FDI and Terrorism: Co-integration & Granger Causality

Terrorist activities not only effects that particular region or country's infrastructure, but it also effects the financial well being of that country. Because such terrorist activities create instability and uncertainty in the country. This results loss of foreign investors’ confidence in that economy, thus decreasing the level of foreign investments. Similarly Pakistan is also facing this bitter reality of decreased foreign direct investment due to an increase in terrorist activities. Variables: FDI , Terroris

Genetic diversity and selection signatures in synthetic-derived wheats and modern spring wheat

Synthetic hexaploid wheats and their derived advanced lines were subject to empirical selection in developing genetically superior cultivars. To investigate genetic diversity, patterns of nucleotide diversity, population structure, and selection signatures during wheat breeding, we tested 422 wheat accessions, including 145 synthetic-derived wheats, 128 spring wheat cultivars, and 149 advanced breeding lines from Pakistan. A total of 18,589 high-quality GBS-SNPs were identified that were distributed across the A (40%), B (49%), and D (11%) genomes. Values of population diversity parameters were estimated across chromosomes and genomes. Genome-wide average values of genetic diversity and polymorphic information content were estimated to be 0.30 and 0.25, respectively. Neighbor-joining (NJ) tree, principal component analysis (PCA), and kinship analyses revealed that synthetic-derived wheats and advanced breeding lines were genetically diverse. The 422 accessions were not separated into distinct groups by NJ analysis and confirmed using the PCA. This conclusion was validated with both relative kinship and Rogers' genetic distance analyses. EigenGWAS analysis revealed that 32 unique genome regions had undergone selection. We found that 50% of the selected regions were located in the B-genome, 29% in the D-genome, and 21% in the A-genome. Previously known functional genes or QTL were found within the selection regions associated with phenology-related traits such as vernalization, adaptability, disease resistance, and yield-related traits. The selection signatures identified in the present investigation will be useful for understanding the targets of modern wheat breeding in Pakistan

Analysis, evaluation, and improvement of the complaint management system of a growing pharmaceutical company in Hamburg

Objective: To examine and analyse the complaint management system of the growing pharmaceutical company AqVida GmbH in Hamburg. Methods: A qualitative approach was used for data collection utilising two instruments: document analysis of the complaints from the year 2015 to 2020 and interviews at the company (1 focus group consisting of 2 participants, 2 face-to-face and 5 online interviews). The collected data were then analysed and presented in the results section. Results: The finding of this study shows that the number of complaints is increasing in the company. As the processing time at the company according to their internal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is 10 working days only 14% of complaints were processed in a proper time in 2020. 24% of complaints took the processing time of less than one month, 35% complaints took the time of 1-3 months, whereas 27% of complaints were processed between 4-6 months. The reasons for the delayed responses were e.g. difficulties in time management, insufficient follow-up, no reminder system, or the absence of a specific investigator and manager for handling complaints. In order to resolve these issues and to improve the complaint handling system, strategies are presented within the course of this thesis. Conclusion: Based on the qualitative research, it can be concluded that due to the increased number of complaints, the company needs an efficient system for complaint management. The reason for the increased number of complaints is the production and marketing progress of the company. The problems in complaint handling can be minimised by reorganising the process and implementing software to digitise and automate the process. There is a need for one manager who handles all complaints in the company. Proper follow-up should be done to avoid any delay in the evaluation and processing of complaints. Training and meetings on a regular basis are also very important to discuss the repetitive complaints and to take specific measures and actions to prevent these incidents in the future

Evaluation of the Mother and Child Health Care Program (Mütterberatung) offered by the Health Department (Gesundheitsamt) in Eimsbüttel, Hamburg

Background: Having a child means that many things change in life. The joy of the child and life as a family is usually huge but sometimes it does not go as expected during pregnancy or after the birth of the child. The birth of a child is an overwhelming experience. It can be associated with much joy, but also many questions or fears. The parents need counseling to cope with everyday life with a newborn (BzgA, 2019b). The mother and child health care program offered by the Health Department Eimsbüttel Hamburg offer counseling to the mothers of infants who have questions about care, nutrition, breastfeeding, vaccinations, etc. (Bezirksamt Eimsbüttel, 2017). The aim of this Bachelor thesis is to evaluate the mother and child health care program offered by the Health Department in Eimsbüttel Hamburg. Method: As a method, two survey instruments were used: a standardized questionnaire and an individual expert interview. Thus, this work applies a “mix method approach”. In this mixed method research, a standardized Questionnaire was developed and used independently as a quantitative measuring instrument for data collection. Data were collected within a period of three months. The evaluation of the quantitative data was carried out with the Microsoft Excel program. The sample (n=21) was obtained from three participating mother and child health care centers in Eimsbüttel. An individual expert interview was also carried out with the pediatrician at the mother and child health care center in Eimsbüttel Kern. The purpose of the interview was to determine the goals, content, and services provided in the mother and child health care program and to find out the reason for the low response rate of questionnaire. Results: The evaluation results show that the Health Department Eimsbüttel has succeeded in successfully implementing the mother and child health care program. Likewise, the mother and child health care program at Eimsbüttel Kern achieved a high acceptance among the mothers. Welcome letter with a free baby’s sleeping bag voucher from the Health Department Eimsbüttel played an important role in acquiring more mothers in consultation (see Appendix E & F). Most of the mothers were motivated and accepted the parents’ letter offer mentioned in the welcome letter. However, many of the mothers did not know that they could get a home visit offered by Health Department Eimsbüttel. Furthermore, suggestions and recommendations for further improvement could also be derived

Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis – an observational study

Objectives: To identify the prevalence and predictors of sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients. Method: The observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Karachi, from January 30 to July 31, 2021, and comprised cirrhotic patients of either gender aged 18-60 years. Clinical and laboratory data was recorded for each patient. Body weight was adjusted for ascites. Sarcopenia was determined based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia-2019 guideline via hand grip strength and chair standing. Independent predictors for sarcopenia were identified. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. Results: Out of 434 cirrhotic patients assessed, 386(89%) were enrolled. Of them, 237(61.4%) were males, 149(38.6%) were females, 327(84.7%) were aged >45 years and 201(52.1%) had moderate professional activity. Sarcopenia was detected in 314(81.3%) patients; 185(59%) males and 129(41%) females. Age, chair exercise and hand grip scores as well as haemoglobin, albumin and potassium levels were significantly associated with sarcopenia (p<0.05) Conclusion: Sarcopenia was found to be very common in patients with cirrhosis. Increasing age, concomitant comorbidities, and presence of liver decompensation increased the risk of sarcopenia. Key Words: End-stage liver disease, Hand strength, Frailty, Potassium, Serum albumin

Human papillomavirus infection in females with normal cervical cytology: Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis among women in Punjab, Pakistan

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and the seventh most common cancer overall, accounting for an estimated 300 000 annual deaths. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the second most common cause of cervical cancer worldwide. HPV screening is not a common practice in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV and HPV types in women with a normal cytology of the cervix living in the upper and lower regions of Punjab, Pakistan, and to analyze the risk factors for HPV in this region. Methods: PCR analysis was performed for 1011 female patients with a normal cytology of the cervix from various districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Risk factors for the acquisition of HPV were studied. High-risk HPV types (HPV16 and HPV18) were detected using the Abbott Real Time HR HPV test. To determine the genotype, partial L1 region sequences of HPV-positive samples were subjected to sequencing using MY/09/MY11 primers, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using CLC software. Results: The study found a 4.74% prevalence of HPV, with the most frequent HPV type found being the low-risk HPV6 (in 25% of infected individuals), followed by HPV55 (22.9%), HPV11 (20.8%), and high-risk types HPV45 (12.5%), HPV33 (8.33%), HPV18 (6.25%), and HPV16 (4.16%). Phylogenetic analysis of all HPV types in this study showed 80–99% nucleotide identity with types related to the same species. The sequences were clustered with China, India, Mexico, Iran, Slovenia, and Germany, showing the diversity in origin of the various genotypes prevalent in Pakistan. Conclusions: In this population with a normal cervical cytology, the prevalence of high-risk HPV types was very low. The major prevalent HPV genotype in Punjab Province of Pakistan was the low-risk HPV type 6, followed by HPV type 55. Sequencing of the partial L1 region suggested that the region was highly conserved in all reported sequences. This study highlights the need to conduct robust epidemiological studies in the region and to develop regular HPV screening so that the situation does not reach an alarming stage resulting in cervical cancer

Dimensions of beliefs without strong supporting evidence and reasons for holding them

Beliefs without strong supporting evidence (BWSSE) are commonplace, such as religious beliefs and conspiracy theories. The goals of the current study were to identify dimensions of BWSSE in the general public and study how reasons for holding each dimension depend on the strength of the belief. Participants completed a BWSSE questionnaire online, and principal component analysis suggested that the questionnaire captured 6 dimensions of beliefs that range in strength: New Age Spiritual, Traditional Spiritual, Nonconformist, Science, Mythical, and Conspiracy Theory. Mixed-model analyses of variance showed that while high-strength believers in both New Age and Traditional Spiritual shifted their reasons-for-belief away from ‘just believe’ and towards personal experience, only Traditional Spiritual shifted away from ‘just believe’ to culture. In contrast, for Conspiracy Theory and Mythical, the dominant reason for belief was media, but for Conspiracy Theory only, there was a shift from media to education/personal research for high-strength believers. This demonstrates that although spiritual beliefs are strengthened by personal experience, conspiracy theory beliefs are strengthened by information gathering. Understanding the source of an existing belief is important for debiasing attempts to move people towards beliefs with strong supporting evidence, including greater acceptance of evidence provided by experts, a likely requirement for negotiating global humanitarian emergencies in the not-so-distant future.Statement of Relevance.Beliefs without strong supporting evidence (BWSSE) have been gaining attention in mainstream society; particularly, the sources of information that may contribute to their formation and resistance to correction. Understanding the source of an existing belief is important for debiasing attempts to move people towards beliefs with strong supporting evidence, including greater acceptance of evidence provided by experts, a likely requirement for negotiating global humanitarian emergencies in the not-so-distant future