21436 research outputs found
Sort by
Essays on Chair-CEO age dissimilarity : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Accountancy at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 15 January 2027
No full textEmbargoed until 15 January 2027This thesis investigates the impact of age dissimilarity between the Chairman (hereafter Chair) and the Chief Executive Officer (hereafter CEO) on corporate decision-making and performance outcomes. For example, when Chairs and CEOs belong to different generations, they may possess divergent values and risk preferences. These differences can affect internal harmony, influencing the quality of external information disclosure and the strength of internal monitoring mechanisms. Moreover, age dissimilarity may shape strategic decision-making, affecting investment efficiency and firm value. Understanding the implications of Chair-CEO age dissimilarity is crucial for policymakers, corporate executives and external investors. This research consists of three distinct but related research essays: (i) Chair-CEO Age Dissimilarity and Annual Report Tone; (ii) Chair-CEO Age Dissimilarity and Investment Efficiency; and (iii) Chair-CEO Age Dissimilarity and Firm Value. My thesis utilises data from Chinese-listed firms to address these research questions.
Essay One examines the impact of any age dissimilarity between the Chair and the CEO on the tone of a firm’s annual report. A large age dissimilarity may lead to divergent priorities and communication styles, resulting in a more cautious or less optimistic tone in the annual report. Based on 27,030 firm-year observations from 2010 to 2023, the analysis reveals a significant negative association between Chair-CEO age dissimilarity and the positive tone of annual reports. Specifically, a 1% increase in age dissimilarity results in a 0.048% decline in report positivity. The relationship is more pronounced in firms with higher external monitoring pressure, lower controlling rights concentration and greater information asymmetry, and within family firms. These findings underscore the importance of the Chair-CEO dynamic in shaping a firm’s communication, and contribute to the literature on corporate governance and the tone of annual report disclosures.
Essay Two investigates the influence of age dissimilarity between the Chair and the CEO on the firm’s investment efficiency. I argue that age dissimilarity between these key leadership positions foster divergent perspectives, values, and priorities, and may create communication barriers that hinder effective investment decision-making. Drawing on 22,792 firm-year observations from 2001 to 2022, by companies listed on the Chinese Stock Exchange, my analysis provides evidence a negative association between age dissimilarity among Chair-CEO pairings and firms’ investment efficiency. Further cross-sectional analyses highlight the pronounced nature of this relationship within firms characterised by competitive market environments, dispersed ownership structures, and non-state-owned enterprise (hereafter non-SOE) status. This research provides valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance firm performance through optimal leadership dynamics.
Finally, Essay Three examines the impact of Chair and CEO age dissimilarity on firm value. I explore whether the intensity of board monitoring changes where there is an age dissimilarity between the Chair and the CEO, and whether it moderates the relationship between their age dissimilarity and the firm’s value. From 3,870 Chinese Stock Exchange-listed firms, 37,200 firm-year observations between 2001 and 2021 are examined. Results show that the higher the age dissimilarity of Chairs and CEOs, the greater the decrease in firm value. Additionally, an increased age dissimilarity between the Chair and the CEO is linked to boards meeting less frequently (resulting in low board monitoring intensity), which negatively impacts firm value. This effect is more pronounced in firms with higher agency conflict, low concentration, dispersed ownership, and non-SOE status. These findings stress the importance of increasing board meeting frequency where there is an age dissimilarity in those in top leadership roles, in order to enhance internal monitoring and thereby mitigate any potential negative impacts on firm value from the age dissimilarity.
The findings suggest that a significant age dissimilarity between a Chair and a CEO can adversely affect communication, investment efficiency, and firm value. For practitioners, the research underscores the need to align leadership styles and foster effective communication to mitigate the adverse effects of any age dissimilarities. Policymakers are encouraged to strengthen internal monitoring practices, such as increasing the frequency of board meetings, to counteract the potential downsides of leadership misalignment
Heat-induced interactions between microfluidized hemp protein particles and caseins or whey proteins
Full text linkThe rising demand for sustainable proteins leads to increased interest in plant proteins like hemp protein (HP). However, commercial HP's poor functionality, including heat aggregation, limit its use. This study explored the heat-induced interactions of hemp protein particles (HPPs) with milk proteins, specifically whey proteins and caseins. Using various analysis techniques-static light scattering, TEM, SDS electrophoresis, surface hydrophobicity, and free sulfhydryl content-results showed that co-heating HPPs with whey protein isolate (WPI) or sodium caseinate (NaCN) at 95 °C for 20 min reduced HPPs aggregation. HPPs/WPI particles had a d4,3 of ∼3.8 μm, while HPPs/NaCN were ∼1.9 μm, compared to ∼27.5 μm for HPPs alone. SDS-PAGE indicated that whey proteins irreversibly bound to HPPs, through disulfide bonds, whereas casein bound reversibly, possibly involving the chaperone-like property of casein. This study proposes possible mechanisms by which HPPs interact with milk proteins and impact protein aggregation. This may provide opportunities for developing hybrid protein microparticlesfals
Area-based socioeconomic deprivation is associated with cognitive decline in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders without cognitive impairment
Full text linkBackground
Research identified individual-level socioeconomic factors as key determinants of cognitive health. This study investigated the effect of area-based socioeconomic deprivation on cognitive outcomes in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders without cognitive impairment. Understanding geographical dimensions of socioeconomic determinants of cognitive health is important from an equity perspective.
Method
Data stemmed from a subsample of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study, a cohort study on ageing. In 2010, 1,001 participants aged 49-84 years completed face-to-face interviews and were reassessed two years later. Cognitive functioning was measured using Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination–Revised, adapted for culturally acceptable use in New Zealand. Area-based socioeconomic deprivation was assessed using the New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep2006). Linear mixed-effects models analysed the association between area-based socioeconomic deprivation and cognitive outcomes, controlling for individual-level socioeconomic (age, age², gender, education, ethnicity [Māori, Indigenous people of New Zealand, and Non-Māori, mostly of European descent], marital status, employment, net personal income), lifestyle and health variables (Lifestyle for Brain Health/LIBRA index, social loneliness).
Result
The analysis included 783 participants (54.7% female, mean age 62.7 years, 25.0% Māori). Individuals with cognitive impairment at baseline (n = 69) and older than 75 years were excluded (n = 79). Further attrition was due to missing data. At baseline, 39.7% resided in low deprivation areas, 39.0% in moderate, and 21.3% in high deprivation areas. The unadjusted model indicated a significant association between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning (B = -0.16, 95%CI: -0.22,-0.10; p < .001) and cognitive decline (B = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.21;-0.03; p = .015). The adjusted model yielded similar results for cognitive functioning (B = -0.08, 95%CI: -0.15;-0.01; p = .050) and cognitive decline (B = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.20;-0.04, p = .013) (Fig. 1). Influential covariates included gender, education, and lifestyle (LIBRA).
Conclusion
This study demonstrated a relationship between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning, along with cognitive decline, in cognitively unimpaired New Zealanders aged 48 to 75 years. These findings emphasize the importance of considering neighbourhood characteristics and broader socioeconomic factors in strategies aimed at mitigating cognitive health disparities and reducing the impact of dementia in disadvantaged communities.fals
Digestion of food proteins: the role of pepsin.
Full text linkThe nutritive value of a protein is determined not only by its amino acid composition, but also by its digestibility in the gastrointestinal tract. The interaction between proteins and pepsin in the gastric stage is the first step and plays an important role in protein hydrolysis. Moreover, it affects the amino acid release rates and the allergenicity of the proteins. The interaction between pepsin and proteins from different food sources is highly dependent on the protein species, composition, processing treatment, and the presence of other food components. Coagulation of milk proteins under gastric conditions to form a coagulum is a unique behavior that affects gastric emptying and further hydrolysis of proteins. The processing treatment of proteins, either from milk or other sources, may change their structure, interactions with pepsin, and allergenicity. For example, the heat treatment of milk proteins results in the formation of a looser curd in the gastric phase and facilitates protein digestion by pepsin. Heated meat proteins undergo denaturation and conformational changes that enhance the rate of pepsin digestion. This review provides new ideas for the design of food products containing high protein concentrations that optimize nutrition while facilitating low allergenicity for consumers.fals
Gamification for air quality education: A systematic literature review
Full text linkAir quality is crucial to our health and well-being, as poor air quality can lead to serious health problems such as asthma, allergies, and other respiratory conditions. Educating people about air quality is key to improving awareness and taking action to reduce its negative effects. Gamification offers a creative and engaging way to deliver educational content by incorporating game elements into the learning experience. However, despite its potential, there has been no review of how gamification has been used for air quality education. Thus, this review aims to fill that gap by systematically examining how gamification is applied to air quality education in the built environment. We explored a range of games and applications used to educate the public on air quality. To guide our analysis, we used the Octalysis framework, which focuses on game elements that motivate and engage users. Following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we identified 19 relevant papers published between 2009 and 2023. From these, we developed 8 research questions to guide the review process and analyzed the game elements using the Octalysis framework. Our findings show that most studies focus on residential buildings, with a key focus on raising awareness of the health impacts of air pollution and managing asthma. Notably, many of these studies target children, who are more vulnerable to air pollution. We also introduce the first taxonomy for gamification in air quality education, providing a clear structure for future game development in this area. Finally, the review highlights the need to explore other educational topics that could benefit from gamification, and how this approach could improve both indoor and urban air quality, as well as reduce energy consumption.fals
A Proof-of-Concept Solution for Co-locating 2D Histology Images in 3D for Histology-to-CT and MR Image Registration: Closing the Loop for Bone Sarcoma Treatment Planning.
Full text linkThis work presents a proof-of-concept solution designed to facilitate more accurate radiographic feature characterisation in pre-surgical CT/MR volumes. The solution involves 3D co-location of 2D digital histology slides within ex-vivo, tumour tissue CT volumes. Initially, laboratory dissection measurements seed the placement of histology slices in corresponding CT volumes, followed by in-plane point-based registration of bone in histology images to the bone in CT. Validation using six bisected canine humerus ex-vivo CT datasets indicated a plane misalignment of 0.19 ± 1.8 mm. User input sensitivity was assessed at 0.08 ± 0.2 mm for plane translation and 0-1.6° deviation. These results show a similar magnitude of error to related prostate histology co-location work. Although demonstrated with a femoral canine sarcoma tumour, this solution can be generalised to various orthopaedic geometries and sites. It supports high-fidelity histology image co-location to improve understanding of tissue characterisation accuracy in clinical radiology. This solution requires only minimal adjustment to routine workflows. By integrating histology insights earlier in the presentation-diagnosis-planning-surgery-recovery loop, this solution guides data co-location to support the continued evaluation of safe pre-surgical margins.fals
A review of climate change impact assessment and methodologies for urban sewer networks
Full text linkUnderstanding how climate change affects urban sewer networks is essential for the sustainable management of these infrastructures. This research uses a systematic literature review (PRISMA) to critically review methodologies to assess the effects of climate change on these systems.
A scientometric analysis traced the evolution of research patterns, while content analysis identified three primary research clusters: Climate Modelling, Flow Modelling, and Risk and Vulnerability Assessment. These clusters, although rooted in distinct disciplines, form an interconnected framework, where outputs of climate models inform flow models, and overflow data from flow models contribute to risk assessments, which are gaining increasing attention in recent studies. To enhance risk assessments, methods like Gumbel Copula, Monte Carlo simulations, and fuzzy logic help quantify uncertainties. By integrating these uncertainties with a Bayesian Network, which can incorporate expert opinion, failure probabilities are modelled based on variable interactions, improving prediction.
The study also emphasises the importance of factors, such as urbanisation, asset deterioration, and adaptation programs in order to improve predictive accuracy. Additionally, the findings reveal the need to consider cascading effects from landslides and climate hazards in future risk assessments. This research provides a reference for methodology selection, promoting innovative and sustainable urban sewer management.falsekeywords: Sewer networks, Climate change adaptation, Vulnerability assessment, Asset managemen
Antibiotic Use In Utero and Early Life and Risk of Chronic Childhood Conditions in New Zealand: Protocol for a Data Linkage Retrospective Cohort Study
Full text linkBackground: The incidence of many common chronic childhood conditions has increased globally in the past few decades, which has been suggested to be potentially attributed to antibiotic overuse leading to dysbiosis in the gut microbiome.
Objective: This linkage study will assess the role of antibiotic use in utero and in early life in the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D), attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and inflammatory bowel disease.
Methods: The study design involves several retrospective cohort studies using linked administrative health and social data from Statistics New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. It uses data from all children who were born in New Zealand between October 2005 and December 2010 (N=334,204) and their mothers. Children’s antibiotic use is identified for 4 time periods (at pregnancy, at ≤1 year, at ≤2 years, and at ≤5 years), and the development of T1D, ADHD, and inflammatory bowel disease is measured from the end of the antibiotic use periods until death, emigration, or the end of the follow-up period (2021), whichever came first. Children who emigrated or died before the end of the antibiotic use period are excluded. Cox proportional hazards regression models are used while adjusting for a range of potential confounders.
Results: As of September 2024, data linkage has been completed, involving the integration of antibiotic exposure and outcome variables for 315,789 children. Preliminary analyses show that both prenatal and early life antibiotic consumption is associated with T1D. Full analyses for all 3 outcomes will be completed by the end of 2025.
Conclusions: This series of linked cohort studies using detailed, complete, and systematically collected antibiotic prescription data will provide critical new knowledge regarding the role of antibiotics in the development of common chronic childhood conditions. Thus, this study has the potential to contribute to the development of primary prevention strategies through, for example, targeted changes in antibiotic use.fals
A cross-country network analysis of disease infodemics: Looking through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic
Full text linkInfodemics surrounding pandemics and epidemics have persisted for centuries and continue to impede efforts to promote high vaccination coverage. We explored the complex interplay between COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and COVID-19-related infodemics across Germany, Ghana, India, and New Zealand using the novel network analysis. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey and recruited 1822 participants from the general populations of India (n = 411), New Zealand (n = 413), Ghana (n = 523), and Germany (n = 413) to complete COVID-19 infodemic measures and demographics questions. Predictors of less favourable COVID-19 vaccination attitudes included the apocalypse-related infodemic in India, compared to all countries, as well as the not harmful belief of COVID-19 in New Zealand, compared to India and Germany, and in Ghana compared to India. COVID-19 origin-related infodemics were found to positively impact COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in Ghana and New Zealand only. The most influential infodemics in each of the countries studied-Ghana, New Zealand, Germany, and India-were the beliefs in bioweapons, 5G technology, apocalypse, and bat consumption, respectively. Across all countries, there were consistent strong positive connections between the infodemics. Our results suggest that country-specific infodemics significantly impact COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, with variations observed between nations. While the infodemics can reinforce each other and complicate public health efforts during pandemics, understanding the interactions between the central infodemic in each country and others can aid in developing more effective strategies to counter their influences. This highlights the importance of targeted public health interventions that address the unique dynamics of local infodemics during pandemics, epidemics, and Pathogen X outbreaks.fals
Characterization of the extracellular polymeric substances matrix of Pseudomonas biofilms formed at the air-liquid interface
Full text linkPseudomonas are common psychotropic food spoilage organisms that affect the quality of aerobically chilled food products. Biofilm formation of these bacteria on food contact surfaces can provide a continuous contamination source, leading to food spoilage. Pseudomonas produce proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes which lead to organoleptic degradation of stored food products. The biofilm extracellular polymeric substances matrix (EPS) protects the bacterial cells from CIP (Cleaning-In-Place) chemicals and adverse conditions. Studies on the composition of the EPS matrix and the molecules present in the EPS matrix are limited. In this study, the EPS composition of mono-species biofilms of Pseudomonas lundensis and Pseudomonas cedrina on polystyrene and stainless-steel surfaces was characterized by chemical analysis and microscopical observations. The biofilms were allowed to grow on polystyrene and stainless-steel surfaces with half-strength TSB for 2 weeks at 30 °C and cold chain temperatures of 7 °C and 4 °C. The EPS was extracted by sonication and centrifugation and chemically analysed for cellulose, total polysaccharides, total proteins, and eDNA. Pseudomonas isolates in this study formed biofilms at the air-liquid interface. The formation of ring-like structures of cells was observed on the polystyrene surface. eDNA formed as a thread-like structure on a polystyrene surface while it formed channels on a stainless-steel surface. The amount of EPS varied at different temperatures. More EPS was formed at 4 °C than 30 °C. Flagellin, Clp protease, Arginine deiminase, and ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter substrate-binding proteins were the key proteins identified in the biofilm matrix of P. lundensis.fals