Transforming Activity Groups to Business Units - Emerging Fisherwomen Managers in Kerala, India

The fisheries sector in Kerala, on account of its management initiatives on fisheries sustainability and fisher welfare, posses a unique example for the other coastal states. The state has pioneered many novel management measures and fisher welfare programmes which led to commendable socio-economic standards comparable even with the Western world. Post Tsunami during 2004 in Kerala wreathed havoc in terms of inventory and human losses which led to the initiation of Society for Assistance to fisherwomen (SAF) under the umbrella of Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala. Over the years SAF planned and implemented many flagship programmes among which Theeramythri was instrumental in empowering women. Currently, there are more than 1200 units providing meaningful employment to more than 5000 women. The fisher empowerment improved considerably post joining SAF from 0.41to 0.64. The empowerment determinants included economical (30.7%), legal (22.81%), political (20.18%) social (14.91%) and psychological (11.4%). SAF envisioned transforming these groups from a mere activity group into viable business units with more financial outlays, repayments, commitment at self-sufficiency, getting more collateral financial support. In the mission toward converting activity groups into business, SAF provided additional fund on a short term basis which included revolving fund, technology fund and shift to business. The study assessed the impact of these funds in augmenting the performance of over 600 activity groups in Kerala. The results showed that both sale turnover and income increased consequent to receipt of additional fund. The repayment rates were also high at 80 percent showing promising future.

Treponema pallidum tprII subfamily genes internal fragments sequencing

Background. The modern system of molecular typing of the Russian population of T. pallidum makes it possible to obtain results with a significant dominance of the 14d/f type, which determines the need to increase the differentiating ability of the applied methods of molecular typing of T. pallidum. Aim. Identification and analysis of nucleotide sequence variability of internal gene fragments of the tprII family of Russian T. pallidum subsp. pallidum strains. Material and methods. The study of internal variable fragments of genes of the tprII family was carried out among 240 clinical isolates of T. pallidum obtained from the Central (Kaluga Region, Moscow), North Caucasian (Stavropol Territory), Far East (Republic of Sakha), Volga (Chuvash Republic), Southern (Astrakhan Region) and Siberian (Novosibirsk and Omsk Regions, Republic of Tyva) federal districts in 20142020. The sequence of internal variable fragments of genes of the tprII family was determined using capillary sequencialng technology. Results. The primers allowing both direct amplification of the internal variable region of the tprII genes subfamily and correct sequencing of their internal regions have been proposed. It was found one SNP at positions 1340 of tprG gene. The polymorphism differs the reference Nichols strain from globally distributed Street 14 genogroup variants. Conclusion. The variability of tprII subfamily genes nucleotide sequences in modern Russian strains of T. pallidum subsp. pallidum is an additional fund to increase the efficiency of the modern T. pallidum molecular typing system.

Impacts of Change of Supervisors on Effective Conduct of Senior School Certificate Examinations in Central Senatorial District of Ondo State, Nigeria

The change of supervisors is noticeable during the conduct of Senior School Certificate Examinations in Nigeria. This study investigated the impacts of such change on the effective conduct of SSCE in Public Secondary Schools, with a focus on the Central Senatorial District of Ondo State. It adopted a combination of descriptive and survey designs. The 107 Public Secondary Schools in the district, constituted the main population while the government-appointed and full-time teachers in the schools, who were supervisors of SSCE were targets. One question was raised while two hypotheses were formulated for the study. A self-developed questionnaire, validated and tested for reliability (r-0.85) was used to collect data, which were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Hypotheses were tested using a chi-square statistic. It was found among others that a change of supervisor impacted in the areas of transportation of the supervisor, causing additional fund for the conduct of the examinations, as well as stress for the supervisor. No significant difference was found in the perception of male and female teachers (supervisors); highly experienced and less experienced teachers, on the impacts of the change of supervisors on effective conducts of SSCE. Provision of transportation means and adequate security for supervisors, to guarantee their safety; and examination materials, among others, are recommended.

Pembiayaan Pendidikan Alternatif di Madrasah Tsanawiyah PPTQ Assalam Bandung Perspektif Analisis School Levy

This research aims to describe education financing in Madrasah Tsanawiyah Pondok Pesantren Tahfiz Qur'an Assalaam Bandung using the School Levy analysis. School Levy is a concept of education financing in which the community (property tax) is set as the main source of the additional fund. This is a qualitative study. Data were collected by observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation then analyzed through data categorization and data interpretation. The results are 1) Alternative sources of education financing in MTs-PPTQ Assalaam were acquired through the funds from middle-high income communities in the form of zakat, infak, sedekah and Wakaf (ZISWAF); 2).The acquisition of the education financing sourced from ZISWAF is obtained in several ways. The first, Madrasa obligates students from the middle-high income family to pay certain amount of donation at the beginning of school year. The second, madrasa offers the parents to channel ZISWAF for educational financing tailored at the initial contract. Third, madrasa applies auction system for the Development Fund addressed for classrooms or other facilities improvement. 3) The Further utilization of this fund is used for madrasa’s development as well as facilities improvement, such as Wakaf land, Free Scholarship for 30% of orphans and duafa students, and as madrasa saving.

IMPLEMENTASI MODEL EBIT – EPS DALAM PENGAMBILAN KEPUTUSAN STRUKTUR MODAL PADA PT LIPPO KARAWACI, Tbk.

This research aims to determine the use of an optimal capital structure to meet the needs of additional funds in PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk in 2016. EBIT - EPS analysis was employed to use the model as a tool. The result indicated that a 100% PT. Lippo Karawaci Tbk.’s additional fund is based on debt. As an alternative funding, debt is resulted the highest EPS than others. The debt used can lead interest expense increase. The company needs to pay attention to the risks to avoid bankruptcy.

Tax Equalization in Mutual Funds

ABSTRACT By making an annual tax election, open-ended mutual funds can treat redeeming shareholders as if they have been allocated a pro-rata share of taxable gains, when in fact they have not (known as “equalization”). Equalization provides significant benefits to shareholders and funds; however, it also leads to additional fund-level costs. In this study, we use equalization elections to examine how managers weigh the costs and benefits of tax minimization. Overall, our results suggest both are important in the decision-making process. Even though funds and investors both benefit, only 10 percent of funds use equalization. Funds in larger fund families and with higher expense ratios, both proxies for the additional infrastructure necessary to calculate equalization dividends, are more likely to use equalization. Equalization is also used when its benefits are highest, such as by funds with greater redemptions and larger unrealized gains. Data Availability: Contact the first author.

The Impact of Mutual Fund Family Membership on Investor Risk

Many investors confine their mutual fund holdings to a single fund family either for simplicity or through restrictions placed by their retirement savings plan. We find evidence that mutual fund returns are more closely correlated within than between fund families. As a result, restricting investment to one fund family leads to a greater total portfolio risk than diversifying across fund families. We examine the sources of this increased correlation and find that it is due primarily to common stock holdings, but is also more generally related to families having similar exposures to economic sectors or industries. Fund families also show a propensity to focus on high or low risk strategies, which leads to a greater dispersion of risk across restricted investors. An investor considering adding an additional fund, either in the same family or outside the family, would need to believe the inside fund offered an extra 50 to 70 basis points to have the same Sharpe ratio.

YOUNG BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DECIDES TO BECOME A VEGETARIAN

When Franklin (1706-1790) was about 16 years old he read a book by Thomas Tryon (1634-1703) extolling the health benefits of a vegetable diet. Although Franklin did not adhere to such a diet for prolonged periods of time, he periodically would become a vegetarian because it "promoted clearness of ideas and quickness of thought." "At the time Franklin wrote the passage below he was serving as a printer's apprentice to his older brother, James. When about 15 years of age I happened to meet with a book written by one Tryon,1 recommending a vegetable diet, I determined to go into it. My brother, being yet unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family. My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity, I made myself acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and few others, and then proposed to my brother, that if he would give me, weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself. This was an additional fund for buying books, but I had another advantage in it. My brother and the rest going from the printinghouse to their meals, I remained there alone, and, despatching presently my light repast, which often was no more than a brisket of a slice of bread, a handful of raisins or a tart from the pastry-cook's, and a glass of water, had the rest of the time till their return for study, in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clearness of head and quicker apprehension which usually attend temperence in eating and drinking."2