New horizons in bank mergers: A quantum spherical fuzzy decision-making framework for analyzing Islamic and conventional bank mergers and enhancing resilience

This study explores the implications of merging two fundamentally different types of banks: Islamic and conventional banks. The research aims to provide insight into the unique opportunities and challenges presented by such a merger and to offer strategic guidance for future mergers. A balanced scorecard-based strategic analysis using a Quantum Spherical Fuzzy Decision-Making Approach was used to develop short- and long-term strategic plans for the merged bank. The balanced scorecard included 12 key performance indicators (KPIs) in 4 groups, and the methodology incorporated several questions to guide the analysis. The results of the study offer valuable insights into the potential opportunities and challenges of merging these two types of banks, as well as strategic recommendations for stakeholders at all levels. The study serves as a useful guideline for future mergers between similar or different types of banks. Overall, the findings suggest that a well-planned merger strategy is essential for avoiding challenges and maximizing the benefits of merging Islamic and conventional banks. By integrating the strengths of both types of banks, a merged entity could create a competitive advantage and potentially improve financial performance. However, this requires careful consideration of cultural differences, regulatory challenges, and other factors that could impact on the success of the merger

Serving SDGs via bank mergers: A neuro quantum fuzzy approach for qatari banks

Determining the right merger strategy for banks is an important step. In this way, risks can be managed more effectively, and long-term financial performance can be achieved. However, there are many different factors that affect this process. It is not optimal for banks to consider all factors due to budget constraints. In this context, it is important to determine the most important ones among these criteria. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to evaluate alternative merger strategies for banks. For this purpose, 12 different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-based criteria are selected. Multi stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (M-SWARA) methodology is used to compute the weights of these items. The main contribution of this study is that the implications of the merger process on SDGs can be examined. Furthermore, a new methodology (M-SWARA) is proposed in this study that has an increasing impact on the methodological originality. The findings indicate that increasing profitability has the greatest weight (0.095). Similarly, market share is found as the second most critical factor (0.092) for merger decisions in the banking industry. A profitable bank can attract more investors and with the help of this situation it can be much easier to raise capital and access funding from capital markets. These issues can be used to finance projects that align with SDGs, such as renewable energy, affordable housing, or clean water initiatives. In addition to this situation, profitability can also have a positive impact on innovation and technological advancement. With sufficient resources, a bank can invest in research and development, technological infrastructure, and innovative products and services. Owing to these investments, sustainable development can be promoted

Aflatoxin M1 levels in raw sheep, goat and cow milks in Niğde Province

Bu çalışmada, Niğde ilinde tüketime sunulan çiğ inek, koyun ve keçi sütlerinde aflatoksin M1 (AFM1) varlığının araştırılması, yasal düzenlemeler dikkate alınarak halk sağlığı yönünden tehlike oluşturup oluşturmadığının belirlenmesi ve sütlerdeki toksin içeriklerinin karşılaştırılması amaçlandı. Çalışmada, 90 çiğ süt örneği toplanarak ELISA tekniği ile analiz edildi. İncelenen tüm süt örneklerinin AFM1 ile kontamine olduğu koyun ve keçi sütlerindeki AFM1 düzeyinin yasal limitlerin altında, çiğ inek sütü örneklerinin 3'ünde (%10) ise bu limitlerin üzerinde (50 ng/L) olduğu belirlendi. Ayrıca farklı hayvan türlerinin sütlerindeki AFM1 düzeyleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıklar gözlemlendi (p <0.05). Sonuç olarak, Niğde'de koyun ve keçi sütü tüketimi ile AFM1’e maruz kalma potansiyelinin inek sütü tüketimine oranla daha düşük olduğu belirlendi. Bununla birlikte inek sütlerinde yasal limitlerin üzerinde tespit edilen AFM1 varlığının halk sağlığı bakımından önemli olduğu ve bu nedenle sütlerin sistematik olarak kontrol edilmesi gerektiği sonucuna varıldı.This study aimed to investigate the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw cow, sheep and goat milk consumed in Niğde and to evaluate whether they pose a risk for public health regarding legal limits and to compare the AFM1 levels in milk of different species. In the study, 90 raw milk samples were collected and analysed by ELISA tecnique. All of the milk samples were found to be contaminated with AFM1. On the other hand AFM1 contents of all sheep and goat milk samples were below the legal limits, while 3 of the raw cow milk samples (10%) exceeded the limits of concern (50 ng/L). In addition, statistically significant differences were observed between AFM1 levels in milk of different species (p <0.05). In conclusion, AFM1 exposure risk in case of sheep and goat milk consumption is found to be lower than cow milk consumption in Niğde. However, presence of AFM1 in cow milk samples should be considered as a public health jeopardy, therefore milks should be systematically monitored

Edge states in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of massive magnetic skyrmions

We study the collective dynamics of a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of magnetic skyrmions. By performing large-scale micromagnetic simulations, we find multiple chiral and non-chiral edge modes of skyrmion oscillations in the lattice. The non-chiral edge states are due to the Tamm-Shockley mechanism, while the chiral ones are topologically protected against structure defects and hold different handednesses depending on the mode frequency. To interpret the emerging multiband nature of the chiral edge states, we generalize the massless Thiele's equation by including a second-order inertial term of skyrmion mass as well as a third-order non-Newtonian gyroscopic term, which allows us to model the band structure of skrymion oscillations. Theoretical results compare well with numerical simulations. Our findings uncover the importance of high order effects in strongly coupled skyrmions and are helpful for designing novel topological devices.Comment: 6 pages,4 figures,accepted by Physical Review B as a Rapid Communicatio

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p &lt; 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)

Measurement of the Splitting Function in &ITpp &ITand Pb-Pb Collisions at root&ITsNN&IT=5.02 TeV

Data from heavy ion collisions suggest that the evolution of a parton shower is modified by interactions with the color charges in the dense partonic medium created in these collisions, but it is not known where in the shower evolution the modifications occur. The momentum ratio of the two leading partons, resolved as subjets, provides information about the parton shower evolution. This substructure observable, known as the splitting function, reflects the process of a parton splitting into two other partons and has been measured for jets with transverse momentum between 140 and 500 GeV, in pp and PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. In central PbPb collisions, the splitting function indicates a more unbalanced momentum ratio, compared to peripheral PbPb and pp collisions.. The measurements are compared to various predictions from event generators and analytical calculations.Peer reviewe

Measurement of nuclear modification factors of gamma(1S)), gamma(2S), and gamma(3S) mesons in PbPb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

The cross sections for ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) production in lead-lead (PbPb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV have been measured using the CMS detector at the LHC. The nuclear modification factors, RAA, derived from the PbPb-to-pp ratio of yields for each state, are studied as functions of meson rapidity and transverse momentum, as well as PbPb collision centrality. The yields of all three states are found to be significantly suppressed, and compatible with a sequential ordering of the suppression, RAA(ϒ(1S)) > RAA(ϒ(2S)) > RAA(ϒ(3S)). The suppression of ϒ(1S) is larger than that seen at √sNN = 2.76 TeV, although the two are compatible within uncertainties. The upper limit on the RAA of ϒ(3S) integrated over pT, rapidity and centrality is 0.096 at 95% confidence level, which is the strongest suppression observed for a quarkonium state in heavy ion collisions to date. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP3.Peer reviewe

Electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z boson in proton-proton collisions root s =13 TeV

A measurement of the electroweak (EW) production of two jets in association with a Z boson in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV is presented, based on data recorded in 2016 by the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The measurement is performed in the lljj final state with l including electrons and muons, and the jets j corresponding to the quarks produced in the hard interaction. The measured cross section in a kinematic region defined by invariant masses m(ll) > 50 GeV, m(jj) > 120 GeV, and transverse momenta P-Tj > 25 GeV is sigma(EW) (lljj) = 534 +/- 20 (stat) fb (syst) fb, in agreement with leading-order standard model predictions. The final state is also used to perform a search for anomalous trilinear gauge couplings. No evidence is found and limits on anomalous trilinear gauge couplings associated with dimension-six operators are given in the framework of an effective field theory. The corresponding 95% confidence level intervals are -2.6 <cwww/Lambda(2) <2.6 TeV-2 and -8.4 <cw/Lambda(2) <10.1 TeV-2. The additional jet activity of events in a signal-enriched region is also studied, and the measurements are in agreement with predictions.Peer reviewe