Effects of Quality of Financial Statements and CEO Turnover

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of CEO turnover and CFO turnover on earnings management. In addition, Taiwan’s authorities will require listed companies to complete the establishment of audit committee replacing supervisors in 2022. Corporate governance is not an overnight phenomenon. It has been existing from a long time. It is only that the beginning of 21st century when colossal enterprises started to fall, government across globe started giving it due credit. The present paper is an attempt to trace the history of corporate governance. It starts with discussing various theories which led to the development of such an important concept and then dwells on various models in which economies employ corporate governance in their structure and finally the evolution of corporate governance across globe. The paper sheds light on important committees and reforms which have been the genesis of corporate governance across globe. It undertakes an extensive literature review on different aspects of corporate governance. Corporate governance is a concept which still debatable among experts in describing it. The purpose of this study is to explore how the implementation and principal problems of good corporate governance in the management of current limited liability company

A rare complication in a child undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis

AbstractWe report the case of a 4-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in high-risk group who suffered from generalized tonic-colonic seizure evolving into status epilepticus, and subsequent left hemiparesis during his first reinduction chemotherapy, consisting of dexamethasone, vincristine, l-asparaginase, and epirubicin. Superior sagittal sinus and cerebral venous thrombosis, predominantly in right side, were proved by brain magnetic resonance imaging. After aggressive treatment with low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH), left hemiparesis improved in 1 week. And he was fully ambulatory 3 weeks later. The second cycle of reinduction chemotherapy was conducted smoothly with the concomitant use of LMWH. This case illustrates the strong correlation of the rare thrombotic complication, superior sagittal sinus thrombosis, and hypercoagulable status secondary to combination use of l-asparaginase and corticosteroid. Early and vigilant recognition of superior sagittal sinus thrombosis and prompt anticoagulation with LMWH may prevent further neurological damage

Sodium vanadate combined with l-ascorbic acid delays disease progression, enhances motor performance, and ameliorates muscle atrophy and weakness in mice with spinal muscular atrophy

BACKGROUND: Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neurodegenerative disorder that causes infant mortality, has no effective treatment. Sodium vanadate has shown potential for the treatment of SMA; however, vanadate-induced toxicity in vivo remains an obstacle for its clinical application. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of sodium vanadate combined with a vanadium detoxification agent, L-ascorbic acid, in a SMA mouse model. METHODS: Sodium vanadate (200 μM), L-ascorbic acid (400 μM), or sodium vanadate combined with L-ascorbic acid (combined treatment) were applied to motor neuron-like NSC34 cells and fibroblasts derived from a healthy donor and a type II SMA patient to evaluate the cellular viability and the efficacy of each treatment in vitro. For the in vivo studies, sodium vanadate (20 mg/kg once daily) and L-ascorbic acid (40 mg/kg once daily) alone or in combination were orally administered daily on postnatal days 1 to 30. Motor performance, pathological studies, and the effects of each treatment (vehicle, L-ascorbic acid, sodium vanadate, and combined treatment) were assessed and compared on postnatal days (PNDs) 30 and 90. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the survival rate, with P < 0.05 indicating significance. For other studies, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's t test for paired variables were used to measure significant differences (P < 0.05) between values. RESULTS: Combined treatment protected cells against vanadate-induced cell death with decreasing B cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax) levels. A month of combined treatment in mice with late-onset SMA beginning on postnatal day 1 delayed disease progression, improved motor performance in adulthood, enhanced survival motor neuron (SMN) levels and motor neuron numbers, reduced muscle atrophy, and decreased Bax levels in the spinal cord. Most importantly, combined treatment preserved hepatic and renal function and substantially decreased vanadium accumulation in these organs. CONCLUSIONS: Combined treatment beginning at birth and continuing for 1 month conferred protection against neuromuscular damage in mice with milder types of SMA. Further, these mice exhibited enhanced motor performance in adulthood. Therefore, combined treatment could present a feasible treatment option for patients with late-onset SMA

Indigenous Case of Disseminated Histoplasmosis, Taiwan

We report the first indigenous case of disseminated histoplasmosis in Taiwan diagnosed by histopathology of bone marrow, microbiologic morphology, and PCR assay of the isolated fungus. This case suggests that histoplasmosis should be 1 of the differential diagnoses of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients in Taiwan

The Stable Association of Virion with the Triple-geneblockProtein 3-based Complex of Bamboo mosaic virus

The triple-gene-block protein 3 (TGBp3) of Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) is an integral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membraneprotein which is assumed to form a membrane complex to deliver the virus intracellularly. However, the virus entity that isdelivered to plasmodesmata (PD) and its association with TGBp3-based complexes are not known. Results from chemicalextraction and partial proteolysis of TGBp3 in membrane vesicles revealed that TGBp3 has a right-side-out membranetopology; i.e., TGBp3 has its C-terminal tail exposed to the outer surface of ER. Analyses of the TGBp3-specificimmunoprecipitate of Sarkosyl-extracted TGBp3-based complex revealed that TGBp1, TGBp2, TGBp3, capsid protein (CP),replicase and viral RNA are potential constituents of virus movement complex. Substantial co-fractionation of TGBp2, TGBp3and CP, but not TGBp1, in the early eluted gel filtration fractions in which virions were detected after TGBp3-specificimmunoprecipitation suggested that the TGBp2- and TGBp3-based complex is able to stably associate with the virion. Thisnotion was confirmed by immunogold-labeling transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the purified virions. In addition,mutational and confocal microscopy analyses revealed that TGBp3 plays a key role in virus cell-to-cell movement byenhancing the TGBp2- and TGBp3-dependent PD localization of TGBp1. Taken together, our results suggested that the cellto-cell movement of potexvirus requires stable association of the virion cargo with the TGBp2- and TGBp3-based membranecomplex and recruitment of TGBp1 to the PD by this complex

Cytochrome P450 Metabolism of Betel Quid-Derived Compounds: Implications for the Development of Prevention Strategies for Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers

Betel quid (BQ) products, with or without tobacco, have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as group I human carcinogens that are associated with an elevated risk of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. There are estimated 600 million BQ users worldwide. In Taiwan alone there are 2 million habitual users (approximately 10% of the population). Oral and pharyngeal cancers result from interactions between genes and environmental factors (BQ exposure). Cytochrome p450 (CYP) families are implicated in the metabolic activation of BQ- and areca nut-specific nitrosamines. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge base regarding CYP genetic variants and related oral disorders. In clinical applications, we focus on cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx and OPMDs associated with CYP gene polymorphisms, including CYP1A1, CYP2A6, CYP2E1, and CYP26B1. Our discussion of CYP polymorphisms provides insight into the importance of screening tests in OPMDs patients for the prevention of oral and pharyngeal cancers. Future studies will establish a strong foundation for the development of chemoprevention strategies, polymorphism-based clinical diagnostic tools (e.g., specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) “barcodes”), and effective treatments for BQ-related oral disorders

Near-Infrared Survey and Photometric Redshifts in the Extended GOODS-North field

We present deep $J$ and $H$-band images in the extended Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North (GOODS-N) field covering an area of 0.22 $\rm{deg}^{2}$. The observations were taken using WIRCam on the 3.6-m Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Together with the reprocessed $K_{\rm s}$-band image, the $5\sigma$ limiting AB magnitudes (in 2" diameter apertures) are 24.7, 24.2, and 24.4 AB mag in the $J$, $H$, and $K_{\rm s}$ bands, respectively. We also release a multi-band photometry and photometric redshift catalog containing 93598 sources. For non-X-ray sources, we obtained a photometric redshift accuracy $\sigma_{\mathrm{NMAD}}=0.036$ with an outlier fraction $\eta = 7.3\%$. For X-ray sources, which are mainly active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we cross-matched our catalog with the updated 2M-CDFN X-ray catalog from Xue et al. (2016) and found that 658 out of 683 X-ray sources have counterparts. $GALEX$ UV data are included in the photometric redshift computation for the X-ray sources to give $\sigma_{\mathrm{NMAD}} = 0.040$ with $\eta=10.5\%$. Our approach yields more accurate photometric redshift estimates compared to previous works in this field. In particular, by adopting AGN-galaxy hybrid templates, our approach delivers photometric redshifts for the X-ray counterparts with fewer outliers compared to the 3D-HST catalog, which fit these sources with galaxy-only templates

Comprehensive Insights Into Composition, Metabolic Potentials, and Interactions Among Archaeal, Bacterial, and Viral Assemblages in Meromictic Lake Shunet in Siberia

Microorganisms are critical to maintaining stratified biogeochemical characteristics in meromictic lakes; however, their community composition and potential roles in nutrient cycling are not thoroughly described. Both metagenomics and metaviromics were used to determine the composition and capacity of archaea, bacteria, and viruses along the water column in the landlocked meromictic Lake Shunet in Siberia. Deep sequencing of 265 Gb and high-quality assembly revealed a near-complete genome corresponding to Nonlabens sp. sh3vir. in a viral sample and 38 bacterial bins (0.2–5.3 Mb each). The mixolimnion (3.0 m) had the most diverse archaeal, bacterial, and viral communities, followed by the monimolimnion (5.5 m) and chemocline (5.0 m). The bacterial and archaeal communities were dominated by Thiocapsa and Methanococcoides, respectively, whereas the viral community was dominated by Siphoviridae. The archaeal and bacterial assemblages and the associated energy metabolism were significantly related to the various depths, in accordance with the stratification of physicochemical parameters. Reconstructed elemental nutrient cycles of the three layers were interconnected, including co-occurrence of denitrification and nitrogen fixation in each layer and involved unique processes due to specific biogeochemical properties at the respective depths. According to the gene annotation, several pre-dominant yet unknown and uncultured bacteria also play potentially important roles in nutrient cycling. Reciprocal BLAST analysis revealed that the viruses were specific to the host archaea and bacteria in the mixolimnion. This study provides insights into the bacterial, archaeal, and viral assemblages and the corresponding capacity potentials in Lake Shunet, one of the three meromictic lakes in central Asia. Lake Shunet was determined to harbor specific and diverse viral, bacterial, and archaeal communities that intimately interacted, revealing patterns shaped by indigenous physicochemical parameters

Design-Based Research in CALL

The purpose of this volume is to expand and refine our understanding of the use of design-based research (DBR) in CALL by contributing to the growing body of literature in this area. We have tried our best to strike a balance between theoretical considerations and concrete examples of DBR. The first section of this volume focuses on theoretical perspectives and ideas that can inform the use of DBR in CALL. The second section contains studies that illustrate DBR through concrete instances of its operationalization. We hope this volume will be a useful source of information and inspiration for those considering to further explore DBR in CALL. For updates on DBR in CALL, please visit the companion site to this volume: https://sites.google.com/site/designbasedresearch/https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/language_books/1006/thumbnail.jp

Rapid Trio Exome Sequencing for Autosomal Recessive Renal Tubular Dysgenesis in Recurrent Oligohydramnios

Oligohydramnios is not a rare prenatal finding. However, recurrent oligohydramnios is uncommon, and genetic etiology should be taken into consideration. We present two families with recurrent fetal oligohydramnios that did not respond to amnioinfusion. Rapid trio-whole-exome sequencing (WES) revealed mutations in the AGT gene in both families within 1 week. The first family had a compound heterozygous mutation with c.856 + 1G &gt; T and c.857-619_1269 + 243delinsTTGCCTTGC changes. The second family had homozygous c.857-619_1269 + 243delinsTTGCCTTGC mutations. AGT gene mutation may lead to autosomal recessive renal tubular dysgenesis, a rare and lethal disorder that can result in early neonatal death. Both the alleles identified are known alleles associated with pathogenicity. Our findings suggest that trio-WES analysis may help rapidly identify causative etiologies that can inform prompt counseling and decision-making prenatally