Analysis of Foreign Direct Investment Inflows of BRICS Countries for Pre-Pandemic Period and during Pandemic Crisis

In the summit held in 2009, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India China, and South Africa decided to identify themselves as a formal institution, and BRICS was declared as a formal institution in the year 2010. According to the UNCTAD report, these nations are identified as favored destinations for investments in FDI (Supachai, 2009). BRICS countries being recognized for their plenary FDI are also facing difficulty in attracting FDI inflows due to pandemic crises. FDI boosts entrepreneurship and is a great source of employment to millions. Thus there is a necessity to focus on the growth of FDI Inflows. The main purpose of this research is to study the growth trend of Foreign Direct Investment inflows of Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa. The Study concentrated on seven years’ data (2014-2020) of FDI inflows collected from the statistics published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The data were analysed using Trend Percentages, CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate), Mean Scores, ANOVA, and LSD Post Hoc test. The results of the analysis showed that China bags the first rank in attracting FDI and South Africa stands last in attracting FDI among BRICS countries. The study also revealed that there is a significant difference in the FDI inflows amongst BRICS Countries

Role of Influencer Marketing in Promoting Financial Products in the Banking Sector of Pakistan

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of influencer marketing in promoting financial products in the banking sector of Pakistan and also to identify the factors through which banks are successfully implementing influencer marketing. Research Design: In this study, the researcher adopted quantitative research design, and all the data were collected through survey questionnaires using five-point Liker scale, and a sample of 300 consumers were selected in Pakistan. The collected data analysed by the researcher through Frequency analysis and Correlation analysis. In addition to this, as the researcher employed the instrument of questionnaire, thereby, to check the reliability of the instrument, the reliably testing was done, and the instrument was found to be reliable. Findings: It was found in the study that there was strong relationship between the influencer marketing and promotion of financial products. The study has found that customer reach, customer preference and engagement, shareable content and promotional tools are the factors through which banks are practising influencer marketing. Besides, it was further analysed that on the promotion of financial products in Pakistani banking sector. Limitations: The main limitation of the study is that this study specifically focused on the banking sector of Pakistan, which means the findings of the study is limited to the banking sector of Pakistan only. Besides, there had been limited knowledge possessed by respondents despite the awareness of the topic as they were all consumers, and not bank managers or experts, so future studies can be conducted among bank managers or field experts.        Keywords: Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Customer Engagement, Financial Products, Banking, Pakistan DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/68-06 Publication date:June 30th 202

Evaluating the Effects of Textural Properties on the Strength Parameters of Marbles from North-Western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Marble is globally used as a natural stone for decorative and architectural purposes. Primary utilization of marble is as building and dimension stones. Mechanical properties and aesthetic aspects are major characteristics of marble and decisive factors for its selection and utilization. It is therefore imperative to evaluate the key strength properties i.e. Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and Uniaxial Tensile Strength (UTS) of marble before its utilization. These key strength parameters are dependent on textural features of marble. Present study investigates the effect of two key textural features i.e. grain size and grain shape on two key strength parameters i.e. UCS and UTS of marble samples taken from three different regions i.e. Buner, Chitral and Swat in the north western part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Correlation and regression analysis between these textural properties and strength parameters revealed that prominent textural features of grain size and shape can be used as a quick indicator for assessment of strength parameters and as guideline for appropriate utilization of marble

Cytogenetic abnormalities in myelodysplastic syndromes: An overview

Karyotype is one of the main constituents of the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and revised-IPSS that are the cornerstones for the prognostication of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Del(5q), -7/del(7q), +8 and -Y are among the most extensively studied cytogenetic abnormalities in MDS. The same applies for normal karyotype. There are hundreds of other rare cytogenetic abnormalities that have been reported in MDS, included but not limited to -X, 3q abnormalities, +13/del(13q), i(17q), +21/-21. However, due to a very low number of patients, their impact on the prognosis of MDS is limited. Knowledge of the molecular consequences of different cytogenetic abnormalities allows us to modify treatment regimens based on drugs most active against the specific karyotype present, allowing for the opportunity to individualize MDS treatment and improve patient care and prognosis

H-Shaped Eight-Element Dual-Band MIMO Antenna for Sub-6 GHz 5G Smatphone Applications

The design of an eight-element H-shaped dual-band multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system for sub-6 GHz fifth-generation (5G) smartphone applications is presented in this work. The radiating elements are designed on the side edge frame of the smartphone, placed on both sides of the main printed circuit board (PCB). Each side edge consists of four radiating elements, which ensures low mutual coupling between antenna elements. The total size of the main PCB is 150×75 mm 2 , while the size of the side edge frame is 150×7 mm 2 . A single antenna consists of an H-shaped radiating element fed using a 50Ω microstrip feeding line designed on the main board of the smartphone. The results show that, according to −6 dB impedance bandwidth criteria, the designed MIMO antenna radiates at two different frequency ranges within the allocated 5G spectrums, i.e., 3.1–3.78 GHz and 5.43–6.21 GHz with 680 MHz and 780 MHz bandwidths, respectively. It is also observed that the antenna elements are able to provide pattern diversity for both the frequency bands. Furthermore, an isolation of >12 dB is observed between any two given radiating elements. Numerous MIMO critical performance characteristics are assessed, including diversity gain (DG), envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), and channel capacity (CC). A prototype is built, measured, and it is observed that the measured and simulated data correspond well. On the basis of performance characteristics, it can be claimed that the suggested MIMO system may be used in 5G communication networks.Dr. Mohammad Alibakhshikenari acknowledges support from the CONEX-Plus programme funded by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 801538

Advancement in artificial intelligence for on-farm fruit sorting and transportation

On-farm sorting and transportation of postharvest fruit include sorting out defective products, grading them into categories based on quality, distributing them into bins, and carrying bins to field collecting stations. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) can speed up on-farm sorting and transportation with high accuracy and robustness and significantly reduce postharvest losses. The primary objective of this literature review is to provide an overview to present a critical analysis and identify the challenges and opportunities of AI applications for on-farm sorting and transportation, with a focus on fruit. The challenges of on-farm sorting and transportation were discussed to specify the role of AI. Sensors and techniques for data acquisition were investigated to illustrate the tasks that AI models have addressed for on-farm sorting and transportation. AI models proposed in previous studies were compared to investigate the adequate approaches for on-farm sorting and transportation. Finally, the advantages and limitations of utilizing AI have been discussed, and in-depth analysis has been provided to identify future research directions. We anticipate that this survey will pave the way for further studies on the implementation of automated systems for on-farm fruit sorting and transportation

UV-Accelerated Photocatalytic Degradation of Pesticide over Magnetite and Cobalt Ferrite Decorated Graphene Oxide Composite

Pesticides are one of the main organic pollutants as they are highly toxic and extensively used worldwide. The reclamation of wastewater containing pesticides is of utmost importance. For this purpose, GO-doped metal ferrites (GO-FeO and GO-CoFeO) were prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. Photocatalytic potentials of catalysts were investigated against acetamiprid's degradation. A detailed review of the parametric study revealed that efficiency of overall Fenton's process relies on the combined effects of contributing factors, i.e., pH, initial oxidant concentration, catalyst dose, contact time, and acetamiprid load. ~97 and ~90% degradation of the acetamiprid was achieved by GO-CoFeO and GO-FeO, respectively during the first hour under UV radiations at optimized reaction conditions. At optimized conditions (i.e., pH:3, [HO]: 14.5 mM (for FeO, GO-FeO and GO-CoFeO) and 21.75 mM (for CoFeO), catalysts: 100 mgL, time: 60min) the catalysts exhibited excellent performance, with high degradation rate, magnetic power, easy recovery at the end, and efficient reusability (up to 5 cycles without any considerable loss in catalytic activity). A high magnetic character offers its easy separation from aqueous systems using an external magnet. Moreover, the combined effects of experimental variables were assessed simultaneously and justified using response surface methodology (RSM).This research received no external funding

Global incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Detailed, comprehensive, and timely reporting on population health by underlying causes of disability and premature death is crucial to understanding and responding to complex patterns of disease and injury burden over time and across age groups, sexes, and locations. The availability of disease burden estimates can promote evidence-based interventions that enable public health researchers, policy makers, and other professionals to implement strategies that can mitigate diseases. It can also facilitate more rigorous monitoring of progress towards national and international health targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. For three decades, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) has filled that need. A global network of collaborators contributed to the production of GBD 2021 by providing, reviewing, and analysing all available data. GBD estimates are updated routinely with additional data and refined analytical methods. GBD 2021 presents, for the first time, estimates of health loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The GBD 2021 disease and injury burden analysis estimated years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries using 100 983 data sources. Data were extracted from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, censuses, household surveys, disease-specific registries, health service contact data, and other sources. YLDs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific prevalence of sequelae by their respective disability weights, for each disease and injury. YLLs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific deaths by the standard life expectancy at the age that death occurred. DALYs were calculated by summing YLDs and YLLs. HALE estimates were produced using YLDs per capita and age-specific mortality rates by location, age, sex, year, and cause. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for all final estimates as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles values of 500 draws. Uncertainty was propagated at each step of the estimation process. Counts and age-standardised rates were calculated globally, for seven super-regions, 21 regions, 204 countries and territories (including 21 countries with subnational locations), and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Here we report data for 2010 to 2021 to highlight trends in disease burden over the past decade and through the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Global DALYs increased from 2·63 billion (95% UI 2·44–2·85) in 2010 to 2·88 billion (2·64–3·15) in 2021 for all causes combined. Much of this increase in the number of DALYs was due to population growth and ageing, as indicated by a decrease in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates of 14·2% (95% UI 10·7–17·3) between 2010 and 2019. Notably, however, this decrease in rates reversed during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates since 2019 of 4·1% (1·8–6·3) in 2020 and 7·2% (4·7–10·0) in 2021. In 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of DALYs globally (212·0 million [198·0–234·5] DALYs), followed by ischaemic heart disease (188·3 million [176·7–198·3]), neonatal disorders (186·3 million [162·3–214·9]), and stroke (160·4 million [148·0–171·7]). However, notable health gains were seen among other leading communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) diseases. Globally between 2010 and 2021, the age-standardised DALY rates for HIV/AIDS decreased by 47·8% (43·3–51·7) and for diarrhoeal diseases decreased by 47·0% (39·9–52·9). Non-communicable diseases contributed 1·73 billion (95% UI 1·54–1·94) DALYs in 2021, with a decrease in age-standardised DALY rates since 2010 of 6·4% (95% UI 3·5–9·5). Between 2010 and 2021, among the 25 leading Level 3 causes, age-standardised DALY rates increased most substantially for anxiety disorders (16·7% [14·0–19·8]), depressive disorders (16·4% [11·9–21·3]), and diabetes (14·0% [10·0–17·4]). Age-standardised DALY rates due to injuries decreased globally by 24·0% (20·7–27·2) between 2010 and 2021, although improvements were not uniform across locations, ages, and sexes. Globally, HALE at birth improved slightly, from 61·3 years (58·6–63·6) in 2010 to 62·2 years (59·4–64·7) in 2021. However, despite this overall increase, HALE decreased by 2·2% (1·6–2·9) between 2019 and 2021. Interpretation: Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of causes of health loss is crucial to understanding its impact and ensuring that health funding and policy address needs at both local and global levels through cost-effective and evidence-based interventions. A global epidemiological transition remains underway. Our findings suggest that prioritising non-communicable disease prevention and treatment policies, as well as strengthening health systems, continues to be crucially important. The progress on reducing the burden of CMNN diseases must not stall; although global trends are improving, the burden of CMNN diseases remains unacceptably high. Evidence-based interventions will help save the lives of young children and mothers and improve the overall health and economic conditions of societies across the world. Governments and multilateral organisations should prioritise pandemic preparedness planning alongside efforts to reduce the burden of diseases and injuries that will strain resources in the coming decades. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation