Ratios and indicators that determine return on equity

This study aims to investigate factors that may affect return on equity (ROE). The ROE is a gauge of profit generating efficiency and a strong measure of how well the management of a firm creates value for its shareholders. Firms with higher ROE typically have competitive advantages over their competitors which translates into superior returns for investors. Therefore, seems imperative to study the drivers of ROE, particularly ratios and indicators that may have considerable impact. The analysis is done on a sample of 90 largest non-financial companies which are components of NASDAQ-100 index and also on industry sector samples. The ordinary least squares method is used to find the most impactful drivers of ROE. The extended DuPont model’s components are considered as the primary factors affecting ROE. In addition, other ratios and indicators such as price to earnings, price to book and current are also incorporated. Consequently, the study uses eight ratios that are believed to have impact on ROE. According to our findings, the most relevant ratios that determine ROE are tax burden, interest burden, operating margin, asset turnover and financial leverage (extended DuPont components) regardless of industry sectors.

BALD EAGLES (HALIAEETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS) AS INDICATORS OF GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

Environmental indicators have been proposed as a means to assess ecological integrity, monitoring both chemical and biological stressors. In this study, we used nestling bald eagles as indicators to quantify direct or indirect tertiary-level contaminant exposure. The spatial and temporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were evaluated in nestling plasma from 1999–2014. Two hexa-chlorinated congeners, PCB-138 and 153, were detected with the highest frequency and greatest concentrations throughout Michigan. Less-chlorinated congeners such as PCB-52 and 66 however, comprised a greater percentage of total PCB concentrations in nestlings proximate to urbanized areas, such as along the shorelines of Lake Erie. Toxic equivalents were greatest in the samples collected from nestlings located on Lake Erie, followed by the other Great Lakes spatial regions. Nestling plasma samples were also used to measure concentrations of the most heavily-used group of flame retardants, brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and three groups of alternative flame retardants, non-BDE Brominated Flame Retardants (NBFRS), Dechloranes, and organophosphate esters (OPs). BDE-47, 99 and 100 contributed the greatest to total BDE concentrations. Concentrations of structurally similar NBFRs found in this study and recent atmospheric studies indicate that they are largely used as replacements to previously used BDE mixtures. A variety of Dechloranes, or derivatives of Mirex and Dechlorane Plus, were measured. Although, measured at lesser concentrations, environmental behavior of these compounds may be similar to mirex and warrant future research in aquatic species. Concentrations of OPs in nestling plasma were two to three orders of magnitude greater than all other groups of flame retardants. In addition to chemical indicators, bald eagles have also been proposed as indicators to identify ecological stressors using population measures that are tied to the fitness of individuals and populations. Using mortality as a population vitality rate, vehicle collisions were found to be the main source of mortality with a greater incidence for females during white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hunting months and spring snow-melt. Lead poisoning was the second greatest source of mortality, with sources likely due to unretrieved hunter-killed, white-tailed deer carcasses, and possibly exacerbated by density-dependent effects due to the growing population in Michigan.

Calcium Intake, Major Dietary Sources and Bone Health Indicators in Iranian Primary School Children

Background: Adequate calcium intake may have a crucial role with regards to prevention of many chronic diseases, including hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, different types of cancer, obesity and osteoporosis. In children, sufficient calcium intake is especially important to support the accelerated growth spurt during the preteen and teenage years and to increase bone mineral mass to lay the foundation for older age. Objectives: This study aimed to assess daily calcium intake in school-age children to ensure whether they fulfill the FGP dairy serving recommendations, the recommended levels of daily calcium intake and to assess the relationship between dietary calcium intake and major bone health indicators. Patients and Methods: A total of 501 Iranian school-age children were randomly selected. Calcium intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Bone health indicators were also assessed. Results: Dairy products contributed to 69.3% of the total calcium intake of the children. Daily adequate intake of calcium was achieved by 17.8% of children. Only 29.8% met the Food guide pyramid recommendations for dairy intake. Dietary calcium intake was not significantly correlated with serum calcium and other selected biochemical indicators of bone health. Conclusions: The need for planning appropriate nutrition strategies for overcoming inadequate calcium intake in school age children in the city of Tehran is inevitable.

Landscape metrics as indicators of coastal morphology and its use in ecological niche modelling of seagrass species

Dependence of some species on landscape structure has been proved in numerous studies. So far, however, little progress has been made in the integration of landscape metrics in the prediction of species associated with coastal features. Specific landscape metrics were tested as predictors of coastal shape using three coastal features of the Iberian Peninsula (beaches, capes and gulfs) at different scales. We used the landscape metrics in combination with environmental variables to model the niche and find suitable habitats for a seagrass species (Cymodocea nodosa) throughout its entire range of distribution. Landscape metrics able to capture variation in the coastline enhanced significantly the accuracy of the models, despite the limitations caused by the scale of the study. We provided the first global model of the factors that can be shaping the environmental niche and distribution of C. nodosa throughout its range. Sea surface temperature and salinity were the most relevant variables. We identified areas that seem unsuitable for C. nodosa as well as those suitable habitats not occupied by the species. We also present some preliminary results of testing historical biogeographical hypotheses derived from distribution predictions under Last Glacial Maximum conditions and genetic diversity data.

Composite Indicators for the Family Change: ‘Familism' vs ‘Individualism' in the International Context

The aim of this paper is to propose a composite indicator to measure ‘familism’, conformed by two main dimensions: values on one hand (duty to take care of the family, importance of the family, sacrifices for the family...) and behaviours, on the other (predominance of married couples instead of cohabitant couples, high frequency of contact among members, family support…). In contrast to this idea of ‘familism’ we find that of individualism, that defends the independence of family members, tolerance to new family models, cohabitation instead of marriage,… , that implies less frequency of interaction among relatives and more governmental intervention towards children and elderly care. We observe that a higher degree of ‘familism’ does not always match with a lower degree of individualism when both dimensions, attitudes and behaviours, are considered. For instance, we find countries which are individualist in values but not in behaviours (such as Spain), whilst others, such as Japan, are ‘familist’ both in values and behaviours and finally, others, such as Sweden, are individualist with regards to both perspectives. We propose two different methodological approaches to the question. First, we use microdata from the Family, Work and Gender Roles module of the International Social Survey Programme-ISSP (years 1994, 2002 and 2012), in which 45 countries have participated. Information for the three rounds is collected for 17 countries with very different family values and welfare systems (for instance, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom or the United States). From this data source, we create a first index on familism that can be related to individual sociodemographic characteristics. Second, we complete it through the inclusion of macro data (such as the divorce rate per country), in order to refine comparison at a country level by adding new variables to the previous index.

Composite Indicators for the Family Change: ‘Familism' vs ‘Individualism' in the International Context

The aim of this paper is to propose a composite indicator to measure ‘familism’, conformed by two main dimensions: values on one hand (duty to take care of the family, importance of the family, sacrifices for the family...) and behaviours, on the other (predominance of married couples instead of cohabitant couples, high frequency of contact among members, family support…). In contrast to this idea of ‘familism’ we find that of individualism, that defends the independence of family members, tolerance to new family models, cohabitation instead of marriage,… , that implies less frequency of interaction among relatives and more governmental intervention towards children and elderly care. We observe that a higher degree of ‘familism’ does not always match with a lower degree of individualism when both dimensions, attitudes and behaviours, are considered. For instance, we find countries which are individualist in values but not in behaviours (such as Spain), whilst others, such as Japan, are ‘familist’ both in values and behaviours and finally, others, such as Sweden, are individualist with regards to both perspectives. We propose two different methodological approaches to the question. First, we use microdata from the Family, Work and Gender Roles module of the International Social Survey Programme-ISSP (years 1994, 2002 and 2012), in which 45 countries have participated. Information for the three rounds is collected for 17 countries with very different family values and welfare systems (for instance, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom or the United States). From this data source, we create a first index on familism that can be related to individual sociodemographic characteristics. Second, we complete it through the inclusion of macro data (such as the divorce rate per country), in order to refine comparison at a country level by adding new variables to the previous index.

Economic efficiency of members of protected designations of origin: sharing reputation indicators in the experience goods of wine and cheese

The aim of this paper is to analyse the economic efficiency of members of protected designations of origin (PDO). For the first time we analyse the value of PDO labels from the point of view of economic efficiency. The central hypothesis is that a PDO has a positive impact on the economic efficiency of its member companies and that this is because a PDO label is a collective reputation indicator that foments efficient investment in quality in terms of member returns. The methodology applied to test this hypothesis is based on data envelopment analysis to estimate economic efficiency, and econometric models to explain company efficiency through both the PDO label, as an indicator of collective reputation, and the characteristics of the company. The results obtained in the experience goods of wine and cheese in Spain show that PDO labels have a positive impact on economic efficiency. Additionally, the age and size of the company have a positive effect while the wage level of the company has a different influence on efficiency depending on the sector considered. Overall, the results reveal the importance of PDOs in industries in which the signal of reputation is not only reliant on the individual brands.

Agricultural R&D indicators factsheet: Brazil.

Brazil's agricultural research system is by far the region's largest, in terms of both research capacity and spending. Almost half of all agricultural researchers are employed by the main federal government agency, Embrapa, and a further quarter are employed by the state agricultural research organizations (OEPAS). During 2006-2013, agricultural R&D spending rose by 43 percent due to growth at Embrapa and in the higher education sector, particularly among federal universities. At 1.82 percent, spending as a share of AgGDP is the highest in Latin America.

Biological indicators of stress in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) after capture

Os efeitos da captura (perseguição, contenção em puçá e exposição aérea) no perfil sanguíneo do cortisol, glicose, cloreto, sódio, potássio, cálcio e na osmolaridade, hematócrito, hemoglobina, número de células vermelhas (CV) e volume corpuscular médio (VCM) foram investigados no pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus). Um total de 132 peixes (49,7 ± 11,7 g) foi submetido à captura com 3 ou 5 minutos de exposição aérea. Nove peixes de cada tratamento foram amostrados 5, 15, 30, 60 minutos e 24 horas depois e outros nove peixes foram amostrados antes da captura e considerados controle. A captura resultou em aumento do cortisol e glicose no sangue 30 e 5 minutos depois da captura, respectivamente, independente do tempo de exposição aérea. Ambos os indicadores recuperaram os valores controle em 24 horas. Nos dois grupos de peixes, o cloreto plasmático diminuiu 60 minutos após captura e não recuperou os valores controle, enquanto o sódio sérico aumentou entre 15 e 30 minutos recuperando a condição controle em 24 horas. Não houve alteração significativa nos valores de potássio, cálcio, osmolaridade ou no hematócrito, hemoglobina, CV e VCM como consequência da captura. Os estressores sequenciais aplicados no pacu durante a captura ativaram o eixo cérebro-pituitária-interrenal (respostas do cortisol e glicose), mas a ativação do eixo cérebro-sistema simpático-células cromafins foi aparentemente moderada (respostas iônicas e hematológicas).

Performance and economic indicators of a large scale fish farming in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Performance and economic indicators of a large scale fish farm that produces round fish, located in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, were evaluated. The 130.8 ha-water surface area was distributed in 30 ponds. Average total production costs and the following economic indicators were calculated: gross income (GI), gross margin (GM), gross margin index (GMI), profitability index (PI) and profit (P) for the farm as a whole and for ten ponds individually. Production performance indicators were also obtained, such as: production cycle (PC), apparent feed conversion (FC), average biomass storage (ABS), survival index (SI) and final average weight (FAW). The average costs to produce an average 2.971 kg.ha-1 per year were: R$ 2.43, R$ 0.72 and R$ 3.15 as average variable, fixed and total costs, respectively. Gross margin and profit per year per hectare of water surface were R$ 2,316.91 and R$ 180.98, respectively. The individual evaluation of the ponds showed that the best pond performance was obtained for PI 38%, FC 1.7, ABS 0.980 kg.m-2, TS 56%, FAW 1.873 kg with PC of 12.3 months. The worst PI was obtained for the pond that displayed losses of 138%, FC 2.6, ABS 0.110 kg.m-2, SI 16% and FAW 1.811 kg. However, large scale production of round-fish in farms is economically feasible. The studied farm displays favorable conditions to improve performance and economic indicators, but it is necessary to reproduce the breeding techniques and performance indicators achieved in few ponds to the entire farm.

The why, what, and how of global biodiversity indicators beyond the 2010 target

The 2010 biodiversity target agreed by signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity directed the attention of conservation professionals toward the development of indicators with which to measure changes in biological diversity at the global scale. We considered why global biodiversity indicators are needed, what characteristics successful global indicators have, and how existing indicators perform. Because monitoring could absorb a large proportion of funds available for conservation, we believe indicators should be linked explicitly to monitoring objectives and decisions about which monitoring schemes deserve funding should be informed by predictions of the value of such schemes to decision making. We suggest that raising awareness among the public and policy makers, auditing management actions, and informing policy choices are the most important global monitoring objectives. Using four well-developed indicators of biological diversity (extent of forests, coverage of protected areas, Living Planet Index, Red List Index) as examples, we analyzed the characteristics needed for indicators to meet these objectives. We recommend that conservation professionals improve on existing indicators by eliminating spatial biases in data availability, fill gaps in information about ecosystems other than forests, and improve understanding of the way indicators respond to policy changes. Monitoring is not an end in itself, and we believe it is vital that the ultimate objectives of global monitoring of biological diversity inform development of new indicators.

Use of indicators to assess the sustainability of housing developments in Australia

Most new housing in Australia is occurring on greenfield sites on the edges of the capital cities. These housing developments are often criticised for their social and environmental unsustainability. These unsustainable suburbs are a legacy for future generations. They will create dire social and environmental problems if a serious economic downturn was to occur or a resource shortage e.g. oil was to make accessibility impossible. Coupled to these threats is that of the social ‘undesirability’ of isolated suburbs where only those on low incomes made their home. Most of those on higher incomes seek established suburbs which have ‘character’, social amenities and ease of access. Typically, these are in older suburbs close to city centres. This paper describes a methodology that has been developed to analyse past and future housing developments. The results of the analysis can provide a guide to improving the sustainability of these suburbs. The methodology uses several criteria to reflect the fact that no single criterion is adequate to describe or analyse the sustainability of a housing development. Sustainability should embrace social and environmental perspectives, so a multi-criteria analysis is appropriate. The theoretical framework for this methodology has been described elsewhere. However, in this previous work only five criteria were considered: energy use, resource use, neighbourhood character, neighbourhood connectedness and social diversity. In each case, high and low sustainability practice has been identified so that ranking is possible. This paper initially summarizes the way in which these previous five criteria are assessed but then adds a sixth criterion (social connectedness) because of a perceived gap in the previous assessment. The results of an analysis of three suburbs reported in the previous work are updated. They score poorly in terms of social connectedness underlining the need to ‘repair’ these suburbs in order to improve their overall sustainability.

Migratory implications for coronary heart disease risk prevention in Asian Indians: Evidence from the leading health indicators.

OBJECTIVEctives of this descriptive comparative study were to (1) review data obtained from the World Health Organisation Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) database relating to the prevalence of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) among Indians and Australians and (2) compare these data with published epidemiological studies of CHD riskfactors in adult migrant Asian Indians to provide a comprehensive and comparable assessment of risk factors relating to CHD and the mortality attributable to these risk factors. Design: ThDESIGNdy was undertaken using a database search and integrative review methodology. Data were obtained for comparison of CHD risk factors between Indians and Australians using the WHOSIS database. For the integrative review the MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched using the keywords 'Migrants', 'Asian Indian', 'India', 'Migration', 'Immigration', 'Risk factors', and coronary heart disease. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of the studies for inclusion in the review, the methodological quality and extracted details of eligible studies. Results from the integrative review on CHD risk factors in Asian Indians are presented in a narrative format, along with results from the WHOSIS database. Results: TRESULTSadjusted mortality for CHD was four times higher in migrant Asian Indians when compared to both the native population of the host country and migrants from other countries. Similarly when compared to migrants from other countries migrant Asian Indians had the highest prevalence of overweight individuals. Prevalence rates for hypercholesterolemia were up to 18.5 % among mgrant Asian Indians and migrant Asian Indian women had a higher prevalence of hypertriglyceridaemia compared to Caucasian females. Migrant Asian Indians also had a higher incidence of hypertension and upto 71 % of migrnt Asian Indian men did not meet current guidelines for participation in physical activity. Ethnic-specific prevalence of diabetes ranged from 6-7% among the normal weight to 19-33% among the obese migrant Asian Indians compared with non-Hispanic whites. ConclusionCONCLUSIONAsian Indians have an increased risk of CHD. Culturally sensitive strategies that recognise the effects of migration and extend beyond the health sector should be developed to target lifestyle changes in this high risk population.

Conceptualising and measuring spatial indicators of employment through a liveability lens

Employment is a well-known social determinant of health and wellbeing and important for the liveability of a region. Yet, spatial data are rarely used to understand barriers and facilitators of accessing employment within a city. Therefore it remains challenging to plan cities that provide equitable opportunities for urban job seekers. This paper sought to: (1) identify urban planning and neighbourhood spatial attributes that facilitate access to employment; (2) conceptualise how neighbourhood attributes that facilitate accessible urban employment may be related to health and wellbeing behaviours and outcomes; and (3) isolate potentially important neighbourhood-level spatial measures that policy-makers and planners could use to assess urban employment accessibility. A conceptual framework was developed through a social determinants of health lens, where more upstream (e.g., neighbourhood attributes) and more downstream (e.g., behaviours, intermediate outcomes) determinants of urban employment were identified in relation to long-term health and social outcomes of interest. Six potential neighbourhood spatial measures of employment were identified. These were classified into measures of: access to employment (n = 4), local employment (n = 1), and neighbourhood employment level (n = 1). The spatial measures proposed rely on routinely collected administrative datasets existing within Australia (i.e., census data); therefore can be replicated over time and data are available nationally. Together, this research identified a suite of potential (and readily available) spatial measures that can be used to assess selected neighbourhood attributes as they relate to urban employment access. Such spatial measures can be used to inform future planning decisions that integrate policies across multiple sectors, thereby improving employment accessibility in an urban context.