IAS 14 - Segment Reporting; The Requirements and Implementation

The principal aim of this study is to clarify the requirements of segment reporting and compare the requirements with the actual! implementation on different business lines. The empirical part was concluded by interviewing randomly selected companies that are publicly listed on the Helsinki Exchanges. The theoretical part of the study (chapters 2 and 3) will give basic information about shifting to IAS -standards and the requirements of IAS -standards. In order to meet the principal aim, a pre-empiric research was conducted by studying the annual accounts (year 2002) of randomly selected companies that already follow the IAS -standards of reporting. The companies in the pre-empiric research consist of both domestic and foreign companies. The aim of the pre-empiric study was to give a basis for the interview process on the empiric part of the study. The study indicates that implementing segment reporting has not brought any major concerns or problems. This is due to the fact that most companies that were examined - being publicly listed companies - have traditionally had a clear division between their geographical and commercial segments, and also been obliged to give reports according to these segments. In case of changes in corporate structure, shifting on new lines of businesses or downsizing of operations, the problems in reporting according to IAS -standards, may arise. Such changes will also require changes on information systems, providing the essential information for segment reporting. According to this study, most companies choose the commercial segment as their primary segment for reporting. The pre-empiric study indicates, that most of the companies already following the IAS -standards, still have a lot of improvement to do, in order to meet all the IAS requirements.

Price differences between domestic and international air markets : an empirical application to routes from Gran Canaria

In this paper we examine whether airline prices on national routes are higher than those charged on international routes. Drawing on a database prepared specifically for this study, we estimate a pricing equation for all routes originating from Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain; differentiating between national and international routes. A key difference between these two route types is that island residents benefit from discounts on domestic flights. When controlling for variables related to airline characteristics, market structure and demand, we find that national passengers who are non-residents on the islands are paying higher prices than international passengers.

Lateral gene exchanges shape the genomes of amoeba-resisting microorganisms.

Based on Darwin's concept of the tree of life, vertical inheritance was thought to be dominant, and mutations, deletions, and duplication were streaming the genomes of living organisms. In the current genomic era, increasing data indicated that both vertical and lateral gene inheritance interact in space and time to trigger genome evolution, particularly among microorganisms sharing a given ecological niche. As a paradigm to their diversity and their survival in a variety of cell types, intracellular microorganisms, and notably intracellular bacteria, were considered as less prone to lateral genetic exchanges. Such specialized microorganisms generally have a smaller gene repertoire because they do rely on their host's factors for some basic regulatory and metabolic functions. Here we review events of lateral gene transfer (LGT) that illustrate the genetic exchanges among intra-amoebal microorganisms or between the microorganism and its amoebal host. We tentatively investigate the functions of laterally transferred genes in the light of the interaction with their host as they should confer a selective advantage and success to the amoeba-resisting microorganisms (ARMs).

Determination of cocaine in brazilian paper currency by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The presence of illicit drugs such as cocaine and marijuana in US paper currency is very well demonstrated. However, there is no published study describing the presence of cocaine and/or other illicit drugs in Brazilian paper currency. In this study, Brazilian banknotes were collected from nine cities, extracted and analyzed by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, in order to investigate the presence of cocaine. Bills were extracted with deionized water followed by ethyl acetate. Results showed that 93% of the bills presented cocaine in a concentration range of 2.38-275.10 µg/bill.

Preliminary study of insect attraction by a mixture of semiochemicals containing 1,2,4-Trimethoxybenzene in domestic citric-culture

In this work we describe a new efficient strategy for the preparation of 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (3) in 56% overall yield. The compound 3 was used in a preliminary study of insect attraction by a mixture of semiochemicals called TIV, composed of indol (1), vanillin (2) and 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (3), in eight Mc Phail style traps installed at a domestic orchard of citric-culture, containing 120 trees not infected by plagues in Bom Jesus Farm, located next to a patch of the Atlantic Forest, at Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TiO2 photocatalytic inactivation under simulated solar light of bacterial consortia in domestic wastewaters previously treated by UASB, duckweed and facultative ponds

In this work, TiO2 photocatalysis was used to disinfect domestic wastewaters previously treated by different biological treatment systems: Upward-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), facultative pond, and duckweed pond. The microorganisms monitored were E. coli, total coliforms, Shigella species, and Salmonella species. Photocatalytic experiments were carried out using two light sources: a solar simulator (UV intensity: 68-70 W m-2) and black-light lamps (BLL UV intensity: 17-20 W m-2). Samples were taken after each treatment stage. Results indicate that bacterial photocatalytic inactivation is affected by characteristics of the effluent, including turbidity, concentration of organic matter, and bacterial concentration, which depend of the type of biological pretreatment previously used.

Treated domestic sewage: kinetics of Escherichia coli and total coliform inactivation by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide has been used for decades in developed countries as an oxidizing agent in the treatment of water, domestic sewage and industrial effluents. This study evaluated the influence of the concentration of H2O2 and pH on the inactivation of Escherichia coli cells and the disinfection of sewage treated. The results showed that the inactivation rate increased with pH and H2O2. The presence of other contaminants dissolved in the effluent is probably the cause of these differences, because E. coli inactivation in synthetic wastewater was found to be much faster than in the real treated domestic sewage.

Root system distribution of sugarcane irrigated with domestic sewage effluent aplication by subsurface drip system

Irrigation with domestic sewage effluent (DSE) has been recommended by subsurface dripping, as it can obtain a high rate of irrigation efficiency and faster use of salts in comparison with other irrigation methods. The study aimed at evaluating the area, the length and the effective depth of the root system of sugarcane irrigated with DSE by subsurface drip system and with different irrigation rates at depths of 0.00-0.20, 0.20-0.40, 0.40-0.60 and 0.60-0.80m. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Piracicaba, in the state of São Paulo (SP), Brazil, in a sugarcane area irrigated with DSE in a completely randomized blocks set up in furrows, with three replications and four treatments, which are: one area without irrigation (AWI) and three irrigated areas meeting 50% (T50%), 100% (T100%) and 200% (T200%) of the crop's water need between each round of irrigation. T100% and T200% provided smaller areas and lengths of roots in the two deepest layers, as compared to AWI and T50%, which stimulated the development of deeper roots due to the water stress. TWI, T100% and T200% presented 80% of the roots up to a depth of 0.40m and T50% treatment presented 76.43% of roots total.

Irrigation with domestic treated sewage and nitrogen fertilizing in sunflower cultivation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the productive performance of sunflower plants irrigated with different levels of domestic treated sewage and groundwater well with different doses of nitrogen. It was used randomized blocks design in split-split plots with four replications. In the plots, we evaluated the effect of two types of irrigation water, in the subplots we evaluated the five irrigation levels expressed as 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% of the Class A pan Evaporation (CAE), and in the sub subplots, we evaluated the effect of four different doses of nitrogen (25, 50, 75 and 100 kg ha-1). The irrigation of sunflower with domestic sewage produced greater yield potential of grain and oil. The use of water from treated wastewater can replace up to 50 kg N ha-1 without affecting productivity. It is recommended for the commercial production of sunflower the use of treated sewage water with irrigation depth relative to 100% of CAE (296.64 mm) and nitrogen of 25 kg ha-1.

Cortisol influence on testicular testosterone secretion in domestic cat: An in vitro study

The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effect of corticosteroids (exogen) on in vitro testosterone secretion after stress by transportation (40 minutes). Feline testes (Felis silvestris catus) were incubated in the following media: TCM 199; TCM 199 + hCG 10_7M; TCM 199 + hydrocortisone 10_7M, or TCM 199 + hCG + hydrocortisone. The animals (n=21) were allocated into three groups: (S) that arrived at 3 h prior to surgery, (A) that remained in the laboratory for 36 h before being submitted to surgical procedure, and (C) that were also allowed to remain for 36 hours in the laboratory before the surgical procedure, but whose testes had been incubated with hydrocortisone prior to incubation in the referred media. The results showed that group S secreted higher levels of testosterone, regardless of the culture media. It is noteworthy that the suppressing action of hydrocortisone sodium succinate led to a reduction in the testosterone concentration, despite the presence of hCG.

The role of ear mites of the genus Raillietia (Acari: Raillietiidae) in otitis of domestic ruminants

This paper presents a hypothesis on the involvement of species of the genus Raillietia Trouessart in the pathology of parasitic otitis in domestic ruminants. The chelicerae and claws of the tarsi are structures that contribute significantly towards producing primary lesions. The movable digits of the chelicerae accidentally injure the epithelium that lines the ear canal, while the claws of the tarsi perforate the epithelium, allowing the mites to affix themselves while feeding. The lesions in the epithelium caused by the chelicerae and the claws favor multiplication of the bacteria that inhabit the ear canal, resulting in typical cases of otitis.

Exchange rate volatility and the use of foreign currency derivatives: Impact of 2008 global financial crisis

This thesis examines the impact of foreign exchange rate volatility to the extent of use of foreign currency derivatives. Especially the focus is on the impacts of 2008 global financial crisis. The crisis increased risk level in the capital markets greatly. The change in the currency derivatives use is analyzed by comparing means between different periods and in addition, by linear regression that enables to analyze the explanatory power of the model. The research data consists of financial statements figures from fiscal years 2006-2011 published by firms operating in traditional Finnish industrial sectors. Volatilities of the chosen three currency pairs is calculated from the daily fixing rates of ECB. Based on the volatility the sample period is divided into three sub-periods. The results suggest that increased FX market volatility did not increase the use foreign currency derivatives. Furthermore, the increased foreign exchange rate volatility did not increase the power of linear regression model to estimate the use foreign currency derivatives compared to previous studies.

Diversification benefits for a Finnish non-industrial private forest investor: Real Estate Investment Trusts in the USA

This thesis examined both domestic and international forest investment options for a Finnish non-industrial private forest investor. The focus was on forest-based investment instruments. The influence of movements of currency exchange rates on foreign returns were also taken into account. Annual data from 1995 to 2011 was used. The main portfolio optimization model in this study was the Mean-Variance model but the results were also validated by using the Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall models. In addition, the exchange rate risk hedging was established by using one-week-maturity forward contracts. The results suggested that 75 % of the total wealth should be invested in Finnish private forests and the rest, 25 %, to a US REIT, in this case Rayonier. With hedging, the total return on the portfolio was 7.21 % (NIPF 5.3%) with the volatility of 6.63 % (NIPF 7.9%). Taxation supported US investments in this case. As a conclusion, a Finnish private forest investor may, as evidenced, benefit in diversifying a portfolio using REITs in the US.