Voluntary Corporate Governance Disclosure Innovative Evidence: The Case of Jordan

This paper aimed to assess the corporate governance voluntary disclosure level and the impact of a set of corporate governances (CG) attributes on the level to which corporate governance voluntary disclosure is conducted in Jordan. Another objective was to determine if Jordanian industrial listed corporations adhere to and disclose good CG practices voluntarily, and if they do, to determine the factors influencing such disclosure. This study employed 61 industrial listed firms for the years 2010-2014. The research developed a general voluntary CG disclosure index composing of 15 Jordanian Corporate Governance Codes and gauged the relationship via pooled OLS and regression method. The results indicated that the proposed Jordanian Corporate Governance Index (JCGI) enhanced voluntary corporate governance disclosure among Jordanian listed firms over the examined years. They also showed varying levels of CG disclosures in different scenarios; 1) it is lower in firms with higher managerial ownership and 2) higher relative to the independent directors' proportion on the board, audit firm size, and audit committee presence with institutional ownership. Evidence on the compliance level towards the CG code in Amman Stock Exchange is unique and the study is distinct as it provides a pioneering evidence of the achieved compliance level

Crossword puzzle: a tool for enhancing medical students' learning in microbiology and immunology

Background: Incorporation of active-learning methods into classroom allows students to be motivated and enhances their learning experience. Crossword puzzles are found to be an interesting educational tool for teaching medical students as it evokes interest, motivates, enhances their critical thinking, allows a better understanding of concepts, and helps in reinforcing the material acquired during lecture. Aims and Objectives of the research work was intended to implement and evaluate the use of crossword puzzle as a tool in effective learning of Microbiology and Immunology.Methods: Using free online resources, crossword puzzles were created and provided to the students during microbiology and immunology lectures. Students’ perceptions of the crossword puzzle activity were assessed through an 8-item questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale. The data was collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed.Results: More than 85% of the students indicated that crossword puzzles enhanced their learning, oriented them to the important topics, and served as good tool in effective learning of microbiology and immunology.Conclusions: Students perceived that crossword puzzles enhanced their learning of microbiology and immunology. Use of crossword puzzles provides a simple, creative, and effective means to incorporate active learning of microbiology and immunology in the classroom

Mapping of forests based on biological diversity to identify conservation sites: A case study from Udupi and South Canara districts of Karnataka

Forest classification is traditionally based on the structure and composition of vegetation, which in tum is strongly linked with the climatic profile of the area. Forest maps thus prepared cannot appropriately meet the needs of the managers whose renewed mandate is to conserve the biological richness of the forests. The emerging need for protecting the forests is to understand the spatial distribution of the conservation value of the forests besides knowing their vegetation types. In other words, we need maps that depict the spatial distribution of biological diversity of the forests. In this paper, we rep011 on our attempt to develop such biodiversity maps for the forest ranges of Udupi and South Canara districts of Ka.rnataka state. Utilizing the data from the vegetation sampling of the Forest Survey of India, we developed a terrain view of the density and diversity of tree species and have attempted to identify the sites with the highest conservation value. We propose that such maps be developed for the entire country and discuss the potentialities and problems associated with this protocol

Drug utilization study of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Diabetes along with hypertension is a very common ailment afflicting millions of people worldwide. The socio-economic stress caused by the morbidity and mortality associated with it is mind boggling. Hence, this study was undertaken to study the utilization of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive diabetic patients.Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 100 hypertensive diabetic patients aged between 18 and 90 years of either gender attending Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital, Kalaburagi. The data collected were statistically analyzed and presented as counts and percentages.Results: In our study, we found that majority (63%) were male patients and majority belonged to 51-70 years age group. The majority of the patients were prescribed angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) alone (19%), followed by a combination of ACEIs and calcium channel blockers (9%). The generic prescribing was only 23%, and patient’s knowledge of correct dosage was 64%.Conclusion: In this study, it has been observed that the antihypertensives drugs were prescribed rationally, but the generic prescribing was only 23% which is inappropriate prescribing behavior. Hence, physicians should be educated to prescribe drugs in the generic name so that the cost of drugs is reduced

Effect of Sm3+ substitution on structural and magnetic investigation of nano sized Mn-​Sm-​Zn ferrites

Nano size Mn0.4Zn0.6SmxFe2-​xO4 (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05) ferrites were prepd. by soln. combustion method. The structural and magnetic properties of samples were characterised by X-​ray diffractometer, Fourier transform IR spectrometer, transmission electron micrographs and magnetic properties at room temp. The X-​ray diffraction patterns and two prominent absorption bands in the frequency range 375-​589 cm-​1 confirmed the single phase with spinel cubic structure. The av. nano crystallite sizes were in best agreements with transmission electron microscope images. Magnetic studies revealed the narrow hysteresis loops of ferrimagnetic nature at room temp. The values of satn. magnetization (Ms)​, remanence magnetization (Mr)​, coercivity (Hc)​, remanence ratio (Mr/Ms)​, magneton no., anisotropy const. and Yaffet-​Kittle angle decreased with the increase in Sm3+ ion concn. was attributed to relative no. of ferric ions on the tetrahedral sites diminished and reduced the Sm-​Fe interaction

Electrochemical Investigations of Sydnone Derivatives at Glassy Carbon Electrode

Electrochemical reduction of the –N=N– moiety of sydnone derivatives, like 3-phenyl sydnone, tolyl sydnone and anisyl sydnone, was studied using cyclic voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode. In acid medium, the above compounds were found to show irreversible electrochemical charge transfer in the pH range studied. Electrochemical studies of these sydnones were carried out in partially aqueous media containing organic co-solvents such as acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, methanol and dimethylsulphoxide. Physical parameters such as the charge transfer coefficient and diffusion coefficient, as well as the effects of variation of the electroactive species concentration, sweep rate, organic solvents, and pH on peak parameters were studied. The reduced products were characterized by IR, NMR and mass spectral studies. The effect of surfactants on the electrochemical reduction of 3-phenyl sydnone was studied using cationic, anionic and non-ionic surfactants