherichia coli. This robust model allows quantification of the cardinal signs of inflammation along with cellular and humoral factors accumulating within the inflamed skin. ATB-346 was non-inferior to naproxen in terms of its inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity as well as pain and tenderness. ATB-346 significantly inhibited neutrophil infiltration at the site of inflammation at 4 h, compared to untreated controls. Subjects treated with ATB-346 also experienced significantly reduced pain and tenderness compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, both classical and intermediate monocyte subsets infiltrating the site of inflammation at 48 h expressed significantly lower levels of CD14 compared to untreated controls, demonstrating a shift toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Collectively, we have shown for the first time in humans that ATB-346 is potently anti-inflammatory and propose that ATB-346 represents the next generation of H2 S-NSAIDs, as a viable alternative to conventional NSAIDs, with reduced adverse effects profile