Management equity incentives and corporate tax avoidance: Moderating role of the internal control.

Introduction: Under the modern enterprise system, the principal-agent relationship can cause a conflict of interest between the two power counterparts, thus affecting the degree of corporate tax avoidance. As a tool to align the interests of management and owners, management equity incentives can alleviate the conflict of interests brought about by the separation of powers and, therefore, may influence corporate tax avoidance. Objectives and methods: We examine the relationship between management equity incentives and corporate tax avoidance from both theoretical and empirical perspectives by using data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2016 to 2020. Firstly, the effect of management equity incentives on tax avoidance is theoretically and normatively analyzed. Secondly, examine the effectiveness of moderating the effect of internal control and distinguishing the ownership of enterprises' nature through regression analysis. Results: (1) There is a positive relationship between management equity incentives and corporate tax avoidance which means, more the stock incentive offered to executives, the more likely corporations are to pursue tax avoidance strategies aggressively. (2) Internal control deficiencies enhance the positive relationship between equity incentives and enterprise tax avoidance behavior. Therefore, in Chinese enterprises, the lack of an internal control system and the failure of internal control measures are prevalent, and such loopholes can intensify the tax avoidance behavior that arises when executives are subject to equity incentives. (3) The influence of management equity incentives on enterprise tax avoidance behavior is greater in state-owned (SOE) than private enterprises. State-owned enterprises are more likely to increase enterprise tax avoidance behavior when management is subject to equity incentives for reasons such as strict performance requirements, lower regulatory oversight, and less interference from negative information. Finally, our findings have significant implications for policymakers/regulators, public companies, investors, standard setters, managerial labor markets, and the welfare of the overall economy.

The impact of corporate environmental disclosure quality on financing constraints: the moderating role of internal control.

It is still controversial whether environmental information disclosure (EID) can alleviate firms' financing constraints. Existing studies have not addressed the issue of whether internal control can address the financing constraint in the context of institutional weaknesses and managerial opportunism of environmental information disclosure quality (EIDQ). Therefore, through constructing multiple linear regression analysis, we empirically studied the impact of EIDQ on the financing constraint of Chinese firms and the moderating effect of internal controls on the above relationship. The findings showed that (1) improving EIDQ could significantly alleviate the financing constraint problem of enterprises, and the mitigation effect is more significant among non-state enterprises; (2) the quality of internal control helps to strengthen the mitigation effect of EIDQ on the financing constraint; and (3) further research found that the mitigation effect of EIDQ on financing constraints was more significant in a sample with a high degree of marketization, stricter government regulation, and non-political affiliation among non-state-owned enterprises. This study provides new ideas for promoting institutional optimization of EID and the development of green finance.

Influence of mixing parameters in STAR automatic sample processing instruments on the detection results of internal controls / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore the significance of blending internal controls by automatic sample processing instruments in the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 【Methods】 The internal controls were vortexed and mixed before the test, and then were added to the same ELISA plate by the STAR automatic sample processing instruments under the same detection conditions. The difference of S/CO value of internal controls with and without sufficient blending via the sampling needle and their frequency distribution were compared. Internal controls that were greatly affected by mixing parameters were submitted to the same test with different batches of reagents from the same manufacturer, and the results were analyzed for consistency. 【Results】 The S/CO value of anti-HCV internal controls without blending using adding sample needle was significantly lower than that of quality control samples with sufficient blending (P<0.000 1). The S/CO values of unmixed internal controls concerning anti-TP and anti-HIV detection given by some detection systems were also different from the values of mixed internal controls (P<0.05). Some of the S/CO values of the anti-HCV internal controls without mixing were distributed within the interval of less than 2. Different batches of reagents from the same manufacturer were used to detect anti-HCV internal controls, and there were differences in the partial detection values between the mixed and unmixed internal controls (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Although the internal controls were mixed by vortex shock before the test, the detection results of some internal controls will still be affected when the STAR automatic sample processing instruments does not set the mixing parameters for internal controls.

Two new superior primer pairs for universal detection of Xylella spp. in conventional PCR and TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR.

Xylella fastidiosa causes many economically important plant diseases such as Pierce's disease of grapevine, citrus variegated chlorosis disease, and olive quick decline syndrome. Another species in the same genus, Xylella taiwanensis, causes pear leaf scorch. Here, to enable an initial screening of plants suspected of being infected with Xylella spp. by conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR), new primer pairs-X67S1/XL2r and XrDf1/XLr4-were designed to target the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of not only X. fastidosa but also X. taiwanensis. In cPCR to detect both species, X67S1/XL2r showed features superior to those of other primer pairs, such as fewer false negatives and false positives, whereas XrDf1/XLr4 seemed to be unsuitable because of abundant non-specific amplification. However, when XrDf1/XLr4 was combined with a probe in a TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), the assay detected no false positives and was more useful in the universal detection of Xylella spp. than TaqMan qPCR assays reported previously.

Anti-bribery and Corruption Policies in International Sports Governing Bodies.

International Sports Governing Bodies ("ISGBs") are diverse in their aims but share a need to maintain a reputation of accountability in the eyes of their stakeholders. While some literature analyses the general governance concerns faced by these organizations, there is limited focus on anti-bribery and corruption ("ABC") within this sphere. This paper's research aim is an exploratory evaluation of the ABC best practice policies that exist within ISGBs, asking how they can be assessed and what best practice policies currently exist within this framework. This paper undertakes a critical review of the diverse ABC governance policies in the largest ISGBs through content analysis on governance documents publically available on the sample ISGB websites. This review was undertaken twice on the same ISGBs, in 2017 and 2020, and the changes reviewed. The research highlights best practice policies for recommendation to all ISGBs, and illuminates the absence of adequate policies with regards to the risk of bribery in ISGBs. The findings show there was no area within the framework that ISGBs performed well at as a collective, and there was no single ISGB whose anti-bribery policies were strong in all areas. However, the comparison between 2017 and 2020 shows an improvement in ABC policies in some ISGBs over the timeframe analyzed. The implications are a need for sharing best practice in this area of governance, and providing global guidance on ABC policies for ISGBs to ensure integrity in the sector.

Pharmacy Internal Controls: A Call for Greater Vigilance during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

For businesses that store physical goods, managing product inventories and financial cost accounting controls are critical. Pharmacies are under considerable scrutiny, due to the nature of their merchandise, making internal controls even more vital. Due to the emergence of COVID-19 and government mitigation strategies, the US economy has seen significant macro- and microeconomic effects. COVID-19 has changed the pharmacy working environment, which could theoretically increase rates of employee drug diversion. Therefore, better inventory management could reduce the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs from fraudulent and drug diversion activities. The author explored secondary findings to create a multidisciplinary conceptual analysis of the reasons why internal controls executed with greater diligence may be needed to avoid damaging financial, legal, and health outcomes. The author also provides a review of available internal control methods that can be used to mitigate diversion.

Gene expression studies of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR: an overview in insects.

Whenever gene expression is being examined, it is essential that a normalization process is carried out to eliminate non-biological variations. The use of reference genes, such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, actin, and ribosomal protein genes, is the usual method of choice for normalizing gene expression. Although reference genes are used to normalize target gene expression, a major problem is that the stability of these genes differs among tissues, developmental stages, species, and responses to abiotic factors. Therefore, the use and validation of multiple reference genes are required. This review discusses the reasons that why RT-qPCR has become the preferred method for validating results of gene expression profiles, the use of specific and non-specific dyes and the importance of use of primers and probes for qPCR as well as to discuss several statistical algorithms developed to help the validation of potential reference genes. The conflicts arising in the use of classical reference genes in gene normalization and their replacement with novel references are also discussed by citing the high stability and low stability of classical and novel reference genes under various biotic and abiotic experimental conditions by employing various methods applied for the reference genes amplification.

The effects of monitoring environment on problem-solving performance.

While effective and efficient solving of everyday problems is important in business domains, little is known about the effects of workplace monitoring on problem-solving performance. In a laboratory experiment, we explored the monitoring environment's effects on an individual's propensity to (1) establish pattern solutions to problems, (2) recognize when pattern solutions are no longer efficient, and (3) solve complex problems. Under three work monitoring regimes-no monitoring, human monitoring, and electronic monitoring-114 participants solved puzzles for monetary rewards. Based on research related to worker autonomy and theory of social facilitation, we hypothesized that monitored (versus non-monitored) participants would (1) have more difficulty finding a pattern solution, (2) more often fail to recognize when the pattern solution is no longer efficient, and (3) solve fewer complex problems. Our results support the first two hypotheses, but in complex problem solving, an interaction was found between self-assessed ability and the monitoring environment.

Reference gene selection for reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction in chicken hypothalamus under different feeding status.

This study was designed to investigate the stability of 10 candidate reference genes, namely ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, HMBS, LBR, POLR2B, RN18S, RPS17, TBP, and YWHAZ for the normalization of gene expression data obtained by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in studies related to feed intake of chicken. Samples were isolated from hypothalamus under three different nutritional status (ad libitum, fasted for 24 hr, fasted for 24 hr then refed for 2 hr). Five different algorithms were applied for the analysis of reference gene stability: BestKeeper, geNorm, NormFinder, the comparative ΔCt method, and a novel approach using multivariate linear mixed-effects modelling for stable reference gene selection. TBP and POLR2B were identified as the two most suitable and B2M and RN18S as the two least stable reference genes for normalization. Despite our review, the current literature showing that RN18S is one of the most commonly used reference gene in chicken gene expression studies, its applicability for normalization should be evaluated before each qPCR experiment.

Development and optimization of a sensitive TaqMan® real-time PCR with synthetic homologous extrinsic control for quantitation of Human cytomegalovirus viral load.

Human cytomegalovirus (Human herpesvirus 5, HCMV) causes frequent asymptomatic infections in the general population. However, in immunosuppressed patients or congenitally infected infants, HCMV is related to high morbidity and mortality. In such cases, a rapid viral detection is crucial for monitoring the clinical outcome and the antiviral treatment. In this study, we optimized a sensitive biplex TaqMan® real-time PCR for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of a partial HCMV UL97 sequence and homologous extrinsic control (HEC) in the same tube. HEC was represented by a plasmid containing a modified HCMV sequence retaining the original primer binding sites, while the probe sequence was substituted by a phylogenetically divergent one (chloroplast CF0 subunit plant gene). It was estimated that the optimal HEC concentration, which did not influence the HCMV amplification is 1,000 copies/reaction. The optimized TaqMan® PCR demonstrated high analytical sensitivity (6.97 copies/reaction, CI = 95%) and specificity (100%). Moreover, the reaction showed adequate precision (repeatability, CV = 0.03; reproducibility, CV = 0.0027) and robustness (no carry-over or cross-contamination). The diagnostic sensitivity (100%) and specificity (97.8%) were adequate for the clinical application of the molecular platform. The optimized TaqMan® real-time PCR is suitable for HCMV detection and quantitation in predisposed patients and monitoring of the applied antiviral therapy. J. Med. Virol. 88:1604-1612, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reliable reference gene selection for Cordyceps militaris gene expression studies under different developmental stages and media.

Cordyceps militaris is considered a model organism for the study of Cordyceps species, which are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine. Gene expression analysis has become more popular and important in studies of this fungus. Reference gene validation under different experimental conditions is crucial for RT-qPCR analysis. In this study, eight candidate reference genes, actin, cox5, gpd, rpb1, tef1, try, tub, and ubi, were selected and their expression stability was evaluated in C. militaris samples using four algorithms, genorm, normfinder, bestkeeper, and the comparative ∆Ct method. Three sets of samples, five different developmental stages cultured in wheat medium and pupae, and all the samples pool were included. The results showed that rpb1 was the best reference gene during all developmental stages examined, while the most common reference genes, actin and tub, were not suitable internal controls. Cox5 also performed poorly and was less stable in our analysis. The ranks of ubi and gpd were inconsistent in different sample sets by different methods. Our results provide guidelines for reference gene selection at different developmental stages and also represent a foundation for more accurate and widespread use of RT-qPCR in C. militaris gene expression analysis.

DNA metabarcoding multiplexing and validation of data accuracy for diet assessment: application to omnivorous diet.

Ecological understanding of the role of consumer-resource interactions in natural food webs is limited by the difficulty of accurately and efficiently determining the complex variety of food types animals have eaten in the field. We developed a method based on DNA metabarcoding multiplexing and next-generation sequencing to uncover different taxonomic groups of organisms from complex diet samples. We validated this approach on 91 faeces of a large omnivorous mammal, the brown bear, using DNA metabarcoding markers targeting the plant, vertebrate and invertebrate components of the diet. We included internal controls in the experiments and performed PCR replication for accuracy validation in postsequencing data analysis. Using our multiplexing strategy, we significantly simplified the experimental procedure and accurately and concurrently identified different prey DNA corresponding to the targeted taxonomic groups, with ≥ 60% of taxa of all diet components identified to genus/species level. The systematic application of internal controls and replication was a useful and simple way to evaluate the performance of our experimental procedure, standardize the selection of sequence filtering parameters for each marker data and validate the accuracy of the results. Our general approach can be adapted to the analysis of dietary samples of various predator species in different ecosystems, for a number of conservation and ecological applications entailing large-scale population level diet assessment through cost-effective screening of multiple DNA metabarcodes, and the detection of fine dietary variation among samples or individuals and of rare food items.

Practical Analysis on Establishing the Control Model of Medical Insurance in Public Hospital Internal Operation Based on Utility Theory / 中国卫生经济

To establish the control model of medical insurance in hospitals, so as to improve the effectiveness of internal operation for medical insurance fund. Methods: Using the utility theory to establish the control model, with which the medical service provider is individual rationality constraints and incentive compatibility constraint. Results: The bonus coefficient and punishment coefficient can be calculated by means of evolutionary programming. Conclusion: The control model of hospital internal medical insurance fund is useful in controlling the medical insurance expense, it also provides the guidance and references for performance management and internal operation.

A influência da estrutura organizacional nos controles internos de uma fundação para pesquisa, prevenção e assistência do câncer do interior paulista / The influence of the organizational structure on the internal controls of a foundation for cancer research, prevention and care in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

O estudo centra-se na discussão de que o nível da estrutura organizacional interfere nas práticas de controle interno das organizações não governamentais (ONGs), sobretudo ligadas à saúde. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de observar a eficiência dos testes de controle interno aplicados dentro de uma estrutura organizacional da Fundação para Pesquisa, Prevenção e Assistência do Câncer, verificando a confiabilidade nos relatórios contábeis e controles operacionais. Como metodologia, realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma organização de saúde do terceiro setor. O estudo de caso ocorreu por meio de entrevistas e análises de relatórios confidenciais. Diante de uma avaliação da estrutura organizacional (das relações entre funcionários e voluntários) e da aplicação de procedimentos de avaliação da qualidade dos controles internos, avaliou-se o quanto o nível da estrutura organizacional interfere nas práticas de controle interno do hospital. Observou-se que existem mecanismos de controle estruturados na instituição, porém a execução desses controles deixa a desejar. Pode-se constatar também que o nível da estrutura organizacional interfere, sim, nas práticas de controle interno da entidade.

This work focuses on a discussion about the extent to which the level of organizational structure interferes in the internal control practices of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), especially those related to health. The objective of this work was to observe the efficiency of the internal control tests applied within the organizational structure of the Foundation for Cancer Research, Prevention and Care, checking the reliability of the accounting records and operational controls. A case study in a third sector health organization was the chosen methodology. The case study involved company interviews and the analysis of confidential reports. After an evaluation of the organizational structure (of the relations between officials and volunteers) and the application of evaluation proceedings on the quality of the internal controls, the extent to which the organizational structure interferes with the internal control practices of the hospital was assessed. It was revealed that there are structured mechanisms of control in the institution, however the implementation of these controls is inadequately performed. It was further detected that the level of the organizational structure does indeed interfere in internal control practices at the entity.