Corporate governance attributes, firm characteristics and the level of corporate disclosure: Evidence from the Indian listed firms

This study investigates the association between firm characteristics, corporate governance attributes and the level of corporate disclosure of listed firms in India. The research paper has been based on a sample of 60 firms listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) / National Stock Exchange (NSE) during the study period from 2000-01 to 2009-10. The study has used the Standard & Poor (2008) model for measuring the level of corporate disclosure. To examine the association between explanatory variables and the level of corporate disclosure, multiple regression model has been used. The results suggest a positive relationship between board size, ratio of audit committee members to total board members, family control, CEO duality, firm size, profitability, liquidity and the extent of corporate disclosure. However, the degree of corporate disclosure is negatively related to board composition, leverage and age of the firm

Use of Reynoutr;a sachalinens;s plant extracts, clay preparations and Brev;bacillus brev;s against fungal diseases of grape berries

R. sachalinensis plant extracts (Milsana was in ali trials as effective against U. necator as sulphur, even in years with very high disease pressure. The plant extract showed also positive effects in Botrytis control. Myco-Sin was in ali trials as effective in controlling P. viticola as the copper containing agent FW 450. The combination 01 Milsana, Myco-Sin and B. brevis revealed the potential 01 B. brevis lor control 01 B. cinerea in grape berries, and indicated additional positive effects towards the contro I 01 U. necator. The combined use 01 these biological control agents shows strong potential lor replacement 01 copper and sulphur in organic viticulture

Significance of the high charge state of projectile ions inside the target and its role in electron capture leading to target-ionization phenomena

The K x-ray spectra of different targets (Cu, Zn, and Ge) induced by 3-5 MeV/u Si projectile ions have been measured to determine the K-shell ionization cross section. A significant difference is observed between the measurements and theoretical estimates, with the latter being about 50% below the experimental results. This underestimation is attributed to the charge exchange from the target K shell to projectile K and L shells. Such an observation can only be possible if the projectile ions attain up to H- and He-like charge states. Corresponding projectile charge state fractions have been evaluated from the Lorentzian charge state distribution, where the mean charge state is taken from the Fermi gas model [W. Brandt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 30, 358 (1973)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.30.358] and the width from the Novikov and Teplova approach [Phys. Lett. A 378, 1286 (2014)10.1016/j.physleta.2014.03.004]. The sum of the direct ionization cross section and K-K+K-L capture cross sections gives a good agreement with the measured cross sections. Furthermore, we have validated this methodology with available data for a Si ion on Ti target. Such results may be useful in many solid target-based applications.Fil: Chatterjee, Soumya. University Of Kalyani; IndiaFil: Sharma, Prashant. Weizmann Institute Of Science Israel; IsraelFil: Singh, Shashank. Panjab University; IndiaFil: Oswal, Mumtaz. No especifíca;Fil: Kumar, Sunil. No especifíca;Fil: Montanari, Claudia Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Mitra, D.. University Of Kalyani; IndiaFil: Nandi, T.. No especifíca

Effect of Quaternary Ammonium Surfactant on Buccal Permeation of Budesonide Film Formulation: In Silico Docking Studies

Budesonide, an immunosuppressant glucocorticosteroid generally used to ameliorate chronic inflammation. Low bioavailability due to first pass metabolism decreases its therapeutic activity. The present study focuses on the formulation of a biodegradable buccoadhesive film for improvement of buccalpermeation. Transparent buccoadhesive films were prepared by incorporating budesonide in HPMC matrix with triethalonamine as a plasticizer and a number of surfactants. Absence of the characteristic drug melting peak at 252°C in Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) thermogram study confirmed almost complete amorphization of the drug to a homogenous solid-solid mixture in the film. The characteristic Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) peak of pure drug showed the carbonyl stretching in between 1600–1900 cm−1 and C–O stretching at 1095 cm−1. Broadening of C–O stretching and masking of carbonyl stretching confirmed the drug polymer interaction. In vitro dissolution and ex-vivo buccal tissue permeation revealed upto 72% and more than 58% respectively using surfactants upto 6 hour of study. Enhanced buccal permeability and flux were found in presence of surfactant compared to its absence. New film formulation could be developed including surfactant for improved buccal permeation with expected increased bioavailability. The in silico study confirmed about a stable interaction between drug and polymer (−3.1 kcal/mol)

Reviving rare chicken breeds using genetically engineered sterility in surrogate host birds

In macrolecithal species, cryopreservation of the oocyte and zygote is not possible due to the large size and quantity of lipid deposited within the egg. For birds, this signifies that cryopreserving and regenerating a species from frozen cellular material are currently technically unfeasible. Diploid primordial germ cells (PGCs) are a potential means to freeze down the entire genome and reconstitute an avian species from frozen material. Here, we examine the use of genetically engineered (GE) sterile female layer chicken as surrogate hosts for the transplantation of cryopreserved avian PGCs from rare heritage breeds of chicken. We first amplified PGC numbers in culture before cryopreservation and subsequent transplantation into host GE embryos. We found that all hatched offspring from the chimera GE hens were derived from the donor rare heritage breed broiler PGCs, and using cryopreserved semen, we were able to produce pure offspring. Measurement of the mutation rate of PGCs in culture revealed that 2.7 × 10-10 de novo single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) were generated per cell division, which is comparable with other stem cell lineages. We also found that endogenous avian leukosis virus (ALV) retroviral insertions were not mobilized during in vitro propagation. Taken together, these results show that mutation rates are no higher than normal stem cells, essential if we are to conserve avian breeds. Thus, GE sterile avian surrogate hosts provide a viable platform to conserve and regenerate avian species using cryopreserved PGCs

Experimental and theoretical L-shell ionization cross sections of heavy atoms by impact of Si ions

We present a theoretical and experimental study of the subshell resolved L-shell ionization of relativistic targets such as 73Ta, 78Pt,90Th, and 92U. The measurements of x-ray production cross sections by (84?140 MeV) Si+q ions (q = 8; 12), were held at the Inter-University Accelerator Centre of New Delhi. Multiple-hole fluorescence and Coster-Kronig yields were used to obtain the Li(i = 1?3)ionization cross sections from the measured x-ray production cross sections of Lℓ, Lα, and Lβ, Lη, and Lγ lines. The experimental results are compared with ab initio theoretical calculations by means of the shell-wise local plasma approximation (SLPA). This model uses the quantum dielectric formalism to obtain the total ionization cross sections from an initial ground state. The wave functions and binding energies of the different targets were obtained by solving the fully-relativistic Dirac equation using the HULLAC code package. These calculations are based on first-order perturbation theory with a central field, including Breit interaction and quantum electrodynamics corrections. The present SLPA ionization cross sections of the L-shell are found to be independent of the charge state of the Si ions. The experimental observations display also quite similar character if the correct mean projectile charge state inside the target is used for including the multiple ionization effect during ion-solid collisions. A general good agreement between the experimental measurements and full theoretical calculations supports the reliability of present results. The comparison also includes the well-known ECPSSR and ECUSAR semi empirical approximations. We noted that the ECUSAR results agree well with the SLPA, while the ECPSSR cross sections are rather low.Fil: Oswal, M.. Dev Samaj College; India. Panjab University; IndiaFil: Kumar, Sunil. Panjab University; India. Degree college; IndiaFil: Singh, Udai. Jagiellonian University; PoloniaFil: Singh, G.. Panjab University; IndiaFil: Singh, K.P.. Panjab University; IndiaFil: Mehta, D.. Panjab University; IndiaFil: Mendez, Marta Patricia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Mitnik, Dario Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Montanari, Claudia Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Mitra, D.. Kalyani University; IndiaFil: Nandi, T.. Inter-University Accelerator Centre; Indi