The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of corporate governance and disclosure policy on corporate financial performance by examining the combined effect of board characteristics and disclosure level on f...The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of corporate governance and disclosure policy on corporate financial performance by examining the combined effect of board characteristics and disclosure level on financing costs. The empirical analysis, conducted on a sample of 192 Canadian companies, generally shows the importance of board characteristics in determining the level of disclosure and firms＇ costs of financing. In particular, the results found indicate that boards whose characteristics meet the governance requirements that are associated with greater transparency in disclosure on governance attributes reduce the costs of financing of their companies by debt as well as by equity capital.展开更多
This paper examines The Herald newspaper＇s role in safeguarding the seemingly unparalleled longevity of Zimbabwe＇s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front （ZANU-PF） party. Through an analysis of a s...This paper examines The Herald newspaper＇s role in safeguarding the seemingly unparalleled longevity of Zimbabwe＇s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front （ZANU-PF） party. Through an analysis of a sample of stories from both the paper＇s print and online editions, the study traces the origins of the broadsheet＇s ostensibly unflagging pro-ZANU-PF editorial positions, turning to article analysis to critically probe not only the motive but also the impact of the newspaper＇s assumed open allegiance to the revolutionary party. In a nation believed battered by perceived state brutality and widening political differences, The Herald has been accused of significantly influencing the pace of dictatorship while guardedly manipulating information to prop up President Robert Mugabe＇s party. So important has the paper become over the years that its often uncompromising, one-sided style of reporting has earned it praise among militant ZANU-PF hardliners while bitterly attracting widespread criticism from critics of the long-serving party.展开更多
In this paper, for time-to-event data, we propose a new statistical framework for casual inference in evaluating clinical utility of predictive biomarkers and in selecting an optimal treatment for a particular patient...In this paper, for time-to-event data, we propose a new statistical framework for casual inference in evaluating clinical utility of predictive biomarkers and in selecting an optimal treatment for a particular patient. This new casual framework is based on a new concept, called Biomarker Adjusted Treatment Effect （BATE） curve. The BATE curve can be used for assessing clinical utility of a predictive biomarker, for designing a subsequent confirmation trial, and for guiding clinical practice. We then propose semi-p^rametric methods for estimating the BATE curves of biomarkers and establish asymptotic results of the proposed estimators for the BATE curves. We also conduct extensive simulation studies to evaluate finite-sample properties of the proposed estimation methods. Finally, we illustrate the application of the proposed method in a real-world data set.展开更多
The ability to employ the language as a communicational tool often serves as a measure of one＇s speaking success in the language learning class. This research sought to investigate the effect of learners＇ autonomous...The ability to employ the language as a communicational tool often serves as a measure of one＇s speaking success in the language learning class. This research sought to investigate the effect of learners＇ autonomous textbook selection on the speaking ability of Iranian English as foreign language （EFL） learners. Moreover, finding and analyzing factors considered by the learners in selecting the textbooks were another aim of this research. Sixty Iranian intermediate EFL learners from the Simin Language Institute in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, were selected as the participants of the study based on their scores on Oxford Placement Test. This test determines the level of the students＇ English proficiency. These participants were randomly assigned into the control and experimental groups. An interview procedure was run as their pretest. The experimental group studied from their selected books, besides the researcher＇s teaching in the class. After 16 sessions, a posttest, the same as the pretest, was run as well. The quantitative results indicated the superior performance of the experimental group over the control group. Furthermore, an analysis of the Litz＇s （2000） questionnaire shows that learners considered criteria such as practical considerations, layout and design, activities, skills, language type, subject and content of the selected books.展开更多
文摘The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of corporate governance and disclosure policy on corporate financial performance by examining the combined effect of board characteristics and disclosure level on financing costs. The empirical analysis, conducted on a sample of 192 Canadian companies, generally shows the importance of board characteristics in determining the level of disclosure and firms＇ costs of financing. In particular, the results found indicate that boards whose characteristics meet the governance requirements that are associated with greater transparency in disclosure on governance attributes reduce the costs of financing of their companies by debt as well as by equity capital.
文摘This paper examines The Herald newspaper＇s role in safeguarding the seemingly unparalleled longevity of Zimbabwe＇s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front （ZANU-PF） party. Through an analysis of a sample of stories from both the paper＇s print and online editions, the study traces the origins of the broadsheet＇s ostensibly unflagging pro-ZANU-PF editorial positions, turning to article analysis to critically probe not only the motive but also the impact of the newspaper＇s assumed open allegiance to the revolutionary party. In a nation believed battered by perceived state brutality and widening political differences, The Herald has been accused of significantly influencing the pace of dictatorship while guardedly manipulating information to prop up President Robert Mugabe＇s party. So important has the paper become over the years that its often uncompromising, one-sided style of reporting has earned it praise among militant ZANU-PF hardliners while bitterly attracting widespread criticism from critics of the long-serving party.
基金supported by a Core Investigator,Research Career Scientist(Grant No.RCS OS-196)Biostatistics Unit Director at the Northwest HSR&D Center of Excellence,Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center,Seattle,WA and Department of Veterans Affairs,Veterans Health Administration,Health Services Research and Development Service,project(Grant No.XVA61-036)
文摘In this paper, for time-to-event data, we propose a new statistical framework for casual inference in evaluating clinical utility of predictive biomarkers and in selecting an optimal treatment for a particular patient. This new casual framework is based on a new concept, called Biomarker Adjusted Treatment Effect （BATE） curve. The BATE curve can be used for assessing clinical utility of a predictive biomarker, for designing a subsequent confirmation trial, and for guiding clinical practice. We then propose semi-p^rametric methods for estimating the BATE curves of biomarkers and establish asymptotic results of the proposed estimators for the BATE curves. We also conduct extensive simulation studies to evaluate finite-sample properties of the proposed estimation methods. Finally, we illustrate the application of the proposed method in a real-world data set.
文摘The ability to employ the language as a communicational tool often serves as a measure of one＇s speaking success in the language learning class. This research sought to investigate the effect of learners＇ autonomous textbook selection on the speaking ability of Iranian English as foreign language （EFL） learners. Moreover, finding and analyzing factors considered by the learners in selecting the textbooks were another aim of this research. Sixty Iranian intermediate EFL learners from the Simin Language Institute in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, were selected as the participants of the study based on their scores on Oxford Placement Test. This test determines the level of the students＇ English proficiency. These participants were randomly assigned into the control and experimental groups. An interview procedure was run as their pretest. The experimental group studied from their selected books, besides the researcher＇s teaching in the class. After 16 sessions, a posttest, the same as the pretest, was run as well. The quantitative results indicated the superior performance of the experimental group over the control group. Furthermore, an analysis of the Litz＇s （2000） questionnaire shows that learners considered criteria such as practical considerations, layout and design, activities, skills, language type, subject and content of the selected books.
