In vitro Evolution and Engineering for Improved Ribozyme Polymerase Production

According to the "RNA World Hypothesis" the first self replicating molecule formed from the prebiotic chemicals is the ribozyme. A model compartmentalized self replicating system for ribozyme polymerases is designed and used to improve activity, fidelity and generality of the enzyme

Corporate Governance, Firm Age, and Leverage: Empirical Evidence from China

This study aims to analyze the influence of corporate governance on firm leverage. It also investigates the moderating effect of firm age on the association between corporate governance and leverage. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms, it addresses several issues that have been identified in the prior literature regarding capital structure. This study provides novel findings which reveal that CEO duality and board commissions have a statistically significant role in determining the leverage levels for NSOEs, however, the positive effect of board commissions established on leverage decreases as the firm ages. Board size, board independence and supervisory boards influence the leverage levels for SOEs, however, the negative effects of board independence and supervisory boards on leverage reduce as the firm grows older. Keywords: Corporate governance, leverage, firm age, Chinese listed firms DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-2-0

AN IMPROVED ROOT LOCATION METHOD FOR FAST CONVERGENCE OF NON-LINEAR EQUATIONS

In this paper an improved root location method has been suggested for nonlinear equations f(x)=0. The proposed improved root location method is very much effective for solving nonlinear equations and several numerical examples associated with algebraic and transcendental functions are present in this paper to investigate the new method. Throughout the study we have proved that proposed method is cubically convergent.  All the results are executed on MATLAB 16 which has a machine precision of around . Key words: Newton’s method, Iterative method, third order convergent, Root finding methods

Comparative Productive Performance of two Broiler Strains in Open Housing System

Background: The present study was conducted to compare the growth performance and ultimately to calculate the profitability of the two locally available commercial strains of broiler (Ross 308 and Cobb 500).Methods: For the purpose of study, 900 number of day-old chicks (DOC) of each strain were purchased from the local market. The birds were reared in conventional broiler house with the provision of standard managemental conditions throughout the experimental period. The parameters recorded on weekly basis were feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality.Results: Result shown that the total body weight of Cobb-500 and Ross-308 on 1st week was 207.40±14 gram and 196.00±16 gram respectively and these result represented significant difference of weight gain (P0.05) among the strains. Furthermore, significant difference of feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed (P<0.05) among both the strains but from day 7th till the market age weekly FCR of Cob-500 was significantly higher (P<0.05) than Ross-308. Comparatively high mortality (4.8±0.4%) was noticed in Ross broiler strain than Cobb broiler strain (3.7±0.4%). Conclusion: It was concluded from the current study that the Cobb-500 is performing better in conventional open housing system at high altitude than Ros-308.Keywords: Broiler; Cobb-500; Ross-308; Conventional broiler houses; Mortalit

Workplace incivility and turnover intention among nurses of public healthcare system in Pakistan

Though workplace incivility is a negative behavioral phenomenon that has infiltrated almost every sector, yet, less investigated in the healthcare sector. The healthcare sector is the backbone for economic and well-being for any nation and mainly composed of nurses. Turnover among nurses is a serious challenge to public healthcare facilities in terms of management, financing, and service quality. Based on the COR theory, this study capitalizes investigation on the effects of incivility on turnover intention through burnout and occupational stress. Simple random sampling was deployed on a sample of 265 nurses from 24 public hospitals of Sindh in Pakistan. Data analysis through partial least square and results revealed that workplace incivility has insignificant relation with turnover intention. Whereas, incivility has a significant indirect relationship with turnover intention through burnout and occupational stress. This study suggests that emotional and occupational depletion in public healthcare is high due to incivility at the workplace. Thus, HR managers must devise policies to practice civil behavior to curtail turnover intention problem among nurses. Besides practical benefits, some limitations with potential future research directions are discussed in the end

UNDERSTANDING LIBRARIAN TRANSFORMATIONAL AND TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES THROUGH THE LENS OF STUDENTS RESPONSE WHILE SPENDING TIME IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

The current study tries to understand the prospective of students about librarian leadership approach during their time spent in university main library. In this regard librarian transformational leadership attributes (Articulating Vision, Individualized consideration, Group Goal, Idealized Influence) as well as transactional approach (Contingent Reward, Contingent Punishment) was assessed through the students response based on age, gender differences and their background from three different campuses. In this regard data was analyzed through SPSS via one sample t-test and ANOVA as well as regression analysis. Findings depict that students perceive librarian transformational and transactional leadership on the basis of different characteristics. Similarly students background from three different campuses also evident significant results for differentiating librarian transformational and transactional leadership abilities

Enhancing Knowledge of Family Caregivers and Quality of Life of Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Objectives:&nbsp;&nbsp;A Quasi-Experimental study was conducted to determine the impact of Attend-trial-based interventions on the knowledge of the caregivers and the quality of life of Ischemic stroke survivors. Material and Methods:&nbsp;&nbsp;The study was conducted in the acute care hospital located in the rural area, Khyber Pukhtoonkha. A sample of 115 patients and informal caregivers participated in a multifaceted intervention including educational sessions, training and demonstration, and post-training discussion via WhatsApp. A pre-post evaluation of the quality of life, stroke knowledge, functioning, and activities of daily living was completed using validated tools. All information was collected using predesign pro forma and questionnaire. Results:&nbsp;&nbsp;The interventions significantly improved all four outcomes in caregivers and patients. The mean score for the WHOQOL-BREF pre-intervention was 2.91 ± 1.10 which was increased to 4.18 ± 0.86. The pre-knowledge scores were 34.00 which increased to 39.95. There was a statistically significant change between pre and post knowledge scores [t (114) = -3.394, p = 0.001]. Conclusion:&nbsp;&nbsp;The study contributed towards the usefulness of multifaceted education intervention to enhance the rehabilitation efforts of patients and their caregivers in community settings