Respuesta del sector público y privado a los fondos mutuos en Pakistán utilizando la regresión logística binaria

To study the influence of risk perception, socio-economic environments, return perception, venality level, a revolution in investment scheme and awareness about investor behavior-based mutual funds. The result of this primary survey from Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad based on 460 questionnaire responses with snowball sampling. From all over the Pakistan individual investors were included in our population. Results from the study reveal that investors could behave confidently with innovative investment schemes, awareness, criteria of preference for an investor. These solid reasons could enhance the investor base mutual funds. While some factors having adverse effects on the behavior of investors such as venality level, perception of returns and precarious institutional factors. Whereas gender, level of education, saving level are social demographics which could affect the behavior of investors positively towards the mutual fund investment although age having a negative effect. This study inferring the management of mutual funds, regulators and investors. While these results highlight the inadequacy of awareness in a certain section of society. Therefore, for awareness of old age people, females considered more explicitly to collect an extensive period of investment of mutual funds. And to put a stronghold on the roots of venality level regulators to control the adverse effects of management.Estudiar la influencia de la percepción del riesgo, los entornos socioeconómicos, la percepción del rendimiento, el nivel de venalidad, una revolución en el esquema de inversión y la conciencia sobre los fondos mutuos basados ​​en el comportamiento de los inversores. El resultado de esta encuesta primaria de Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad basada en 460 respuestas al cuestionario con muestreo de bola de nieve. De todo el Pakistán, se incluyeron inversores individuales en nuestra población. Los resultados del estudio revelan que los inversores podrían comportarse con confianza con esquemas de inversión innovadores, conciencia, criterios de preferencia para un inversor. Estas razones sólidas podrían mejorar la base de inversores de fondos mutuos. Si bien algunos factores tienen efectos adversos en el comportamiento de los inversores, como el nivel de venalidad, la percepción de los rendimientos y los factores institucionales precarios. Mientras que el género, el nivel de educación y el nivel de ahorro son datos demográficos sociales que podrían afectar positivamente el comportamiento de los inversores hacia la inversión de fondos mutuos, aunque la edad tenga un efecto negativo. Este estudio infiere la gestión de fondos mutuos, reguladores e inversores. Si bien estos resultados destacan la insuficiencia de la conciencia en un determinado sector de la sociedad. Por lo tanto, para concienciar a las personas de edad avanzada, las mujeres consideran más explícitamente recaudar un extenso período de inversión de fondos mutuos. Y para poner una fortaleza en las raíces de los reguladores de nivel de venalidad para controlar los efectos adversos de la gestión

Corporate Tax Planning: Measurement, Incentives and Governance Effects

This research reviews the existing Tax Planning (TP) measures and explores the consistency of UK firms’ engagement in TP; evaluates incentives for TP and its value relevance in a signalling theory framework; and studies corporate governance effects on TP for the firms in an institutional theory framework. It analyses a unique set of 1,482 hand-collected firm-year observations and proposes ‘undisclosed TP’ as a new TP measure. It finds that firms consistently engage in TP and their TP disclosures have improved; internationally oriented firms do not engage in TP to save taxes; risky firms, firms with low operating cashflows and growing firms, however, do not engage in TP to arrange funds internally – so they signal their non-engagement in TP to the market. Further findings confirm public awareness and market valuation of firms’ TP engagements. Boards’ tax affiliations result in reductions in tax payments (expenses) for strongly (weakly) governed firms. Professional accountancy qualifications on the board result in significantly higher tax payments for weakly governed firms. The auditors’ provided tax services (institutional ownership) result in higher tax payments for weakly (strongly) governed firms suggesting supplementary (complementary) role of auditors (institutional ownership) for the internal governance on TP. This research concludes that there is a need for further TP disclosures to reduce the information asymmetry associated with negatively valued TP activities; recommends auditors’ involvement in TP services; and recommends tax affiliates on the board to bring tax savings in a strongly governed environment. The current study’s findings have important theoretical and practical implications.University of Bradfor

Production of herbicide-resistant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) transformed with the bar gene

Plant genetic engineering has opened new avenues to modify crops and has provided a powerful tool for crop improvement. The present study reports the development of regeneration and genetic transformation protocol for the Turkish cowpea cultivar Akkiz. The immature cotyledons were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.25–0.75 mg L–1 6-benzylaminopurine with or without 0.25 mg L–1 ?-naphthalene acetic acid. Shoot regeneration varied 44.4%–83.3% with 2.1–5.0 shoots per explant. Regenerated shoots were rooted in MS medium containing 0.50 mg L–1 indole-3-butyric acid and acclimatized in the greenhouse, where they flowered and set seeds. Immature cotyledons were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring the recombinant binary vector pRGG containing an herbicide tolerance gene (bar) along with a uida (GUS) gene under 35S promoter. Phosphinothricin was used as a selectable marker at a concentration of 2.5 mg L–1. Putative transformants were screened by the histochemical GUS assay. Furthermore, molecular analysis revealed the presence of the introduced gene in the genome of cowpea cultivar Akkiz. The selected transgenic plants showed a resistance to Basta® nonselective herbicide at up to 10 mL L–1 of water. Putative transgenic plants retained their pigmentation and continued to grow in the greenhouse

Comparison of Shoot Regeneration on Different Concentrations of Thidiazuron from Shoot Tip Explant of Cowpea on Gelrite and Agar Containing Medium

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important legume grown all over the world as grain crop, animal fodder, cover crop, gren manure and vegetable. The present study compares effects of agar and gelrite on micropropagation from shoot tip explant of two Turkish cowpea cultivars Akkiz and Karagoz using 0.15, 0.15, 0.35 mg/l Thidiazuron (TDZ), 3 g/l activated charcoal, 2 mg/l yeast extract with and without 1.25 mg/l Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). To overcome problem of endogenic bacterial contaminations, all cultures contained 500 mg/l augmentin and incubated at 24 ± 2o C in 16 h light photoperiod for eight weeks. Therafter, all explants were transferred to MS medium for two weeks for shoot regeneration and elongation under same incubation and photoperiod conditions. The results showed that frequency of shoot regeneration increased with increase in TDZ concentrations in both cultivars on both agar and gelrite gelled medium. Both cultivars showed maximum mean number of shoots per explant in gelrite compared to agar gelled medium. Maximum number of 4.72 and 2.86 shoots per explant were recorded on MS medium containing 0.25 mg/l TDZ in cv. Akkiz and cv. Karagoz respectively. Hyperhydricity was recorded on some regenerated shoots, which was more prominant on agar. Agar gelled medium had greater shoot length compared to gelrite medium in both cultivars. Regenerated shoots were rooted easily on MS medium containing 0.50 mg/l IBA with regeneration of mean number of 4 secondary shoots on cv. Akkiz and 3 on cv. Karagoz. Rooted plantlets were successfully hardened in the growth chamber and subsequently established in the greenhouse; where they flowered and set seeds. The recorded survival rate of the plants was 100%. Plants looked healthy with no visible detecTab. phenotypic variations

From barriers to novel strategies: smarter CAR T therapy hits hard to tumors

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for solid tumors shows promise, but several hurdles remain. Strategies to overcome barriers such as CAR T therapy-related toxicities (CTT), immunosuppression, and immune checkpoints through research and technology are needed to put the last nail to the coffin and offer hope for previously incurable malignancies. Herein we review current literature and infer novel strategies for the mitigation of CTT while impeding immune suppression, stromal barriers, tumor heterogeneity, on-target/off-tumor toxicities, and better transfection strategies with an emphasis on clinical research and prospects

Nonexecutive direct influence on informational asymmetries in offshore financial centres

Question/issue: this is a study of the relationship between nonexecutive director personal ownership and firm's bid ask spreads in listed firms from across the Caribbean offshore securities exchanges. Research findings/insights: we report that bid ask spreads increase with nonexecutive ownership. However, this result is reduced (negatively moderated) in the context of higher formal institutional quality and also if the territory has a fixed exchange rate regime but exacerbated (positively moderated) if the firm is located within an offshore jurisdiction. Theoretical/academic implications: the results regarding the influence of nonexecutive director ownership on firm liquidity-based transaction costs, namely, market estimates of bid ask spreads, are interpreted in terms of the contingency of this relationship on the wider institutional context. The effectiveness of nonexecutive directors is highly contingent upon the specific institutional context. Higher formal institutional quality and the presence of a strong macroeconomic tie between territory and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country lead to a reduction in these costs, while offshore financial centers lead to their increase. We argue that this highlights a shortcoming of agency theory's more limited view of institutions. Practitioner/policy implications: the results support regulator's focus on board of director composition and in particular nonexecutive remuneration in the form of ownership. Given the increasing dominance of Anglo-American governance, firms worldwide are increasing the proportions of nonexecutive directors on their boards. However, their role is acutely context specific which is reflected in the relationship between their personal ownership and the liquidity-borne transaction costs of the firm as a whole.</p

Components of Motivation in the ESL/EFL Classroom

Motivation is clearly a critical factor for second language and foreign language learning because it affects students' willingness to approach learning and using English language. Teachers who hope to provide meaningful instruction need to consider how to increase the motivational levels of their students in order to ensure student success in learning.&nbsp; This paper examines what university students studying English as a second language or a foreign language (ESL/EFL) have to say about what does or does not positively affect their motivation to study English language. The ways in which intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect ESL/EFL learners are explained by examining student surveys and current research. How self-directed or autonomous learning stimulates intrinsic motivation is a major part of the paper, as is how teacher-centered classrooms tend to make ESL students more extrinsically motivated