Is Innovation in Pakistan Driven by Specialisation or Diversity?

Innovation is among the main drivers of industrial development leading to economic growth. However, the question triggers that what drives innovation? Is innovation driven by specialisation or diversification? The literature has supported both, the specialisation and diversification as driver of innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of innovation in Pakistan with a special emphasis on specialisation and diversity. The analysis is based on the cross sectional data set of 784 firms across 13 different cities of Pakistan, i.e. Investment Climate Survey (ICS) 2007, compiled by the World Bank Enterprise Group. Our findings have showed the positive relation between innovation and diversity i.e. diversity is conducive to innovation. On the other hand, specialisation has a negative effect i.e. it hinders innovation in cities of Pakistan. JEL Classification: C21, C25, O31, O32 Keywords: Innovation, Specialisation, Diversity, Logistic Regressio

Factors Influencing Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Payment during the COVID-19 Pandemic & Usage Continuance Intent: A Quantitative Study

The presence of COVID-19 has transformed the business sector’s paradigm and prompted a speedy consumption of mobile payment software systems of diverse ranges. Corporate sectors and businesses across the globe brought a shift to offer mobile payment methods; consequently, consumers were urged to maximize the use of mobile payment throughout the pandemic. The present research aims to investigate the factors that might influence consumers' intent to accept mobile payments and their relationships during COVID-19. The technology adoption model and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology were employed in this proposed mobile payment adoption framework. A quantitative research approach was identified as a suitable method for this research. An online survey was administered, and 304 participants responded to the questionnaire. The results of the data analysis revealed statistically significant relationships and a positive impact of the factors perceived performance, social influence, consumers’ satisfaction, and perceived usefulness on consumers’ usage continuation intention. However, the results identified that factors such as transaction risk didn’t affect perceived usefulness, and financial transaction transparency didn’t affect consumers’ usage intention. This study makes a substantial contribution to the consumers’ technology acceptance literature in terms of validating a proposed theoretical framework that highlights the factors that influence consumers’ mobile payment usage intentions. As this study was conducted at a later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, it adds value to the existing literature by providing insights to business managers on the factors influencing mobile payment usage. Considering the practical perspective, this study offers evidence of the essential elements that mobile payment service designers and marketers should consider. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-05-07 Full Text: PD

Income Inequality, Redistribution of Income and Trade Openness

Literature on nexus between trade openness and government spending is impressive [Atif, et al. (2012), Rudra (2004), Dani (1997) and McGuire (1999)]. The literature is growing rapidly. Analysts have documented the positive effects of government social spending [see for example Mesa-Lago (1994); Huber (1996); Weyland (1996); McGuire (1999)]. Unfortunately, Pakistan lacks empirical evidences on the impact of government social spending. Although Government of Pakistan has taken number of initiatives to have some form of redistribution policies, however, inequality in Pakistan is higher as compared to other Least Developed Countries that are open to trade. This situation is alarming. This paper therefore tries to identify the nexus between trade openness and social spending for the period 1975–2012. International evidence suggests that government social spending influences poverty and distribution of income. Pakistan‘s low level achievement in terms of reducing inequality, given the likely adverse economic impact of trade openness, point towards the fact that government has to design the policy in such a way that it affects the distribution of income. Thus, exploring the effect of social spending on income inequality is necessary for the concerned policy makers

Perception and practices of breastfeeding of infants 0-6 months in an urban and a semi-urban community in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mother\u27s perception and practices about breastfeeding and their socio-demographic correlate in infants equal to or less than 6 months. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 mother-infant pairs who visited the health care centers, Bilal Colony (semi-urban) and the Aga Khan University (urban), for their well baby follow-ups and vaccination using convenient sampling. Frequencies and percentages were computed and Chi-square was used to find associations between socio-demographics of mothers and their perception and practices about breastfeeding. RESULTS: Exclusive breastfeeding was reported by about 54% of the mothers. Thirty-five percent of the mothers gave prelacteal feed, 14% discarded colostrum and 43% woke up their infant to feed if time had exceeded 2 hours. Majority of the females were aware of the advantages (92%) and the disadvantages (85%) of breastfeeding. However, the awareness of positive feedback relationship of milk production and sucking was lacking and breast feeding was considered to cause weakness in mothers. CONCLUSION: Despite the efforts of health policy makers, the results show a situation that is not improving. Women were aware of the advantages and disadvantages of breast and bottle feeding but a disparity was observed between their perception and practices

Data on the role of accessible surface area on osmolytes-induced protein stabilization

AbstractThis paper describes data related to the research article “Testing the dependence of stabilizing effect of osmolytes on the fractional increase in the accessible surface area on thermal and chemical denaturations of proteins” [1]. Heat- and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl)-induced denaturation of three disulfide free proteins (bovine cytochrome c (b-cyt-c), myoglobin (Mb) and barstar) in the presence of different concentrations of methylamines (sarcosine, glycine-betaine (GB) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO)) was monitored by [ϴ]222, the mean residue ellipticity at 222nm at pH 7.0. Methylamines belong to a class of osmolytes known to protect proteins from deleterious effect of urea. This paper includes comprehensive thermodynamic data obtained from the heat- and GdmCl-induced denaturations of barstar, b-cyt-c and Mb

Prevalence of obesity in patients suffering from migraine

Background: Migraine is one of the most common primary headaches, accounting for significant morbidity in patients suffering from it. An association between obesity and migraine has been documented in the past, despite some studies pointing to the contrary. Author’s purpose is to calculate the prevalence of obesity in migraine patients in order to contribute to the existing concepts. A positive correlation could lead to the employment of weight loss interventions in the management of obese patients with migraine.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 patients, recently diagnosed with migraine, attending the Neurology Outpatient Department at the Dr. Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi were enrolled after taking informed consent.  Migraine was diagnosed using International Classification of Headache Disorders III (ICHD III) criteria. Height (meters) and weight (kilograms) were measured and body mass index calculated. This data was kept confidential. The results were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 19.  Continuous quantitative data were analyzed using chi square test. A p Value of less than or equal to 0.05 was considered significant.Results: The mean age of enrolled participants was 30.69±6.96 years, 204(51%) were >30 years of age, 159(39.8%) were male and 241(60.3%) were female, mean height was 1.55±0.1 meters, mean weight was 56.26±12.98 kg, and mean duration of migraine was 5.04±2.02 weeks. The prevalence of obesity in patients with migraine was 108 (27%).Conclusions: It was concluded that the prevalence of obesity in patients with migraine was 27%

Synthesis and applications of graphene and graphene-based nanocomposites: Conventional to artificial intelligence approaches

Recent advances in graphene research have enabled the utilization of its nanocomposites for numerous energy-based and environmental applications. Recently, the advancement in graphene-based polymer nanocomposites has received much attention with special emphasis on synthesis and application. Graphene-based nanocomposites show astonishing electrical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal characteristics. Graphene nanocomposites (GNCs) are synthesized using a variety of methods, including covalent and non-covalent methods, a chemical-based deposition approach, hydrothermal growth, electrophoresis deposition, and physical deposition. Chemical methods are the most viable route for producing graphene in small quantities at low temperatures. The technique can also produce graphene films on a variety of substrate materials. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the synthesis of AI-created nanoparticles has recently received a lot of attention. These nanocomposite materials have excellent applications in the environmental, energy, and agricultural sectors. Due to high carrier mobility, graphene-based materials enhance the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor materials. Similarly, these materials have high potential for pollutant removal, especially heavy metals, due to their high surface area. This article highlights the synthesis of graphene-based nanocomposites with special reference to harnessing the power of modern AI tools to better understand GNC material properties and the way this knowledge can be used for its better applications in the development of a sustainable future

Infections in patients with multiple myeloma treated with conventional chemotherapy: A single-center, 10-year experience in Pakistan

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common hematologic malignancy with variable degrees of immunodeficiency. Disease- and treatment-related compromise of the immune system predisposes patients to infections, which are a major cause of morbidity and mortality.Objective: We aimed to establish the incidence and main characteristics of infections in MM patients treated at our center over a 10-year period.Method and results: Of the 412 patients retrospectively analyzed, 154 (37.4%) were documented to have at least one episode of infection and were included in this study. A total of 244 infectious episodes were documented. The most common site of infection was the lung, followed by the genitourinary system. The most common infections were bacterial, followed by viral. Escherichia coli were the most common organism. In 160 (65.5%) episodes, the organism was not isolated. Thalidomide with dexamethasone was the most common treatment regimen, followed by melphalan with dexamethasone. Infection was the main cause of death in 26 (6.3%) out of all 412 patients.Conclusion: Infections are a notable cause of morbidity and mortality in the clinical course of MM patients. By considering patient and disease characteristics, a risk-adapted selection of the MM treatment should be employed, with special attention toward patient age and disease-associated organ dysfunction. Patient education, access to healthcare and physician vigilance are also essential. Vaccination and antimicrobial prophylaxis may be considered prior to or during therapy