Assessing the Role of Mobile Banking Applications in Creating Brand Loyalty among the Consumers of Commercial Banks

The Internet is transforming the world and abruptly revolutionizing every field of life. Due to rampant advancement in internet technologies, the world is getting shrunk into the pocket and the concept of distances has been evoked. Advancement in the internet has given birth to many other distinguished technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and metaverse, and these inventions have revolutionized the whole technological scenario In this modern era and especially after the pandemic COVID-19 world has shifted to smart technologies and the use of mobile banking applications has been boosted, Mobile Banking Applications are like a virtual bank where customers can experience the quality of banking services through the interface of applications. In this current research, we will try to root out how mobile applications create brand loyalty among the consumers of commercial banks in Bahawalpur. Key Words: Mobile Banking, Brand Loyalty, Artificial Intelligence, Commercial Banks, Loyalty Schemes, Financial Application

Insight of Tp53 Mutations and their effect on Protein in Different Feline and Canine Neoplasms

Background: Mutations in the Tp53 gene, a tumor suppressor gene, may cause dysfunction in growing cells and hinder the phenomenon of apoptosis, an alleged cause of tumorigenesis. It is involved in conservation of the genome and DNA repair, mutations of this gene may cause the damaged cells to grow continuously.Methods: The type of molecular changes in Tp53 gene and their effects on physiochemical and structural properties of this protein in various Canine and Feline cancers were observed in this study by using online bioinformatics tools.Results: Our results indicated that lymphomas and perianal adenocarcinomas (PAC) have the same mutation at c. 104, while mammary tumors and canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) contain different mutations. Referring to changes in protein, synonymous mutations in granulomas were observed while certain mutations in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and head & neck tumors were detected in Canis familiaris. In Felis catus, the mutant protein was similar to wild type protein with exception of mutant 5 of mammary tumor, which had a deletion at the 287 amino acid position.Conclusion: The insight gathered on the p53 mutant proteins in both species aided our understanding of the in-vivo fate of the p53 protein and its isoforms and the effects that morphological changes can have on the fate of cells. Furthermore, isolation of this protein may augment our understanding about the structural biology of these proteins

Faculty perceptions regarding an individually tailored, flexible length, outcomes-based curriculum for undergraduate medical students

Purpose The perception of faculty members about an individually tailored, flexible-length, outcomes-based curriculum for undergraduate medical students was studied. Their opinion about the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges was also noted. This study was done to help educational institutions identify academic and social support and resources required to ensure that graduate competencies are not compromised by a flexible education pathway. Methods The study was done at the International Medical University, Malaysia, and the University of Lahore, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from 1st August 2021 to 17th March 2022. Demographic information was noted. Themes were identified, and a summary of the information under each theme was created. Results A total of 24 (14 from Malaysia and 10 from Pakistan) faculty participated. Most agreed that undergraduate medical students can progress (at a differential rate) if they attain the required competencies. Among the major advantages mentioned were that students may graduate faster, learn at a pace comfortable to them, and develop an individualized learning pathway. Several logistical challenges must be overcome. Providing assessments on demand will be difficult. Significant regulatory hurdles were anticipated. Artificial intelligence (AI) can play an important role in creating an individualized learning pathway and supporting time-independent progression. The course may be (slightly) cheaper than a traditional one. Conclusion This study provides a foundation to further develop and strengthen flexible-length competency-based medical education modules. Further studies are required among educators at other medical schools and in other countries. Online learning and AI will play an important role

Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis of PbSe Nanostructures Deposited by Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Approach

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-08-21, pub-electronic 2021-10-23Publication status: PublishedFunder: Higher Education Commision, Pakistan; Grant(s): 7363This research endeavor aimed to synthesize the lead (II) diphenyldiselenophosphinate complex and its use to obtain lead selenide nanostructured depositions and further the impedance spectroscopic analysis of these obtained PbSe nanostructures, to determine their roles in the electronics industry. The aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique was used to provide lead selenide deposition by decomposition of the complex at different temperatures using the glass substrates. The obtained films were revealed to be a pure cubic phase PbSe, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. SEM and TEM micrographs demonstrated three-dimensionally grown interlocked or aggregated nanocubes of the obtained PbSe. Characteristic dielectric measurements and the impedance spectroscopy analysis at room temperature were executed to evaluate PbSe properties over the frequency range of 100 Hz–5 MHz. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss gave similar trends, along with altering frequency, which was well explained by the Koops theory and Maxwell–Wagner theory. The effective short-range translational carrier hopping gave rise to an overdue remarkable increase in ac conductivity (σac) on the frequency increase. Fitting of a complex impedance plot was carried out with an equivalent circuit model (Rg Cg) (Rgb Qgb Cgb), which proved that grains, as well as grain boundaries, are responsible for the relaxation processes. The asymmetric depressed semicircle with the center lower to the impedance real axis provided a clear explanation of non-Debye dielectric behavior

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Muslimer i USA : en analyse av amerikanske muslimers politiske innflytelsespotensial

Min oppgave om amerikanske muslimers innflytelsespotensial tar opp noen av de grunnleggende problemstillingene statsvitenskap som fagretning er interessert i; Hvem som oppnår makt og innflytelse i et pluralistisk system, og hva som får individer til å mobilisere sine individuelle ressurser – det være seg penger, tid, informasjon o.a. – til kollektiv bruk (Dahl, 1961; Schattschneider, 1960; Wrong, 1997). Skjebnefellesskap på bakgrunn av lik sosial klasse, lik etnisk eller religiøs tilhørighet kan under gitte omstendigheter medføre at individer velger å opptre samlet for å øke sin makt og innflytelse. Det antas at gruppen med innflytelse besitter flere politiske ressurser enn grupper som blir subjekt for maktutøvelsen. Imidlertid er det å besitte politiske ressurser ikke ensbetydende med faktisk innflytelse. Da snakkes det om gruppens innflytelsespotensial, og er oppgavens fokus. Gruppen må delta i de politiske beslutningsprosessene, og bruke de politiske ressursene i politisk sammenheng. Dette avhenger av gruppens indre samhold og organisering. Dette samholdet og organiseringen er i seg selv en kollektiv ressurs som gjør mobiliseringen av de andre ressursene mulig. Innflytelsespotensialet avhenger også av om medlemmer av gruppen er enige i de politiske målene man ønsker å oppnå, og om de er i stand til å utnytte sine mobiliserte politiske ressurser på en effektiv måte. Min analyse av amerikanske muslimers innflytelsespotensial belyser om det eksisterer en grad av indre samhold og solidaritet blant den muslimske befolkningen i USA, og om det politiske lederskapet - i form av politiske organisasjoner - er i stand til å koordinere individenes aktiviteter for å oppnå et felles mål. Oppgaven analyserer presidentvalgene 2000 og 2004 for å belyse om amerikanske muslimer er i stand til å opptre kollektivt og om det muslimske lederskapet klarer å koordinere bruken av de individuelle politiske ressursene som økonomi og stemmegivning representerer på en effektiv måte

The Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices in Driving Green Performance in the Context of Manufacturing SMEs

Organizations around the globe have started to realize the importance of environmental sustainability to achieve long-term success. However, many organizations continue to use traditional production techniques, damaging the environment. To address this issue, this paper aimed to investigate the impact of green human resource management (GHRM) practices on green performance through the mediation of green work climate, green work engagement, and green employee behavior. The extent to which individual green values moderate the relationship between green work climate and green employee behavior was also examined. To meet the objectives, a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using simple random sampling, and the data were gathered using structured questionnaires from 390 employees of manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan. The findings of the study supported all the direct and indirect relationships and revealed that the incorporation of GHRM practices in SMEs has performance-enabling effects in terms of achieving green performance. By incorporating the impact of GHRM practices on green performance via mediation–moderation analysis of contemporary green variables in a single research model, the study expands the knowledge base, particularly in the context of SMEs. The study’s unique model and findings provide realistic insights for SMEs to come up with better strategies for greening the environment by ensuring green performance. The findings of the study also provide important implications for academia and practitioners

The Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices in Driving Green Performance in the Context of Manufacturing SMEs

Organizations around the globe have started to realize the importance of environmental sustainability to achieve long-term success. However, many organizations continue to use traditional production techniques, damaging the environment. To address this issue, this paper aimed to investigate the impact of green human resource management (GHRM) practices on green performance through the mediation of green work climate, green work engagement, and green employee behavior. The extent to which individual green values moderate the relationship between green work climate and green employee behavior was also examined. To meet the objectives, a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using simple random sampling, and the data were gathered using structured questionnaires from 390 employees of manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan. The findings of the study supported all the direct and indirect relationships and revealed that the incorporation of GHRM practices in SMEs has performance-enabling effects in terms of achieving green performance. By incorporating the impact of GHRM practices on green performance via mediation–moderation analysis of contemporary green variables in a single research model, the study expands the knowledge base, particularly in the context of SMEs. The study’s unique model and findings provide realistic insights for SMEs to come up with better strategies for greening the environment by ensuring green performance. The findings of the study also provide important implications for academia and practitioners

A Deep Convolutional Neural Network for the Early Detection of Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the key contributors to human death. Each year, several people die due to this disease. According to the WHO, 17.9 million people die each year due to heart disease. With the various technologies and techniques developed for heart-disease detection, the use of image classification can further improve the results. Image classification is a significant matter of concern in modern times. It is one of the most basic jobs in pattern identification and computer vision, and refers to assigning one or more labels to images. Pattern identification from images has become easier by using machine learning, and deep learning has rendered it more precise than traditional image classification methods. This study aims to use a deep-learning approach using image classification for heart-disease detection. A deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) is currently the most popular classification technique for image recognition. The proposed model is evaluated on the public UCI heart-disease dataset comprising 1050 patients and 14 attributes. By gathering a set of directly obtainable features from the heart-disease dataset, we considered this feature vector to be input for a DCNN to discriminate whether an instance belongs to a healthy or cardiac disease class. To assess the performance of the proposed method, different performance metrics, namely, accuracy, precision, recall, and the F1 measure, were employed, and our model achieved validation accuracy of 91.7%. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a real-world environment