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Sadeen Ghafoor,1 Muhammad Zulfiqar,2 Man Wang,1 Chunlin Wang,3 Md Rashidul Islam4 1School of Accounting, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, China and China Internal Control Research Center, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Management Sciences, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan; 3School of Economics, Management & Law, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Business Administration, East West University, Dhaka, BangladeshCorrespondence: Chunlin Wang, Email wangchunlin0227@126.comPurpose: The novel study describes the behXavioural phenomena of family firm types and explores the relationship between the family firm types of control diversity and Research and Development (R&D) investments. Acquiring controlling rights is a psychological phenomenon for family firm owners. The moderating effect of CEO compensations on R&D investments is investigated.Methodology: We collected data of listed A-share family firms in China from 2011 to 2020 in the China Stock Market and Accounting Research database. We used Tobit regression for data analysis.Results/Finding: The study concludes that lone-controller family firms (LCFFs) are less willing to invest in R&D and multi-controller family firms (MCFFs) have positive behaviour towards R&D. The moderating role of CEO compensation deviates the willingness and behaviour to invest in R&D.Conclusion/Originality: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to outline the paradoxical empirical evidence on family firms and R&D investments by analysing control diversity and how the moderating role of CEO compensation nexus can alter willingness towards R&D. The study is a novel attempt following De Massis et al’s framework to test the willingness and ability of LCFFs and MCFFs. Previous studies based on agency theory have tacitly assumed that ability and willingness exist in family-controlled firms. However, this study challenges this implicit assumption.Keywords: family firms, control diversity, R&D investment, CEO compensation, behavioural agency model

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling plays critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes, including regulating organogenesis. Down-regulation of NF-κB signaling during development results in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. The roles of NF-κB signaling in tooth development, however, are not fully understood. We examined mice overexpressing IKKβ, an essential component of the NF-κB pathway, under keratin 5 promoter (K5-Ikkβ). K5-Ikkβ mice showed supernumerary incisors whose formation was accompanied by up-regulation of canonical Wnt signaling. Apoptosis that is normally observed in wild-type incisor epithelium was reduced in K5-Ikkβ mice. The supernumerary incisors in K5-Ikkβ mice were found to phenocopy extra incisors in mice with mutations of Wnt inhibitor, Wise. Excess NF-κB activity thus induces an ectopic odontogenesis program that is usually suppressed under physiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Siran Valley, District Mansehra, Pakistan, a part of the internationally recognized Western Himalayan Province, contains more than 143 plant species directly used by local communities. Of these plants, 89 have a therapeutic use. This report details the common uses of 29 species and the conservation status of 22 species, concluding that the Panjul Forests need special care for the rehabilitation of flora and fauna and the recovery of the Western Tragophan region. Effective management can be expected to improve deteriorated conditions of the ecosystem, including plants and large mammals, and protect the diversity of medicinal plants in the Siran Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three cases of embryonal orbital rhabdomyosarcoma are presented in which two cases had intracranial extension. All three are alive and well on follow-up several years after completing a 12-month course of combined pulsed chemotherapy and irradiation. The improved prognosis even in parameningeal involvement is emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Male mice, strain C57 black, were infected with Toxocara canis by a single intragastric dose of 1500 infective eggs. The eyes were studied at sequential time periods after infection (6 to 63 days) by conventional microscopic techniques, and the histological characteristics of the inflammatory response were recorded. In the majority of animals the disease was unilateral. Twenty-six larvae were found in the retina, in the retinal vessels, and in the subretinal space in 20 eyes, while in 29 eyes there were inflammatory changes which were not related to the presence of intact or fragmented larval forms. The inflammatory reaction began as a polymorphonuclear response but after day 13 became a granulomatous reaction. This suggests that the inflammatory phenomenon may be propagated by the secreted surface antigens in the absence of the living or dead larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The sentiments particular to Pakistani society and the differentlinguistic features of the Pakistani version of Urdu language are veryevident in Urdu Novels written over here after independence. This article is based on the seventy one years long history of Pakistani Novels. Different aspects and dimensions of Pakistani Novels are discussed in the article. Pakistani Novels have depicted our political and social milieu for the last seventy one years. In short, Pakistani Novels are a true reflection of our society.

A novel sonochemical route was reported for the manufacturing of nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles. The synthesized NiO nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX). Their size calculated by SEM was ranges between 35 to 117 nm. The ability of NiO nanoparticles to remove lead ions from aqueous solutions was investigated. Several parameters such as dosage of the adsorbent, pH, shaking time and the effect of temperature were studied systematically and optimum values were chosen for subsequent isotherm modeling. Adsorption data obeyed both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models but fitted better with Langmuir isotherm model with highest uptake capacity of 166 mg/g. The kinetics of the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order rate equation. Thermodynamics studies illustrated endothermic nature of the process and its feasibility. The experimental results depicted that the NiO nanoparticles can likely be employed as an adsorbent for removing heavy metal ions from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An antenna array having a size of 45 [Formula: see text] 40 cm 2 (5.7 [Formula: see text] 5 [Formula: see text] 2 ) and consisting of four pairs of printed U-shaped dipoles positioned above a metal reflector, for 5G Sub-6 GHz base station applications, is designed and tested. The array consists of eight excitation ports, one port for each dipole. Four parasitic square patches are etched on the bottom side of the dipole arms for producing radiations in 2.2 GHz and 3.8 GHz bands. The size of the reflector and height of the dipoles are optimized in order to enhance antenna gain up to 11.5 dB at 2.2 GHz and 14.5 dB at 3.8 GHz. Beam steering up to 20[Formula: see text] is achieved, using phase shifted simultaneous excitation of different ports. The proposed antenna array not only fulfills 5G base station requirements but is also simple and compact as it only requires eight ports to achieve dual-band, high-gain and beam steering operation in a single design. It also offers a unique feature of dual-sector coverage per panel, which results in an increased coverage capacity of the base station without increasing the system resources., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To describe characteristics associated with survival for pediatric patients with an oncologic diagnosis or hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)., Design: Multicenter, retrospective study., Setting: Sixteen PICUs in the United States and Israel., Patients: We included patients aged younger than 19 years with an oncologic diagnosis or HCT who required ECMO support between 2009 and 2021., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: A total of 149 patients were included in the study cohort. There were 118 patients with an oncologic diagnosis and 31 that received HCT. The indications for ECMO were respiratory failure (46%), combined respiratory and cardiac failure (28%), and cardiac failure (25%). Venovenous (V-V) ECMO was used in 45% of patients, with 53% of patients being placed on venoarterial (V-A) ECMO. For oncologic and HCT groups, survival to ECMO decannulation was 52% (62/118) and 64% (20/31), and survival to hospital discharge was 36% (43/118) and 42% (13/31), respectively. After adjusting for other factors, requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with greater odds ratio of mortality (3.0 [95% CI, 1.2-7.7])., Conclusions: Survival to ECMO decannulation of pediatric oncologic and HCT patients in this study was 52-64%, depending upon diagnosis. However, survival to hospital discharge remains poor. Future research should prioritize understanding factors contributing to this survival gap within these patient populations., Competing Interests: Dr. Mowrer received funding from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). Drs. Nair and Potera’s institutions received funding from ELSO. Dr. Li disclosed work for hire. Dr. Barbaro’s institution received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01 HL153519); they disclosed they are a member of the ELSO Board of Directors and a member of pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); they disclosed off-label use of ECMO. Dr. Barbaro is a board member for the ELSO and reports funding from the NIH (R01 HL153519). Dr. Zinter received support for article research from the NIH. Dr. Nkwantabisa received funding from Medtronic. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.)