Does Financial & Social Development are Important for Economic Growth? An International Scenario

Financial and Social Development plays pivotal role in the economic growth of nations. Developed countries have strong financial and social infrastructure. This study focuses on the social and financial development in relation to economic growth of developed, developing and frontier economies. Gross Domestic product (GDP) per capita used as dependent variable. Domestic credit, market capitalization, turnover ratio, household consumption, foreign direct investment, capital formation, Co2 Emission and trade openness are used as independent variables. government expenditures on education and current health expenditures are use as social variables. Unemployment and inflation rate also use as control variables. Pooled OLS (ordinary least squares), fixed effects and random effects models are used to check the relationship among variables from 2001-2017.  Results show positive and significant relation between Gross Domestic product (GDP) Domestic credit, education expenditures and health expenditures in case of developing countries. Market capitalization, turnover ratio, foreign direct investment, and trade openness have a positive but insignificant relationship. Co2 Emission, inflation and unemployment rate have negative and insignificant relation with GDP per capita. In advanced countries Inflation rate trade openness and FDI have positive and significant relation with GDP per capita. Domestic credit, market capitalization, turnover ratio, household final consumption and Co2 Emission have a negative relation with GDP per capita. Education and health also have a negative and insignificant relation with GDP per capita. In Frontier economies there is a positive and insignificant relation of market capitalization, FDI, Co2 Emission and health expenditures with GDP per capita. capital formation, turnover ratio, household consumption, trade openness has negative and significant relation with per capita. Education expenditures have positive and significant relation with GDP per capita. Co2 have positive but insignificant relation. Inflation and unemployment rate have negative but insignificant relation with GDP per capita

Use of Social Commerce to Develop Intentions to Buy With Mediating Role of Social Support

Web 2.0 technology and social media have paved a new way for the communication for individuals and for the businesses of e-commerce firms. This technology has opened the opportunities to introduce new business model which incorporates several social aspects of individuals. As Social Networking Sites are gaining more popularity, these have formed the links between internet consumers and it has become a critical way of getting knowledge for individuals. It has introduced social commerce which is joining of three concepts; e-commerce, web 2.0 and social media. E-commerce firms have started to engage their potential consumers on social media websites for the sake of contacting potential consumers and getting feedback on their products and services. Social Commerce is expanding because of its importance in information sharing. However, emotional support is also considered important factor which is comprised of informational and emotional factors that lead to trust and then ultimately, intentions to buy. This proposed structural model was assessed through collecting data from the online buyers of Pakistan through social media. It was found that in order to generate intentions to buy through social networking sites, social support is vital component that should be focused by the online businesses. This paper is concluded with research limitations and some suggestions for future research

Microfinanças e empoderamento de mulheres: uma análise de regressão de comutação endógena

Women in Pakistan are suffering from a great social and economic deprivation due to gender discrimination and inequitable distribution of resources. This paper examines the determinants and extent of women empowerment by their participation in microfinance programs. Data for this study were collected from different areas of Faisalabad, Pakistan, where most of the households were poor and had borrowed money from different microfinance institutes. Keeping in view the disguised endogeneity, Endogenous Switching Regression Model was employed which accounts for selection bias because of observable and unobservable factors. The analysis revealed that education level, household size, family system, educational expenditures, income level and the ownership of different assets like sewing machines have the statistically significant impact on the women decision to work and hence promote women empowerment. It is concluded that the government in developing countries should introduce income-generating activities, especially for women by providing them access to financial resources.Las mujeres en Pakistán están sufriendo una gran carencia social y económica debido a la discriminación de género y la distribución desigual de los recursos. Este documento examina los determinantes y el alcance del empoderamiento de las mujeres por su participación en los programas de microfinanzas. Los datos para este estudio fueron recolectados de diferentes áreas de Faisalabad, Pakistán, donde la mayoría de los hogares eran pobres y habían tomado dinero prestado de diferentes institutos de microfinanzas. Teniendo en cuenta la endogeneidad disfrazada, se empleó el Modelo de Regresión de Conmutación Endógena que explica el sesgo debido a factores observables y no observables. El análisis reveló que el nivel educativo, el tamaño del hogar, el sistema familiar, los gastos educativos, el nivel de ingresos y la propiedad de diferentes activos, como las máquinas de coser, tienen un impacto estadísticamente significativo en la decisión de las mujeres de trabajar y, por lo tanto, promover el empoderamiento de las mujeres. Se concluye que el gobierno de los países en desarrollo debe introducir actividades generadoras de ingresos, especialmente para las mujeres, proporcionándoles acceso a recursos financierosAs mulheres no Paquistão sofrem de uma grande privação social e econômica devido à discriminação de gênero e à distribuição desigual de recursos. Este artigo examina os determinantes e a extensão do empoderamento das mulheres pela sua participação em programas de microfinanças. Os dados para este estudo foram coletados em diferentes áreas de Faisalabad, Paquistão, onde a maioria dos domicílios era pobre e tinha tomado dinheiro emprestado de diferentes institutos de microfinanças. Tendo em vista a endogeneidade disfarçada, empregou-se o Modelo de Regressão por Comutação Endógena, que considera o viés de seleção por causa de fatores observáveis e inobserváveis. A análise revelou que o nível de escolaridade, tamanho da família, sistema familiar, gastos com educação, nível de renda e posse de diferentes ativos, como máquinas de costura, têm impacto estatisticamente significativo na decisão das mulheres de trabalhar e, portanto, promovem o empoderamento das mulheres. Conclui-se que o governo dos países em desenvolvimento deve introduzir atividades geradoras de renda, especialmente para as mulheres, proporcionando-lhes acesso a recursos financeiro

Emotional and behavioral problems and coping strategies among adolescent orphans

Background and objective: Rising incidence of mental health problems is a serious issue all over the world. Adolescents living in orphanages are at a particular risk as they have numerous challenges in their life and coping with them requires adequate life skills. This study aims to assess the emotional and behavioral issues and the coping strategies adopted by adolescent orphans in Pakistan.Methods: This cross-sectional study comprises 109 adolescent orphans living in different orphanages. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for evaluating the emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) was used while KIDCOPE scale was adopted to assess the coping strategies.Results: About 34.9% of orphans fell in an abnormal range of EBP and 22.9% were in the borderline zone. The most prevalent problem was conduct (25.7%) followed by peer problems (24.8%), emotional instability (18.3%), hyperactivity (17.4%), and prosocial behavior (11%). A significant and positive correlation was observed between peer problems and maladaptive strategies (r = 0.191, p = 0.047) and between prosocial behavior and adaptive strategies (r = 0.294, p = 0.002).Conclusion: Orphans residing in orphanages suffer from behavioral and emotional problems and are using maladaptive coping strategies. It is highly suggestive to monitor and maintain an optimal psychological health of this vulnerable population in our country.&nbsp;</p

Evaluation of cardioprotective potential of hydroalcohol peel extract of Citrullus colocynthis Linn. (Cucurbitaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the cardioprotective potential of hydroalcoholic peel extract of C. colocynthis against adrenaline-induced myocardial ischemia in rabbits. Methods: 24 healthy male rabbits were split into 4 groups. Group-I rabbits were administered with subcutaneous injection of adrenaline for two days consecutively. Group-II, Group-III and Group- IV rabbits were given 100, 200 and 300mg/kg of peel extract of C. colocynthis for 14 days orally and the adrenaline was injected on the 14th and 15th day. Histopathology was done to the necrosis level. Results: Adrenaline-induced group significantly (p&lt; 0.001) elevated the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine-kinase (CK-MB) and troponin-I. Groups treated with plant extract showed cardioprotective effects by causing a significant decrease (p &lt; 0.001) of all the abovementioned biomarkers in comparison with the adrenaline treated group. The cardiac tissues of the adrenaline-treated group showed more necrosis, and mild disintegration of cardiac tissues was observed in groups that had been pre-treated with extract. Conclusion: Pretreatment of rabbits with peel extract produces a cardioprotective effect against adrenaline-induced myocardial damage. Thus, the extract can potentially be utilized as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders

miRNAs in Regulation of Tumor Microenvironment, Chemotherapy Resistance, Immunotherapy Modulation and miRNA Therapeutics in Cancer

miRNAs are 20&ndash;22 long nucleotide non-coding ribonucleic acid molecules critical to the modulation of molecular pathways. Immune evasion and the establishment of a suitable tumor microenvironment are two major contributors that support tumor invasion and metastasis. Tumorigenic miRNAs support these two hallmarks by desensitizing important tumor-sensitive regulatory cells such as dendritic cells, M1 macrophages, and T helper cells towards tumors while supporting infiltration and proliferation of immune cells like Treg cells, tumor-associated M2 macrophages that promote self-tolerance and chronic inflammation. miRNAs have a significant role in enhancing the efficacies of immunotherapy treatments like checkpoint blockade therapy, adoptive T cell therapy, and oncolytic virotherapy in cancer. A clear understanding of the role of miRNA can help scientists to formulate better-targeted treatment modalities. miRNA therapeutics have emerged as diverse class of nucleic acid-based molecules that can suppress oncogenic miRNAs and promote the expression of tumor suppressor miRNAs

Heterocyclic Donor Moiety Effect on Optical Nonlinearity Behavior of Chrysene-Based Chromophores with Push–Pull Configuration <i>via</i> the Quantum Chemical Approach

Organic-based nonlinear optical (NLO) materials may be used in many optical-electronic systems and other next-generation defense technologies. With the importance of NLO materials, a series of push–pull architecture (D-π-A) derivatives (DTMD2–DTMD6) were devised from DTMR1 through structural alteration of different efficient donor heterocyclic groups. Density functional theory-based computations were executed at the MPW1PW91/6-31G(d,p) level to explore the NLO behavior of the derivatives. To investigate the optoelectronic behavior of the said compounds, various analyses like the frontier molecular orbital (FMO), global reactivity parameters, density of state (DOS), absorption spectra (UV–vis), natural bond orbital, and transition density matrix (TDM) were performed. The derivatives have a smaller band gap (2.156–1.492 eV) and a larger bathochromic shift (λmax = 692.838–969.605 nm) as compared to the reference chromophore (ΔE = 2.306 eV and λmax = 677.949 nm). FMO analysis revealed substantial charge conduction out of the donor toward the acceptor via a spacer that was also shown by TDM and DOS analyses. All derivatives showed promising NLO results, with the maximum amplitude of linear polarizability ⟨α⟩ and first (βtotal) and second (γtotal) hyperpolarizabilities over their reference chromophore. DTMD2 contained the highest βtotal (7.220 × 10–27 esu) and γtotal (1.720 × 10–31 esu) values corresponding with the reduced band gap (1.492 eV), representing potential futures for a large NLO amplitude. This structural modification through the use of various donors has played a significant part in achieving promising NLO behavior in the modified compounds

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in people with severe mental illness: systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims: 1) To determine the pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity in people with severe mental illness (SMI), overall and by type of SMI, geographical region, and year of data collection; and 2) to assess the likelihood of overweight and obesity, in people with SMI compared with the general population. Methods: PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify observational studies assessing the prevalence of obesity in adults with SMI. Screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessments were performed independently by two co-authors. Random effect estimates for the pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity and the pooled odds of obesity in people with SMI compared with the general population were calculated. Subgroup analyses were conducted for types of SMI, setting, antipsychotic medication, region of the world, country income classification, date of data collection and sex. We assessed publication bias and performed a series of sensitivity analyses, excluding studies with high risk of bias, with low sample size and those not reporting obesity according to WHO classification. Result: 120 studies from 43 countries were included, the majority were from high income countries. The pooled prevalence of obesity in people with SMI was 25.9% (95% C.I.=23.3-29.1) and the combined pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity was 60.1% (95% C.I. = 55.8-63.1). Sub-Saharan Africa (13.0%, 95%C.I.= 6.7-25.1) and South Asia (17.7%, 95%C.I.=10.5-28.5) had the lowest prevalence of obesity whilst North Africa and the Middle East (35.8%, 95%C.I.=23.8-44.8) reported the highest prevalence. People with SMI were 3.04 more likely (95% C.I.=2.42-3.82) to have obesity than the general population, but there was no difference in the prevalence of overweight. Women with schizophrenia were 1.44 (95% C.I.=1.25-1.67) times more likely than men with schizophrenia to live with obesity; however, no gender differences were found among those with bipolar disorder. Conclusion: People with SMI have a markedly high prevalence and higher odds of obesity than the general population. This may contribute to the very high prevalence of physical health conditions and mortality in this group. People with SMI around the world would likely benefit from interventions to reduce and prevent obesity. <br/