Corporate governance, ownership structure and dividend smoothing : the mediating role of family ownership and board diversity in emerging markets

Purpose: The study attempts to explore the determinants of dividend smoothing behavior of firms by using firm’s specific characteristics, corporate governance and ownership structure variables as determinants of dividend smoothing in emerging markets due to their unique features from Western markets. The current study is undertaken to fill this gap in the literature. Design/methodology/approach: In order to achieve the research objectives penal data (2009-2018) of more than 1000 Asian firms were analyzed by using Statistical techniques such as pool, fixed and random models. Findings: Based on gender critical mass theory, the study finds that the presence of gender critical mass is positive and significantly associated with firm dividend smoothing behavior; whereas, presence of fewer women depicts negative or insignificant association with dividend smoothing behavior. Importantly, the study also finds moderating role of gender diversity between family ownership and firm’s dividend smoothing behavior. Furthermore, contrary to the agency theory based on explanations of dividend smoothing, firms with family ownership smooth dividend more in emerging markets. Practical implications: This paper helps out to the current as well as future potential investors to make better decision in such a changing economy as well as to help investors in selecting better investment opportunity to make their investment more profitable. Originality/value: The current study is the first of its kind to investigate dividend-smoothing behavior for more than 1000 firms of emerging Asian countries based on cross country analysis.peer-reviewe

Ribavirin Induced Anemia among Patients with Hepatitis-C at Tertiary Care Hospital.

Introduction: Hepatitis C is among one of the major global health issues; which may cause chronic liver disease, end stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma; subsequently requiring liver transplant. For HCV, standard treatment is a combination therapy of ribavirin and interferon for six months. Ribavirin fostered hemolysis is a major treatment-associated adverse effect.Objective: To assess ribavirin induced anemia among Hepatitis C patients visiting Civil Hospital, Karachi (CHK).Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2017 to January 2018. 106 Hepatitis C patients; through non-probability convenient sampling technique; visiting CHK, a public sector tertiary care hospital were enrolled. Results: Among106 patients, 53 (50.0%) were males and 53 (50.0%) were females. Mean ±SD age was 37.05 ±10.793. Mean ±SD duration of ribavirin use was 3.03 ±1.523 months. Around 16.0% had ribavirin dose reduction. All of them experienced weakness, fatigue and light-headedness, 59.4% developed microcytic hypochromic anemia, 23.6% had severe anemia. Mean ±SD hemoglobin (g/dL) level before the onset of treatment was 12.78 ±1.555. Mean hemoglobin level during treatment was 10.72g/dL. Mean reduction in hemoglobin levels was 2.07g/dL. The reduction in hemoglobin levels and the duration of therapy were correlated (p-value <0.05). The severity of anemia was related to age of the patients (p-value <0.05) but not with gender and morphology of red blood cell.Conclusion: Ribavirin induces anemia, its severity is related to the duration of ribavirin therapy and initial hemoglobin levels. It is sometime severe enough to warrant dose reduction and consequently suboptimal dose of ribavirin affect efficacy. Key Words: Hepatitis C, Ribavirin, Microcytic Hypochromic Anemia

Study of PAN Fiber and Iron ore Adsorbents for Arsenic Removal

The main idea to conduct this study is the treatment of hazardous arsenite (As+3)  and arsenate (As+5)from water by two efficient adsorbetns i.e. polyacrylonitrile fiber (organic) and iron ore (inorganic). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were chemically modified prior to loading iron using a solution of diethylenetriamine and aluminum chloride hexahydrate. The characterization of PAN fibers was performed through FTIR spectroscopy, which shows the binding of functional groups on PAN fibers surfaces. Atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) was used to analyze arsenic concentration in samples. The impact of pH, dosage, shaking (contact) time and shaking speed was studied and parameters were optimized for further study. The highest adsorption of 98% is exhibited by modified PAN fiber for As+5 while for As+3 removal is 80%. Modified PAN also showed higher adsorption capacity of 42×103μg/g for As+5 which is better than the As+3 adsorption capacity 33×103 μg/g. Overall results demonstrated that MPAN adsorbent is better than the iron ore adsorbent for the treatment of both As+3 and As+5. Comparative studies of PAN Fiber and iron ore adsorbents revealed that PAN fibers had better adsorption properties than iron ore for As+3  and As+5 in terms of percentage removal and capacity

Efficient Removal of Chromium and Lead from Tanneries Effluent of Korangi Industrial Area Karachi Using Rotating Disk Mesh as Anode Electrode Electrocoagulation

The aim of this study was to examine the best electrode design for the electrocoagulation process with the best removal performance, reduced passivation on the electrode surface, and lower energy consumption requirements for removing Chromium (Cr) and Lead (Pb) from leather tannery effluent. Three different electrodes were compared: non-rotating disk electrode (NRDE), rotating disk electrode (RDE) and rotating disk mesh electrode (RDME). All electrodes were used to observe a reduction in passivation on the electrode surface and its effects on the removal performance of Cr and Pb. The material used for the electrodes was iron. The maximum removal efficiency obtained was Cr = 87.9% and Pb = 97.5% under the following operating conditions: pH = 7, treatment time = 90 min, current density = 6.57 mA/cm², and RPM = 80. The results show that the electrical energy requirement for treating chromium and lead using RDME was 4.5 kWh/m³, which was found to be lower than the energy requirement observed in various other studies for treating tannery effluent. According to the results, RDME shows the highest removal performance with lower specific energy consumption compared to NRDE and RDE. RDME can be efficiently employed at a larger scale for treating leather tannery effluent

A Comprehensive Literature Review of Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass for Syngas Production and Associated Challenge

The interest in the thermochemical conversion of biomass for producer gas production since last decade has increased because of the growing attention to the application of sustainable energy resources. Application of biomass resources is a valid alternative to fossil fuels as it is a renewable energy source. The valuable gaseous product obtained through thermochemical conversion of organic material is syngas, whereas the solid product obtained is char. This review deals with the state of the art of biomass gasification technologies and the quality of syngas gathered through the application of different gasifiers along with the effect of different operating parameters on the quality of producer gas. Main steps in gasification process including drying, oxidation, pyrolysis and reduction effects on syngas production and quality are presented in this review. An overview of various types of gasifiers used in lignocellulosic biomass gasification processes, fixed bed and fluidized bed and entrained flow gasifiers are discussed. The effects of various process parameters such as particle size, steam and biomass ratio, equivalence ratio, effects of temperature, pressure and gasifying agents are discussed. Depending on the priorities of several researchers, the optimum value of different anticipated productivities in the gasification process comprising better quality syngas production improved lower heating value, higher syngas production, improved cold gas efficiency, carbon conversion efficiency, production of char and tar have been reviewed

Effect of provision of home-based curative health services by public sector health-care providers on neonatal survival: a community-based cluster-randomised trial in rural Pakistan

Background Although the effectiveness of community mobilisation and promotive care delivered by community health workers in reducing perinatal and neonatal mortality is well established, evidence in support of home-based neonatal resuscitation and infection management is mixed. We assessed the effectiveness of adding training in neonatal bag and mask resuscitation and oral antibiotic therapy for suspected neonatal infections to a basic preventive and promotive interventions package delivered by public sector community-based lady health workers (LHWs) in rural Pakistan. Methods We did a cluster-randomised controlled trial in two subdistricts of Naushahro Feroze in rural Sindh, Pakistan, between April 15, 2009, and Dec 10, 2012. LHWs, trained in basic newborn resuscitation and in recognition and treatment (with oral amoxicillin) of suspected neonatal respiratory infections, were linked with traditional birth attendants and encouraged to attend home births. Control clusters received routine care through the existing national programme. The primary outcome was all-cause neonatal mortality. Independent data collection teams recorded data for all pregnancies and their outcomes, morbidity, mortality, and household practices related to maternal and newborn care. Findings Of the 27 randomised clusters with functional LHW programmes, 13 were allocated to the intervention group (n=242 749) and 14 to the control group (n=256 985). In the intervention group, LHWs did 80% of the planned community mobilisation sessions, but were able to attend only 1184 (14%) of 8425 deliveries and 4318 (25%) of 17 288 neonatal visits within 72 h of birth (p<0·0001 for both variables compared with the control group). The neonatal mortality rate was 42 deaths per 1000 livebirths in intervention clusters compared with 55 per 1000 in the control group (risk ratio 0·80, 95% CI 0·68–0·93; p=0·005). Interpretation The reduction in neonatal mortality in intervention clusters occurred against a background of improvements in domiciliary practices for maternal and newborn care. However, the poor reach of LHWs in accessing newborn infants at birth and in the early postnatal period underscores the limitations of tasking community health workers in public sector programmes working in similar circumstances with such complex interventions. Such community-based interventions in health systems should be accompanied by concerted efforts to improve quality of care in facilities and referral systems

Evaluation of the uptake and impact of neonatal vitamin A supplementation delivered through the Lady Health Worker programme on neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality in rural Pakistan: an effectiveness trial

Background: Despite evidence for the benefits of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) among children 6 to 59 months of age, the feasibility of introduction and potential benefit of VAS in the neonatal period in public health programmes is uncertain. Objective: The primary objective was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of early neonatal VAS (single dose of 50 000 international units within 48–72 hours after birth) delivered through the public sector Lady Health Worker (LHW) programme in rural Pakistan and to document its association with a reduction in mortality at 6 months of age. Methods: A community-based, cluster randomised, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken in two districts of rural Pakistan. LHWs dispensed vitamin A/placebo in identical capsules to newborn infants within 48–72 hours of birth. Follow-up visits were undertaken at 1 week of age and every 4 weeks thereafter until 6 months of age. Results: Of a total of 15 433 consecutive pregnancies among eligible women of reproductive age, 13 225 pregnancies were registered, 12 218 live births identified and 11 028 newborn infants reached by LHWs. Of these, 5380 (49%) received neonatal VAS and 5648 (51%) placebo. The LHWs successfully delivered the capsules to 79% of newborns within 72 hours of birth with no significant adverse effects. Although the proportion of days observed with symptoms of fever, diarrhoea or rapid breathing were lower with neonatal VAS, these differences were not statistically significant. Mortality rates in the two groups were comparable at 6 months of age. Conclusions: While our study demonstrated that neonatal VAS was safe and could be feasibly delivered by LHWs in Pakistan as part of their early postnatal visits, the overall lack of benefit on neonatal and 6-month morbidity and mortality in our population suggests the need for further evaluation of this intervention in populations at risk

Effect of provision of home-based curative health services by public sector health-care providers on neonatal survival: a community-based cluster-randomised trial in rural Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Although the effectiveness of community mobilisation and promotive care delivered by community health workers in reducing perinatal and neonatal mortality is well established, evidence in support of home-based neonatal resuscitation and infection management is mixed. We assessed the effectiveness of adding training in neonatal bag and mask resuscitation and oral antibiotic therapy for suspected neonatal infections to a basic preventive and promotive interventions package delivered by public sector community-based lady health workers (LHWs) in rural Pakistan. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised controlled trial in two subdistricts of Naushahro Feroze in rural Sindh, Pakistan, between April 15, 2009, and Dec 10, 2012. LHWs, trained in basic newborn resuscitation and in recognition and treatment (with oral amoxicillin) of suspected neonatal respiratory infections, were linked with traditional birth attendants and encouraged to attend home births. Control clusters received routine care through the existing national programme. The primary outcome was all-cause neonatal mortality. Independent data collection teams recorded data for all pregnancies and their outcomes, morbidity, mortality, and household practices related to maternal and newborn care. FINDINGS: Of the 27 randomised clusters with functional LHW programmes, 13 were allocated to the intervention group (n=242 749) and 14 to the control group (n=256 985). In the intervention group, LHWs did 80% of the planned community mobilisation sessions, but were able to attend only 1184 (14%) of 8425 deliveries and 4318 (25%) of 17 288 neonatal visits within 72 h of birth (p<0·0001 for both variables compared with the control group). The neonatal mortality rate was 42 deaths per 1000 livebirths in intervention clusters compared with 55 per 1000 in the control group (risk ratio 0·80, 95% CI 0·68-0·93; p=0·005). INTERPRETATION: The reduction in neonatal mortality in intervention clusters occurred against a background of improvements in domiciliary practices for maternal and newborn care. However, the poor reach of LHWs in accessing newborn infants at birth and in the early postnatal period underscores the limitations of tasking community health workers in public sector programmes working in similar circumstances with such complex interventions. Such community-based interventions in health systems should be accompanied by concerted efforts to improve quality of care in facilities and referral systems. FUNDING: Saving Newborn Lives, Save the Children USA

Design and Evaluation of Memory Efficient Data Structure Scheme for Energy Drainage Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are deployed on a large scale and require protection from malicious energy drainage attacks, particularly those directed at the routing layer. The complexity increases during critical operations like cluster head selection where detection of such attacks is challenging. The dependency of WSN on batteries elevates the concern posed by these threats, making detection and isolation crucial, especially within the framework of energy-efficient clustering protocols such as Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH). Various approaches have been proposed in prior research to deal with such attacks. However, the use of memory-efficient data structures has yet to be effectively addressed. In this article, considering the limitations of WSN, we utilize memory-efficient data structures named Bloom filters, count-min (CM) sketch, and cellular automata (CA) to address abnormal energy drainage. A CA-based trust model is used to choose the legitimate node as the cluster head. CM sketch is used to control the frequency of a node selected as a cluster head, achieving fairness in the cluster head selection process, and Bloom filters maintain the record of malicious nodes blocked from participating in the communication or cluster head selection process. CA and trust functions collectively keep a record of neighbors' energy and their trust in the network. Grayhole, blackhole, and scheduling attacks are three well-known threats that lead to abnormal energy drainage in legitimate nodes. The proposed solution effectively detects and addresses abnormal energy drainage in WSN. Its impact is simulated and observed using ns2 IEEE 802.15.4 medium access control (MAC) and LEACH clustering protocols, specifically in the context of the mentioned attacks. The effectiveness of the proposed model was rigorously analysed, and it was observed that it reduces the energy consumption of WSN by approximately 16.66%, 48.33%, and 43.33% in the cases of grayhole, blackhole, and scheduling attacks, respectively. In terms of space/time complexity, its growth is linear O(n). The proposed solution also consumes 0.08-0.10 J more energy compared to the original LEACH as a cost of the solution, which is not more than 2% of the total initial energy. The tradeoff of implementing heightened security is worthwhile, as the proposed approach outperforms the original LEACH and related methods, effectively mitigating abnormal energy drainage in WSN and extending network lifetime, especially in challenging environments with persistent battery recharging challenges. INDEX TERMS WSN, LEACH, cellular automata, CM sketch, Bloom filter, energy drainage, blackhole, grayhole, and scheduling attacks, trust model

Evaluation of solar disinfection of water intervention delivered through lady health workers in reduction of diarrheal episodes in under five children

Background: Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) is a simple, inexpensive and sustainable means of daily household treatment for drinking and storage of water. Globally, over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. As many as half million under five children die annually due to diarrheal illnesses. Most of these deaths are concentrated in Africa and South Asia. Unsafe water is one of the most critical risk factors for diarrhoea. Systematic reviews indicate that interventions to improve the microbial quality of drinking water in households are effective at reducing diarrhoea illnesses and thereby contribute significantly in reducing deaths due to communicable diseases in children under 5 years. We evaluated the impact of the SODIS intervention on health outcomes and diarrheal episodes in two districts of Punjab province in Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to assess the impact of solar water disinfection (SODIS) program in two districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. The program was implemented by the Ministry of Health from April 2010- May 2011 in Faisalabad district. We selected Toba Tek Singh as a comparison district for the survey.Results: Analysis with regression models revealed that children had a lower risk of contracting diarrhoea when they consumed high percentages of safe drinks (SODIS), lived in households with good hygiene, washed hands, and belonged to the richest quintile. Diarrhoea prevalence was 10.1 episodes per child per year in the non-intervention area compared to 5.6 episodes per child per year (\u3c 0.0001) in the intervention area. Similarly the proportion of children with dysentery reported in the intervention was half compared to non-intervention area (6.1% vs. 13.9%). SODIS method for purifying drinking water is acceptable and effective in the developing countries. It should be a part of preventive strategies at health system level to control diarrheal illnesses and reduce under five mortalit