Impact of Accreditation, Services Quality, Green Standards and Product Superiority on Customer Loyalty: A Case of Healthcare Quality in Hospitals of Pakistan

This study comprehends the association of quality services, product superiority, accreditations and green environment of hospitals; with corporate brand image, patient trust and loyalty.  Respondents of the research study were from seven different healthcare organizations including private, charitable and naval sectors in four major cities (Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi) of Pakistan.  Questionnaires were disseminated to 580 participants, and 447 responses were received.  The data analysis was processed in SPSS 20 and SmartPLS 3.0.  Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to examine the inference for significant and insignificant associations between constructs. The outcomes specify that hospital accreditation positively and significantly impacts the customer loyalty through mediating effects of corporate brand image and customer trust.  Similarly quality of services positively and significantly impacts the customer loyalty through mediating effects of corporate brand image. However rest of the relationships in this study were not found significant through mediating effects of customer trust and brand image. The hospitals management in Pakistan is recommended to instrument the accreditation of healthcare standards in its true spirit and should introduce innovations in healthcare technologies in institutions for unveiling more high-quality and superior health products and services to build strong corporate image and patient trust on rock-hard foundations to establish the satisfied and loyal patients

Economic evaluation of municipal solid waste recycling in Yazd: Cost-benefit analysis

Background and aims: In every urban waste management plan, recycling and reuse is considered as an economic pattern. This study aimed to economic evaluation of municipal solid waste recycling in Yazd by cost-benefit analysis in 2015. Methods: This research is a descriptive–analytic study which in the data about quality and quantity of municipal solid waste in Yazd city were collected through the sampling and physical analysis and the data about total income and costs from the implementation of waste separation and recycling were collected by interview with recovery officials and field observations and were analyzed through the economic analysis of the cost-benefit. Results: The results indicated that the mean of waste produced annually in Yazd city was 109679.51 tons per years. The percentage of municipal waste components was organic matter (67%), plastics (7%), paper and cardboard (5%), metals (2%), wood (2%), glass (2%), leather and rubber (1%), textiles (1%) and PET containers (1%), respectively. Also, Only 2 percent of total daily production of waste were separated and recycled at source. The implementation a cost of waste separation at source on a monthly basis was 768,880,000 Rails and the benefits of it was 904,667,400 Rails and as a result, the amount of net benefit derived from the recycling scheme was 135,787,400 Rails. Conclusion: Considering the economic benefits of waste separation and recycling at source in the city of Yazd, can be in addition to compensate the many of the waste management sector costs and reduced waste disposal and management costs, Preventing environmental degradation and pollution of water, soil and air resources

Vernalization requirement studies with Pacific Northwest wheats

Vernalization plays a fundamental role in the adaptation of winter cereals to their growing environment by controlling their growth habit, thereby allowing them to escape cold injury. Because of the climatic conditions of the region, dry summers and wet winters, growers sometimes cannot plant all of their winter wheat in fall and raise questions about late planting of winter varieties. This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the vernalization requirement of winter wheat varieties currently grown in the Pacific Northwest. A greenhouse procedure was also developed to be used in determining the vernalization requirement of new wheat varieties. Twenty varieties, representing a wide range of vernalization response, were tested in the field during the 1991 through 1993 cropping seasons. Varieties were sown from early October through late March at differing time intervals. Accumulated growing degree days from planting were calculated by averaging daily temperature CERES wheat model formulas were used to calculate vernalization days. Heading, plant height, number of heads/m row and yield parameters were measured. Relative vernalization index was created for grouping the varieties according to their vernalization response. Results of the field studies indicated that Dusty, Eltan, Flora, Hill 81, Kmor and Yamhill have a strong vernalization requirement. They showed rapid deterioration in all parameters as a result of reduction in vernalization days due to late sowing. Weak vernalization requirement varieties -Hoff, Oveson, Treasure and Whitman were less affected by reduction in vernalization days. Other varieties were intermediate in response. Similar variety response were observed during green house experiments where the same varieties were chilled for 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days at 6 - 7 °C constant temperature. Hoff, Hyak, Oveson, Treasure and Whitman headed after only 7 days of cold treatment. The varieties Eltan, Flora, Hill 81, Kmor, Rodhe and Yamhill showed marked response to vernalization. Heading of those varieties only occurred after four or five weeks of cold treatment. This study suggests that (1) varieties vary widely in vernalization response (2) varieties can be grouped in strong, medium and weak vernalization response classes (3) strong vernalization requirement varieties can be planted until late February, but yield would be low, less than 50 % (4) weak vernalization requirement varieties can be planted until late March, but yield would be low, less than 50 % (5) a green house procedure can be used for the assessment of the vernalization requirement of new wheat varieties

Evaluation and use of a soil mineralizable nitrogen test to determine the fertilizer nitrogen needs of winter wheat grown in western Oregon

The assessment of optimum nitrogen (N) fertilizer need for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is important for economic and environmental sustainability. A comprehensive understanding of fertilizer N requirement depends on estimation of the quantity of N needed by the crop versus that supplied by soil. The objectives of this study were: to assess the potential of using short-term anaerobic incubation test values in developing nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for the region; to evaluate the suitability of a nitrogen balance model for predicting N fertilizer needs of winter wheat; and to document the N uptake patterns of spring and winter wheat. Field experiments were conducted in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon in 1994-1997 and included both on-farm trials and small research plot trials. An array of rotations, crop types and nitrogen fertilizer rates were evaluated. Mineralizable nitrogen in soil samples taken prior to spring fertilization was estimated by a 7-day anaerobic incubation method and results were compared with estimations of soil supplied nitrogen from field experiments. Lab and field estimations were well correlated. A more than four fold increase in soil supplied N values, 20 to 110 kg N h⁻¹, was observed when mineralizable N test values increased from 14 to 29 mg N kg⁻¹. Results indicate that soil mineralizable N values satisfactorily predict approximate soil N availability and that results can be used to adjust fertilizer N requirements in the region. A Feekes growth stage 5 spring soil and tissue test based model was developed and evaluated for predicting the need for additional N fertilizer on winter wheat. Optimum N rates predicted by the model were closely related to N rates required to obtain maximum economic yield. Model validation experiments also gave promising results. Nitrogen uptake patterns for spring and winter wheat were similar. Maximum N uptake for spring wheat was at approximately 1100 accumulated growing GDD, before Feekes 10. The maximum N uptake rate, 0.038 kg N GDD⁻¹, occurred at 750 GDD. Nitrogen uptake in winter wheat was significantly affected by rotations. Maximum N uptake for fertilized winter wheat was at approximately 1400 GDD, also before Feekes 10. The maximum N uptake rate, 0.5 and 0.2 kg N GDD⁻¹, for wheat following clover and oat occurred at 1100 and 1300 GDD, respectively

Effective Magnetic Dipole Operators-and the Lifetime of the 312-State in 207Pb

A lifetime of z = (0.15 0.03) psec for the 897 keV 312-state in 207Pb is determined by the Doppler shift attenuation method in thick Target Coulomb excitation by 68 and 61 MeV "O ions on 207Pb. The analysis uses the Monte Carlo method to treat the slowing down of the recoiling Pb nuclei in Pb, and takes into account the effects of particle-y angular correlations, finite detector size, and the slowing down of the projectiles in the target The derived value of B(M1, 312-+ 112-) = (0.52 0.10) ca

Antecedents of Sustainable Financial Performance: Evidence from the Banking Sector of Pakistan

This research aims to investigate the determinants of the sustainable financial performance of banks listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The data for the present research is collected from 30 banks over the period of 2012-2022. The panel cross-linear regression was employed to analyse the data by employing Stata. Various bank-specific factors were found to be positive and statistically significant antecedents of banks’ financial performance. However, bank size, business model and financial structure have negative and insignificant impacts on the bank’s financial performance. In a similar vein, macro-economic factors have a significant negative and insignificant positive impact on banks’ financial performance. Concerning social factors, only hospital funding has an adverse effect on financial performance. Last but not least, environmental financing is negatively and insignificantly linked with banks’ financial performance. Accordingly, this research concludes that managers and policymakers of commercial banks must keep their social and environmental investments in check to attain sustainable financial performance

A development cooperation Erasmus Mundus partnership for capacity building in earthquake mitigation science and higher education

Successful practices have shown that a community’s capacity to manage and reduce its seismic risk relies on capitalization on policies, on technology and research results. An important role is played by education, than contribute to strengthening technical curricula of future practitioners and researchers through university and higher education programs. EUNICE is a European Commission funded higher education partnership for international development cooperation with the objective to build capacity of individuals who will operate at institutions located in seismic prone Asian Countries. The project involves five European Universities, eight Asian universities and four associations and NGOs active in advanced research on seismic mitigation, disaster risk management and international development. The project consists of a comprehensive mobility scheme open to nationals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, North Korea, Philippines, and Sri Lanka who plan to enroll in school or conduct research at one of five European partner universities in Italy, Greece and Portugal. During the 2010-14 time span a total number of 104 mobilities are being involved in scientific activities at the undergraduate, masters, PhD, postdoctoral and academic-staff exchange levels. Researchers, future policymakers and practitioners build up their curricula over a range of disciplines in the fields of earthquake engineering, seismology, disaster risk management and urban planning

EU-NICE, Eurasian University Network for International Cooperation in Earthquakes

Despite the remarkable scientific advancements of earthquake engineering and seismology in many countries, seismic risk is still growing at a high rate in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Successful practices have shown that a community’s capacity to manage and reduce its seismic risk relies on capitalization on policies, on technology and research results. An important role is played by education, than contribute to strengthening technical curricula of future practitioners and researchers through university and higher education programmes. In recent years an increasing number of initiatives have been launched in this field at the international and global cooperation level. Cooperative international academic research and training is key to reducing the gap between advanced and more vulnerable regions. EU-NICE is a European Commission funded higher education partnership for international development cooperation with the objective to build capacity of individuals who will operate at institutions located in seismic prone Asian Countries. The project involves five European Universities, eight Asian universities and four associations and NGOs active in advanced research on seismic mitigation, disaster risk management and international development. The project consists of a comprehensive mobility scheme open to nationals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, North Korea, Philippines, and Sri Lanka who plan to enrol in school or conduct research at one of five European partner universities in Italy, Greece and Portugal. During the 2010-14 time span a total number of 104 mobilities are being involved in scientific activities at the undergraduate, masters, PhD, postdoctoral and academic-staff exchange levels. This high number of mobilities and activities is selected and designed so as to produce an overall increase of knowledge that can result in an impact on earthquake mitigation. Researchers, future policymakers and practitioners build up their curricula over a range of disciplines in the fields of engineering, seismology, disaster risk management and urban planning. Specific educational and research activities focus on earthquake risk mitigation related topics such as: anti-seismic structural design, structural engineering, advanced computer structural collapse analysis, seismology, experimental laboratory studies, international and development issues in disaster risk management, social-economical impact studies, international relations and conflict resolution

Temperature dependence of electrical properties of electrodeposited Ni-based nanowires

The influence of annealing on the microstructure and the electrical properties of cylindrical nickel-based nanowires has been investigated. Nanowires of nickel of nominally 200 nm diameter and of permalloy (Py) of nominally 70 nm were fabricated by electrochemical deposition into nanoporous templates of polycarbonate and anodic alumina, respectively. Characterization was carried out on as-grown nanowires and nanowires heat treated at 650°C. Transmission electron microscopy and diffraction imaging of as-grown and annealed nanowires showed temperature-correlated grain growth of an initially nano-crystalline structure with ≤8 nm (Ni) and ≤20 nm (Py) grains towards coarser poly-crystallinity with grain sizes up to about 160 nm (Ni) and 70 nm (Py), latter being limited by the nanowire width. The electrical conductivity of individual as-grown and annealed Ni nanowires was measured in situ within a scanning electron microscope environment. At low current densities, the conductivity of annealed nanowires was estimated to have risen by a factor of about two over as-grown nanowires. We attribute this increase, at least in part, to the observed grain growth. The annealed nanowire was subsequently subjected to increasing current densities. Above 120 kA mm -2 the nanowire resistance started to rise. At 450 kA mm -2 the nanowire melted and current flow ceased