Volatility Linkages between Equity Markets of Pakistan, India, Singapore and Hong Kong: A GARCH BEKK Approach

The purpose of current study is to explore the volatility linkages between four Asian equity markets, which arePakistan (Karachi Stock Exchange), India (Bombay Stock Exchange), Hong Kong (Hang Sang Index) and Singapore (Strait Time Index). We estimate Multivariate GARCH BEKK model using weekly returns from January 2000 to August 2011.Direct evidences of linkages are found among all markets with respect to conditional mean returns and volatility.Own volatility spillover is found greater than cross volatility spillover in all emerging and developed economies.The insinuation of this study is that overseas investors may take advantage from the decrease of uncertainty by accumulating the stocks in the emerging markets to their investment portfolio

Passive cooling analysis of an electronic chipset using nanoparticles and metal-foam composite PCM: An experimental study

Thermal management of electronic components is critical for long-term reliability and continuous operation, as the over-heating of electronic equipment leads to decrement in performance. The novelty of the current experimental study is to investigate the passive cooling of electronic equipment, by using nano-enriched phase change material (NEPCM) with copper foam having porosity of 97 %. The phase change material of PT-58 was used with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles (NPs), having concentrations of 0.01 wt. % and 0.02 wt. %. Three power levels of 8 W, 16 W, and 24 W, with corresponding heating inputs of 0.77 kW/ m2, 1.54 kW/ m2 and 2.3 kW/ m2, respectively, were used to simulate the heating input to heat sink for thermal characterization. According to results, at 0.77 kW/ m2 heating input the maximum base temperature declined by 13.03 % in 0.02 wt. % GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam case. At heating input of 1.54 kW/ m2, the maximum base temperature reduction of 16 % was observed in case of 0.02 wt. % GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam and 13.1 % in case of 0.02 wt. % MgO-NEPCM/copper foam. Similarly, at heating input of 2.3 kW/ m2, the maximum temperature of base lessened by 12.58 % in case of 0.02 wt. % GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam. The highest time to reach the set point temperature of 50 ⁰ C, 60 ⁰ C, and 70 ⁰ C was in case of GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam composites, while at all power levels MgO-NEPCM/copper foam gave comparable performance to GNPs based composite. Similar trend was observed in the study of enhancement ratio in operation time. From the results, it is concluded that the copper foam incorporation in NEPCM is an effective measure to mitigate the heat sink base temperature and can provide best cooling efficiency at low and higher heating loads

Detection of BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations in CD34+ cells from newly diagnosed chronic phase CML patients and their association with imatinib resistance

BCR-ABL kinase domain (KD) mutations, the most common cause of imatinib resistance, are infrequently detected in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients. Recent studies indicate pre-existing mutations (PEMs) can be detected in a higher percentage of CML patients using CD34+ stem/progenitor cells, and these mutations may correlate with imatinib resistance. We investigated KD mutations in CD34+ stem cells from 100 CP-CML patients by multiplex ASO-PCR and sequencing ASO-PCR products at the time of diagnosis. PEMs were detected in 32/100 patients and included F311L, M351T, and T315I. After a median follow-up of 30 months (range 8-48), all patients with PEMs exhibited imatinib resistance. Of 68 patients without PEMs, 24 developed imatinib resistance. Mutations were detected in 21 of these patients by ASO-PCR and KD sequencing. All 32 patients with PEMs had the same mutations. In imatinib-resistant patients without PEMs, we detected F311L, M351T, Y253F, and T315I mutations. All imatinib-resistant patients without T315I and Y253F mutations responded to imatinib dose escalation. In conclusion, BCR-ABL PEMs can be detected in a substantial number of CP-CML patients when investigated using CD34+ stem/progenitor cells. These mutations are associated with imatinib resistance, and mutation testing using CD34+ cells may facilitate improved, patient-tailored treatment

Exergoeconomic optimization of a forward feed multi-effect desalination system with and without energy recovery

The escalating freshwater demand is stimulating the researchers to optimize the performance of desalination technologies. The current study presents the exergoeconomic optimization of a forward feed multi-effect desalination (FF-MED) system under two configurations i.e., conventional MED and MED with energy recovery (MED-ER). A detailed numerical model concerning energy, exergy, and a component-based exergoeconomic analysis is employed to estimate the energy consumption, exergy destruction, and water production cost. Thereafter, the FF-MED-ER system is optimized using a Genetic Algorithm for four different objective functions i.e., maximum gain output ratio (GOR), and minimum specific energy consumption (SEC), exergy destruction, and water production cost. The constraint variables included steam temperature, brine salinity, and the last effect brine temperature. The analysis showed that the incorporation of an energy recovery section increased GOR by 17.9% and decreased SEC and water production cost by 14%, and 10.5%, respectively. Moreover, the optimization improved GOR by 9.26%, decreased SEC by 12.86%, exergy destruction by 12.59%, and the water production cost by 8.25% compared to the standard nonoptimal system

Physiological and Biochemical Response of Maize (Zea mays L.) to Exogenic Application of Boron under Drought Stress

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during autumn 2011 to determine the response of maize to foliar application of boron under water stress conditions. The experimental site is located at 73.09 0 E longitudes, 31.25 0 N latitudes with semi-arid and sub-tropical climate. Foliar spray showed a non-significant effect on water relations parameters. No significant interaction was found among stress levels and treatments. Stress levels showed significant differences in P concentration. Imposition of water stress significantly reduced the leaf K + concentration in contrast with boron foliar application which increased its concentration.The results showed that water stress and boron foliar application both significantly affected phosphorus contents. Stress levels were significantly varied in B concentration. Application of boron significantly affected the stem amylase activity in both S 1 and S 2 stress level and interaction among the stress levels and boron foliar application was non-significant. The effect of stress levels on stem amylase concentration was non-significant. A significant effect of boron foliar application was observed on stem protein concentration in all stress levelswhile interaction among the stress levels and boron foliar application was non-significant.The effect of stress levels on stem protein concentration was non-significant. Application of B significantly affected the stem total soluble sugars in both stress levels S 1 and S 2 while interaction among the stress levels and boron foliar application was non-significant

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions

Al Makhthutot Al Arabiyyah : Fihrisatiha Alamiyan Wa Amaliyan

239 hal.; 24 c

Impact of employee job attitudes on ecological green behavior in hospitality sector

Notwithstanding the significant contribution made by employees towards addressing environmental issues, few research studies have explored this important contemporary theme in the hospitality sector. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this research examines the direct and interactive effects of employee environmental job attitudes and behaviors on ecological practices. Using PROCESS Macros on an actual convenient sample of 508 employees working in the hospitality industry, the results show a mixture of anticipated and surprising outcomes. The anticipated outcome is associated with the direct effects of environmental attitude on ecological behavior, while surprising outcomes are in the interaction of job attitudes and behavior (customer-oriented discretionary behavior, organizational commitment). These outcomes provoke employees' green behavior and contentment with the organization. The originality of this research is to investigate the significant contribution of employees in greening the hospitality sector in an emerging economy