In the present investigation, a library of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene derivatives have been synthesised by the cyclo-condensation reaction of aryl aldehyde with two moles of dimedone under solvent free condition in the presence of Novel Pumice supported perchloric acid (Pumice@HClO4) as a less expensive, recyclable, thermodynamically stable and non-toxic catalyst. The significant advantages of this novel protocol are experimental simplicity, easy work-up procedure, good to excellent yields of product and more sustainable as the efficiency of the readily available catalytic material.

New hybrids containing acridine and α-amino phosphonate scaffolds 6a-h were synthesized by three one-pot reactions via Kabachnik–Fields reaction of 9-aminoacridine derivatives 3a-d, aldehydes 4a,b and triphenyl phosphite 5 in equimolar ratio under stirring at room temperature. The installation of the afforded hybrids was affirmed by different spectroscopic methods as IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, 31P NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The antibacterial activities of hybrids 6a-h were screened against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria of four pathogenic strains, comparable to ampicillin and chloramphenicol drugs. Most hybrids showed higher activity compared to the reference drugs. Notably, the antibacterial performance of 6c was more substantial than other analogues with best minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and highest zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 31, 34, 35, 38 mm, against Serratia marcescens, Streptococcus mutans, MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates respectively. In addition, Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) was carried out to study the mode of action of 6c with MRSA, the results confirmed that the titled hybrid caused the disruption of bacterial cell wall. Moreover, the time-dependent kill study revealed that the investigated compounds were time and dose-effective bactericidal agents and could be used as potential leads for further development and optimization of novel antibacterial agents.

The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on improving the quality of financial reporting in the Islamic banking industry. The study is conducted within the theoretical framework of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study utilized Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the data collected from a sample of 364 professionals working in the field of Islamic banking. The results of our study suggest that Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, and Social Influence are important factors in predicting individuals' Behavioural Intention to use Artificial Intelligence (AI). Additionally, the presence of Facilitating Conditions further enhances the impact of these factors on individuals' actual Use Behaviour. Significantly, it was shown that Use Behaviour played a significant role in determining the perceived quality of financial reporting. Nevertheless, the study did not find empirical evidence to demonstrate the direct influence of Behavioural Intention on Financial Reporting Quality. This implies that the actual implementation of Artificial Intelligence is required to fully realize its advantages. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) into governance frameworks presents a potentially advantageous pathway for Islamic banks to uphold Shariah principles, while concurrently bolstering accountability and fostering ethical banking practices.

The present paper proposed the tri-potassium phosphate catalyzed synthesis of some novel series of Schiff bases (3a to 3l) derived from 2-aminopyridine using microwave technique. All synthesized Schiff bases were confirmed by different spectroscopic methods. Further all synthesized imines have been evaluated to screen for antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The compound 3c displays potent anti-inflammatory activity with 42.307%±1.322 inhibition of inflammation. The antioxidant activity data revealed that all synthesized Schiff bases exhibit potency to scavenge DPPH and nitric oxide radicals. Antimicrobial properties of these compounds showed moderate to excellent growth of inhibitory activity against various tested pathogens. Our observations and examination for pharmacological study towards the presence of active pharmacological functional groups present in the main structural nucleus of synthesized imines. Therefore, present study may lead to the development of a new class of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant drugs with structural modification.

It is argued that managers took advantage of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and remote auditing and used earnings management (EM) practices extensively. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic created new unsearched crisis-related incentives. This study, therefore, tests whether Covid-19 created a new incentive for managers to manipulate earnings. It also examines the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and board independence and EM during Covid-19. A data set of 384 firm-year observations from 2018 to 2021 of non-financial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) was investigated. Results indicate that Jordanian firms engaged in EM during Covid-19 considerably more than when compared to pre-Covid-19, suggesting that Covid-19 created a new incentive for managers to manipulate earnings. Furthermore, Jordanian firms used income-increasing EM much more when compared to income-decreasing EM. However, when taking Covid-19 into account, no significant association was found between board independence and EM. In addition, the ability of CSR to constrain EM decreased. This adds to the current debate in the literature that even well-established monitoring mechanisms like board independence and CSR are unable to constrain EM practices in a unique business environment caused by Covid-19.

A series of new pyrrole-coupled carboxamide derivatives had been synthesized and amply characterized by various techniques, viz FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and LCMS. All these compounds had undergone evaluation for their PASS, BBB, pharmacophore model, ADME, and bioactive score. The antibacterial properties of all the derivatives were examined and compound 5i demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against MRSA. A membrane damage investigation supported by SEM pictures, cellular content leakage, potassium efflux, and bacterial respiration suppression showed that compound 5i had anti-MRSA properties. A good binding score of -9.11 was found for compound 5i against the MRSA protein 6FTB in an in silico molecular docking analysis, compared to a score of -10.25 for streptomycin. Based on these findings, compound 5i can be further studied in order to develop it as a drug to treat MRSA infections.

This study aims to examine the influence of the psychosocial work environment on the proclivity for asset misuse in the context of local government management, with a focus on the perceptions of administrators in Central Sulawesi Province. Employing purposive sampling, a total of 39 government units constituted the study's population, with a final sample size of 114 participants, comprising administrators, officers, and managers. WarpPLS software was employed to analyze the data. The findings reveal a positive relationship between rationalization and the inclination toward asset misuse. Additionally, rationalization exhibits a negative impact on the psychosocial work environment. Finally, the psychosocial work environment demonstrates a negative influence on the propensity for asset abuse. These outcomes suggest that the psychosocial work environment plays a pivotal role in mitigating the inclination for asset misuse within the local government of Central Sulawesi Province. This research sheds light on the significance of fostering a positive psychosocial work environment to enhance decision-making processes and reduce the likelihood of fraudulent activities in the management of government assets. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for the development of strategies to promote ethical and responsible asset management in local government entities.

Hyperbranched polyester polyols have emerged as a promising candidate for polyurethane coatings due to their unique structure and properties. In this context, this paper aims to synthesize a new hyperbranched polyester polyol and evaluate its potential as a polyol for polyurethane coating applications. In this study, the synthesis of hyperbranched polyester polyol involves the reaction between a multifunctional alcohol and a multifunctional carboxylic acid or anhydride. It is further modified by incorporating 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and styrene. The properties of the polyester polyol were characterized using various analytical techniques, including FTIR, NMR, SEM and TGA. This paper also provides a discussion on the potential applications of the synthesized hyperbranched polyester polyol in several industries such as automotive, aerospace and construction.

This research investigates the relationships between investors’ behavioral biases and compares their relative importance. For this purpose, a survey is conducted, and analytical methods are used. The sample for this study has been 512 individual investors of the Tehran Stock Exchange who completed an online questionnaire. The respondents replied about their behavior in different situations to analyze the prevalence of asymmetric discounting, mental accounting, shifting risk preference, loss aversion, regret aversion, overconfidence, proxy decision making, ambiguity aversion bias, anchoring, and herd behavior as significant fields of behavioral biases in their investment decisions. The data is analyzed using two different analytical techniques. A model based on structural equations is designed and tested to analyze the relations between these fields. Another integrated method, the DEMATEL-based analytic network process, is also used to prioritize and rank these behavioral biases. Finally, the results are compared and confirmed by each other. Analyzing the results proves the existence of 19 positive and statistically significant relations between these fields. Thus, an increase or decrease in the intensity of a particular field of behavioral biases in one’s decisions significantly affects the intensity of other fields. The present study finds that shifting risk preference, anchoring, loss aversion, and regret aversion are the most important fields of behavioral biases based on their prevalence among investors and their correlations with other biases.

Pyrazolones are a class of heterocyclic compounds that contain a pyrazole ring fused to a ketone group. Recent scientific research has focused extensively on the potential anti-inflammatory properties of pyrazolone compounds due to their diverse pharmacological effects in alleviating inflammation and reducing fever. This motivated us to focus on the preparation of these derivatives in a simple and eco-friendly manner. A convenient new green methodology was modified for the preparation of 1-phenyl-3,5-pyrazolidinedione by the sonicated MCR of diethyl malonate, phenylhydrazine, and a catalytic amount imidazole as homogenous organic catalyst in water green solvent in a good yield. On the other hand, some of 4-arylidinepyrazolidinedione derivatives are prepared in the same manner via the treatment of a mixture of diethyl malonate, phenylhydrazine, aromatic aldehydes, and a catalytic amount of imidazole in an aqueous medium. Our target synthesized pyrazolidinediones were elucidated via elemental and several spectral analyses. Due to the importance of pyrazolidinediones in the field of treating inflammation and relieving pain, a number of prepared compounds were chosen to test their efficacy as anti-inflammatory agents using carrageenan-induced foot edema in rats and compare the results with indomethacin, the standard drug. We found that the majority of derivatives yield promising results spanning from good to wonderful, so derivatives (15k, 15b, 15h, 15a, and 15j) yield the best results while derivative (15i) yields an average result. As for the derivative (15f), it yields the lowest results compared to the standard drug. This is due to the difference in the structural composition of these derivatives, which increases the likelihood of their use as anti-inflammatory derivatives.