The idea behind the spillover effect of FDI on economic growth is based on the idea that multinational companies can bring technological innovation and rich knowledge to host countries. Therefore, ...FDI plays a vital role in technological innovations. This study aims to investigate the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the technological innovation of BRICS countries from 2000 to 2020. This study uses the latest econometric techniques, such as the cross-sectional dependence (CD) test, second-generation unit root tests, panel cointegration tests and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test. For long-run run estimation, this study uses the augmented mean group (AMG) panel estimator and the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimator for empirical analysis. The findings of the study show that foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, economic growth, and research & development expenditure positively impact technological innovation in BRICS countries. Also, the model's long-term causality and lagged error correction term (ECT) are significantly negative. Suggested policy measures will be helpful for BRICS economies in boosting technology innovation through FDI.
In the current era, economic growth is inevitable for global prosperity but achieving sustainable economic development is one of the significant challenges for the developing world. The present study ...explores the impacts of foreign direct investment, energy use, and technological innovations on the economic growth and environmental quality of BRICS countries for the period 1990–2018. We used the augmented mean group (AMG), the common correlated effects mean group estimator (CCEMG), and several other modern-day empirical techniques to analyze data. The findings show that foreign direct investment increases economic growth but harms the environmental sustainability of BRICS countries. Moreover, we have seen that energy use is directly proportional to economic growth and CO2 emissions. This confirms that energy use is one of the factors which harms the environmental quality in BRICS economies. Likewise, economic growth increases CO2 emissions. On the other hand, technology innovation has a direct relationship with economic growth but an inverse relationship with CO2 emissions as it improves the environmental sustainability of the BRICS region. This research adds to the existing literature by exploring the interplay between FDI, innovation, energy use, economic growth, and environmental outcomes in the context of major emerging economies. The study’s findings provide empirical evidence on the role of these factors in shaping the environmental outcomes in the BRICS economies, and they have implications for policymakers and stakeholders in addressing environmental challenges such as global warming and climate change.
This article investigates the nexus between bank-specific risks and the financial stability of the banks for a panel data set of 15 scheduled banks in Pakistan over a 12-year period from 2009 to ...2020. Using the fixed-effect model, the study result shows that bank-specific risks, i.e., credit risk and liquidity risk are detrimental to bank stability, whereas funding risk has no significant impact on bank stability. Besides these, bank size has also a negative impact on bank stability, whereas the return on assets (ROA) revealed a positive influence. To ensure stability, bank management should establish policies that confirm secure loan granting and timely reimbursement from customers to minimize the credit risk. Besides this, management should keenly observe the liquidity position and should also effectively mobilize the customer deposits to attain financial stability.
Background. Liver cancer (LC) is the most devastating disease affecting a large set of populations in the world. The mortality due to LC is escalating, indicating the lack of effective therapeutic ...options. Immunotherapeutic agents may play an important role against cancer cells. As immune cells, especially T lymphocytes, which are part of cancer immunology, the design of vaccine candidates for cytotoxic T lymphocytes may be an effective strategy for curing liver cancer. Results. In our study, based on an immunoinformatics approach, we predicted potential T cell epitopes of MHC class I molecules using integrated steps of data retrieval, screening of antigenic proteins, functional analysis, peptide synthesis, and experimental in vivo investigations. We predicted the binding affinity of epitopes LLECADDRADLAKY, VSEHRIQDKDGLFY, and EYILSLEELVNGMY of LC membrane-bounded extracellular proteins including butyrophilin-like protein-2 (BTNL2), glypican-3 (GPC3), and serum albumin (ALB), respectively, with MHC class I molecules (allele: HLA-A∗01:01). These T cell epitopes rely on the level of their binding energy and antigenic properties. We designed and constructed a trivalent immunogenic model by conjugating these epitopes with linkers to activate cytotoxic T cells. For validation, the nonspecific hematological assays showed a significant rise in the count of white blood cells (5×109/l), lymphocytes (13×109/l), and granulocytes (5×109/l) compared to the control after administration of trivalent peptides. Specific immunoassays including granzyme B and IgG ELISA exhibited the significant concentration of these effector molecules in blood serum, indicating the activity of cytotoxic T cells. Granzyme concentration increased to 1050 pg/ml at the second booster dose compared to the control (95 pg/ml), while the concentration of IgG raised to 6 g/l compared to the control (2 g/l). Conclusion. We concluded that a potential therapeutic trivalent vaccine can activate and modulate the immune system to cure liver cancer on the basis of significant outcomes of specific and nonspecific assays.
(2021) South Asian macroeconomic programs prioritize economic expansion over environmental protection. ...mostly rely on fossil fuels for energy requirements. According to the Porter hypothesis, ...besides rigorous environmental rules, effective policies should promote green innovation. According to Alimi (2015) to facilitate sustainable economic development, enhance income levels, alleviate poverty, foster entrepreneurship, and stimulate job creation, it is necessary for a financial system to include more individuals within its framework. According to Knaack and Gruin (2021) digitalization of financial inclusion is a cost-effective technique to give financial services to people and enterprises that were excluded from such services.
The concept of digital financial inclusion (DFI) has gained considerable attention in recent years due to its emergence as a prominent development strategy in several nations. While environmental ...sustainability is one of the biggest aims of the earth today. This study examines the impact of DFI on the environmental sustainability of the South Asian region (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) from 2011 to 2021. Using STATA, the study employed the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique, and the empirical evidence demonstrates that DFI has a significant negative impact on environmental sustainability by increasing CO2 emissions. In addition, study indicates that the growing number of internet users and renewable energy consumption have a substantial adverse effect on CO2 emissions per capita. This suggests that the increased use of the internet and renewable energy consumption contribute to environmental sustainability. On the other hand, Population growth also has a significant negative impact on CO2 emissions per capita and GDP growth and industrialization has no significant impact on environmental sustainability. These findings indicate that policymakers in the South Asian region should design policies that promote DFI and the use of new technology in such a way that stimulate business activities and achieve environmental sustainability.
Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) are getting growing interest because of wide-range of applications. Most applications of these networks demand reliable data delivery over longer period in ...an efficient and timely manner. However, resource- constrained nature of these networks makes routing in a harsh and unpredictable underwater environment challenging. Most existing schemes either employ mobile sensors or a Mobile Sink (MS). However, cost of movement and sensors make such schemes infeasible. MS based schemes are not suitable for delay-sensitive large-scale applications. Unlike prior work, this paper presents a novel AUV-aided Efficient Data Gathering Routing Protocol (AEDG) for reliable data delivery. To prolong network lifetime, AEDG employs an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to collect data from gateways. To minimize energy consumption, we use a Shortest Path Tree (SPT) algorithm while associating sensor nodes with the gateways and devise a criterion to limit the association count of nodes. Moreover, the role of gateways is rotated to balance the energy consumption. To prevent data loss, AEDG allows dynamic data collection time to AUV depending up the count of member sensors for each gateway. Moreover, we formulate a MILP model, that increases network throughput as well as conserves energy by limiting the assignment of member nodes. The performance of the AEDG is validated through simulations. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of AEDG in terms of various performance metrics.
The idea behind the spillover effect of FDI on economic growth is based on the idea that multinational companies can bring technological innovation and rich knowledge to host countries. Therefore, ...FDI plays a vital role in technological innovations. This study aims to investigate the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the technological innovation of BRICS countries from 2000 to 2020. This study uses the latest econometric techniques, such as the cross-sectional dependence (CD) test, second-generation unit root tests, panel cointegration tests and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test. For long-run run estimation, this study uses the augmented mean group (AMG) panel estimator and the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimator for empirical analysis. The findings of the study show that foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, economic growth, and research & development expenditure positively impact technological innovation in BRICS countries. Also, the model's long-term causality and lagged error correction term (ECT) are significantly negative. Suggested policy measures will be helpful for BRICS economies in boosting technology innovation through FDI.
ABSTRACT Non compression monocortical miniplate fixation of the mandibular sub-condyle is an accepted and reliable method for providing rigid internal fixation. The objective of this study was to ...compare the outcome of Single versus two plate fixation of mandibular sub-condylar fractures in terms of mouth opening and mandibular deviation. One hundred and twenty patients (120) coming to Mayo hospital, Lahore were selected and placed in two groups; group A (one miniplate fixation) Group B (two mini plates fixation). Postoperative results of single and two plate fixations were recorded after 3 weeks, 2 months and 6 months. Mouth opening was measured from upper central incisal tip to lower central incisal tip by using the metallic ruler in millimeters. The mandibular deviation was measured clinically. There were 40 (66.7%) males and 20 (33.3%) females in group A while in group B, 43 (71.7%) males and 17 (28.3%) females in group B with mean ages were 26.63±6.94 years in group A and 27.78±7.82 years in group B. Friedman test was applied in group A and B shows that there is a significant difference of mandibular deviation at a different time with P<0.001 Two miniplate fixation system on mandibular sub condylar fracture gives good stability, better mouth opening and absence of mandibular deviation as compared to single miniplate fixation.
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