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Using the GMM framework, this paper examines the nexus between capital and profitability in the presence of economic freedom using annual data of US banks ranging from 2002 to 2022. consistent with both the financial stability and regulatory hypotheses, the present study's empirical findings reveal that economic freedom exerts a positive moderating influence on the relationship between bank capital ratio and profitability. The findings are heterogeneous across banks' specific characteristics and market conditions. Furthermore, the results are robust to alternative proxies of profitability. The study's finding is beneficial for policymakers and regulators as liberalization is not always adversely impact the economy; rather, it's a double-edged sword, and they must maintain that delicate balance. The conclusions of this study have meaningful implications for senior bankers and policymakers when formulating strategies for preserving bank value. Specifically, it highlights the importance of considering the interactive role of economic freedom in their decision-making process.

Background & objectives: This study reports observation on circulating serotypes and genotypes of Dengue Virus in North India. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from suspected cases of dengue referred to the virus diagnostic laboratory during 2014 to 2022. All samples were tested for anti-dengue virus IgM antibodies and NS1Ag by ELISA. NS1Ag positive samples were processed for serotyping and genotyping. Results: Total 41,476 dengue suspected cases were referred to the laboratory of which 12,292 (29.6%) tested positive. Anti-Dengue Virus IgM antibodies, NS1Ag, both IgM and NS1Ag, were positive in 7007 (57.4%); 3200 (26.0%) and 2085 (16.0%) cases respectively. Total 762 strains were serotyped during 9-year period. DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4 serotypes were found in 79 (10.37%), 506 (66.40%), 151 (19.82%) and 26 (3.41%) cases respectively. DENV-1, DENV-2 and DENV-3 were in circulation throughout. Total 105 strains were genotyped. Genotype IV of DENV-1 serotype was circulating till 2014 which was later replaced by genotype V. A distinct seasonality with increase in number of cases in post-monsoon period was seen. Interpretation & conclusion: DENV-1, DENV-2 and DENV-3 were found to be in circulation in North India. Predominant serotype/genotype changed at times, but not at regular intervals.

The study uses the GMM and panel OLS framework on the data of the US banks over the period ‎from 2002 to 2019 to reveal the moderating role of economic freedom on the ‎relationship between bank capital and ‎profitability. The overall findings show that ‎economic freedom and bank capital positively influence ‎banks' profitability. The results reveal that economic freedom positively (negatively) moderates the relationship between risk-based (traditional) capital ratio. Furthermore, the results also find heterogeneity in the relationship across different market conditions (before and after crisis) and bank characteristics (well or undercapitalized, high and low liquid banks). The results ‎remain robust for ‎alternative methodology and proxies. The heterogeneity of findings has ‎implications for ‎policymakers in banking for the improvement of the financial system.

Abstract Low Birth Weight (LBW) is considered as a major public health issue and leading cause of neonatal death. Almost one in four newborns are reported as underweight in Pakistan. Children born with low birth weight are highly vulnerable to develop diseases and death and/or remain undernourished (i.e., stunted and wasted). This study determines the LBW newborns are more prone to develop stunting and wasting in province of Sindh, Pakistan. Moreover, regression-based estimation of the impact of LBW on the child health outcomes of under five years of age, may be prone to selection bias because of the nature of non-experimental data set, thus, propensity score matching methods are used in this study. Data for this study was used from Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS-2014). MICS is a two-stage, stratified cluster sampling household level data covering urban and rural areas and consists of 19,500 households from five administrative divisions and 28 districts of Sindh province of Pakistan. The total sample size of children less than five years of age after cleaning the data are 7781, of which 2095 are LBW having birth weight categorized as “smaller than average and very small” and 5686 are normal birth weight (NBW) having birth weight very large, larger than average, and average. This study employed propensity score matching (PSM) regression methods to understand whether the children born as low birth weight are more prone to stunting and wasting and/or both. In province of Sindh, moderate wasting children under five years were 21%, severe wasting 6% and both wasting and stunting 10%. The propensity score results are shown significant in all groups. Specifically, all four types of PSM methods confirm a significant difference in the potential outcome variables—meaning that a child born with LBW has a significant adverse effect on the potential child health outcome variables (stunting, wasting and both). Thus, the propensity score matching findings confirm a significant and adverse effect of LBW on potential health outcomes of under five children. Similarly, low birth weight children are significantly more likely to be moderately wasted (OR = 1.5, CI = 1.3–1.6) and severely wasted (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.3–2.0) and both (stunted and wasted, OR = 2.0, CI = 1.7–2.3) as compared to children with normal birth weight. Male children, if born with low birth weight, are significantly more likely to be moderately wasted (OR = 1.3, CI = 1.1–1.5) and both (wasted and stunted, OR = 1.3, CI = 1.1–1.5) than girls. This large data analysis finding proved that the LBW newborns are on higher risk to develop wasting and stunting in Pakistan.

Using GMM framework on the data of the US commercial banks spanning over 2002 to 2018, this study shows that banks adjust their regulatory capital ratios faster than traditional capital ratios. Our results show that the speed of adjustment of regulatory capital ratios and traditional capital ratios increases in bank capital adequacy and bank liquidity, respectively. We also find that the speed of adjustment of regulatory capital ratios of too-big-to-fail banks is lower than well-capitalized, adequately-capitalized, nationally-chartered, and state-chartered banks. In addition, the speed of adjustment of regulatory capital ratios of commercial banks is higher in the post-crisis period than the pre-crisis era. Although scholars suggest that adjustment of capital ratios through rebalancing liabilities is more beneficial to the banks, our findings show that banks also use their assets side of balance sheet to rebalance their capital ratios.

Stunting is an important issue as it leads to many adverse consequences on children’s health. Pakistan is in public health crisis due to higher stunting rates in children. World Health Organization entails the prevalence of stunting to be less than 2.5% in a healthy population, but every third child is stunted in Punjab (largest province of Pakistan by area and population). By using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Punjab, 2018 and employing multilevel logistic regression analyses, this study finds that children whose mothers are educated and have better access to drinking water and antenatal care have lower odds of stunting. Access to better and accessible health care, education especially of girls/women, and clean water can reduce stunting in children. The government needs to give special attention to these factors to help children grow healthy.

Abstract Background Pakistan is facing a serious problem of child under-nutrition as about 38% of children in Pakistan are stunted. Punjab, the largest province by population and contributes high gross domestic product (GDP) share in economy has reported 27% moderately and 10% severely stunted children of less than 5 years. Thus, this study aims at examining the determinants of stunting (moderate and severe) at different level of hierarchy empirically in Punjab province of Pakistan. Methodology Data for this study is coming from Punjab Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS-2014), used two-stage, stratified cluster sampling approach. Sub-national level data covering urban and rural areas were used for this study consists of 25,067 children less than 5 year’s ages, from nine administrative divisions and 36 districts of Punjab province of Pakistan. Descriptive statistics and multilevel hierarchical models were estimated. Multilevel data analyses have an advantage because it provides robust standard error estimates and helps in finding variation in the data at various levels. Results Punjab has a stunting prevalence of about 27% moderately and 10% severely stunted children of less than 5 years. The results depict that increasing the age of the child, increasing birth order, illiterate mothers and fathers, lack of sanitation facilities and being poor are associated significantly with the likelihood of moderate and severe stunting. Surprisingly, there is a gender bias in stunting in Punjab, Pakistan and being a girl child is more likely associated with moderate and severe stunting, which shows the patriarchal nature of the society and a substantial prevalence of gender bias in household resource allocations. Conclusion This outcome of our analysis points towards targeting not only households (focus on girls) but also their families and communities.

In the estimation of demand functions for energy resources, parametric econometric models of energy demand are commonly used to predict future energy needs. The functional forms commonly assumed in parametric energy demand models include linear functional forms, log-linear forms, trans-log models, and an almost ideal demand system. It is frequently debated which is the "best" functional form to employ in order to accurately represent the underlying relationships between the demand for various energy resources and explanatory variables such as energy prices, income, and other demographic factors. The study has focused on developing proper non-nested tests to compare the two demand systems, the double log model and the LA-AIDS model. C-test is used to test the validity of using the two parametric functional forms in models of residential energy demand. Cross-sectional household-level data of the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) 2013-14 and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Asia and Pacific 2018 are used. Results indicate that the LA-AIDS model is better than the double log model. The estimated elasticity of own prices, cross-prices, and income in terms of spending, family size, and equipment are particularly important to producers and policymakers in making investment and incentive choices. A significant part of the budget for families is for electricity, natural gas, firewood, and other fuels; smaller budget shares are set down to other items such as kerosene oil, cylinder gas, and diesel. Household per capita demand for energy resources will rise over the next decade; therefore, the government needs to make progress on developing energy-saving strategies. If not addressed the issue properly, we may face energy shortages and high energy import bills.

This article presents a systematic approach to formulate and experimentally validate a novel Complex Fractional Order (CFO) Linear Quadratic Integral Regulator (LQIR) design to enhance the robustness of inverted-pendulum-type robotic mechanisms against bounded exogenous disturbances. The CFO controllers, an enhanced variant of the conventional fractional-order controllers, are realised by assigning pre-calibrated complex numbers to the order of the integral and differential operators in the control law. This arrangement significantly improves the structural flexibility of the control law, and hence, subsequently strengthens its robustness against the parametric uncertainties and nonlinear disturbances encountered by the aforementioned under-actuated system. The proposed control procedure uses the ubiquitous LQIR as the baseline controller that is augmented with CFO differential and integral operators. The fractional complex orders in LQIR are calibrated offline by minimising an objective function that aims at attenuating the position-regulation error while economising the control activity. The effectiveness of the CFO-LQIR is benchmarked against its integer and fractional-order counterparts. The ability of each controller to mitigate the disturbances in inverted-pendulum-type robotic systems is rigorously tested by conducting real-time experiments on Quanser single-link rotary pendulum system. The experimental outcomes validate the superior disturbance rejection capability of the CFO-LQIR by yielding rapid transits and strong damping against disturbances while preserving the control input economy and closed-loop stability of the system.

This study aims to examine the impact of different capital ratios on Non-Performing loans, Loan Loss Reserves, and Risk-Weighted Assets by studying large commercial banks of the United States. The study employed a two-step system generalized method of movement (GMM) approach by collecting the data over the period ranging from 2002 to 2018. The study finds that using Non-Performing loans and Loan Loss Reserves as a proxy for risk, results support moral hazard hypothesis theory, whereas the results support regulatory hypothesis theory when Risk-Weighted Assets is used as a proxy for risk. The results confirm that the influence of high-quality capital on Non-Performing loans, Loan Loss Reserves, and Risk-Weighted Assets is substantial. The distinctive signs of Non-Performing loans, Loan Loss Reserves, and Risk-Weighted Assets have indications for policymakers. The results are intimate for formulating new guidelines regarding risk mitigation to recognize Non-Performing loans and Loan Loss Reserves and the Risk-Weighted Assets for better results. JEL Classification: G21, G28, G29

The study aims to investigate the effect of conventional capital ratio, risk-based capital ratio, and capital buffer ratio on commercial bank risk-taking over the period from 2002 to 2019 using a two-step GMM method. The finding reveals that there is a positive relationship between traditional capital ratio and risk-taking for the full sample results, which is supported by the regulatory hypothesis. The results are same across various categories based on capitalization and liquidity. Whereas the relationship is negative when capital is measured through risk-based capital ratio and capital buffer, the results are in line with the moral hazard hypothesis. The outcomes are consistent for all subcategories other than for well-capitalized and low liquid banks. The full sample findings are consistent when risk is proxied through loan loss provision. The impact of capital ratios on risk-taking in the pre-, pro- and post-crisis eras is heterogeneous and ‎significant. The findings have significant insights for regulators to observe the differences among pre-, pro- and post-crisis periods for the well, adequately, under, significantly under-capitalized, high and low liquid insured commercial banks of the USA.

Extensive work has been undertaken for the mass flow rate measurement of solids in a horizontal or vertical pneumatic conveying pipe. However, flow regime of the two-phase flow is highly influenced by different orientations of the pipe, resulting in different characteristics of sensor signals and hence large errors in mass flow rate measurement using conventional methods. This paper presents a novel technique to measure the mass flow rate of pneumatically conveyed particles in different pipe orientations. A range of low-cost sensors, including an array of electrostatic sensors, a differential-pressure transducer, and an accelerometer, are integrated to form a sensing unit. Data-driven models, based on support vector machine (SVM), are developed to take the selected features from post-processed sensor data and infer the mass flow rate of solids in different pipe orientations. The partial mutual information algorithm is applied to quantify the importance of each feature. The firefly algorithm is used to optimize the selection of useful features and tune the learning parameters in SVM models. Experimental tests were conducted on a pneumatic conveying test rig circulating flour over the mass flow rate of solids from 3.2 ​g/s to 35.8 ​g/s in pipe orientations from 0° to 90°. Performance comparisons are made between the conventional SVM model and the optimised SVM models with the training data from horizontal orientation and different orientations, respectively. Results demonstrate that the relative error and repeatability of the measured mass flow rate of solids with the optimized SVM model are both improved to within ±12%.

This paper aims to explore the behavior of major regulated commercial banks. The study is aimed to examine that how these banks adjust their leverage and regulatory ratios by applying a two-step GMM framework. The Utilization of asset growth facilitates well-capitalized banks to restore their intended capital ratio and under-capitalized banks use equity and earnings to achieve equilibrium. Findings showed that large commercial banks adjust their legislative capital ratio faster than leverage. The differential effect suggested that well-capitalized banks required less time to manage equilibrium than those of adequately capitalized banks. The Under-capitalized banks took more time than those of adequately capitalized banks to reach their targeted capital level. The findings also indicated that banks in the post-crisis setting adjusted their leverage level more rapidly than the pre-crisis period. The risk-based capital ratio is lower than in the pre-crisis era. Findings were obtained from the samples of different U.S. banks covering the period from 2002 to 2018. The results of this study have economic relevance for policy implications and future regulations.

This study aims to explore how different capital ratios influence the risk-taking of large commercial banks of the USA. The study collects the data from FDIC for commercial banks from 2003 to 2019. We use a two-step GMM method to manage the endogeneity, simultaneity, heteroscedasticity, and auto-correlations issue. The findings conclude that an increase in the risk-based capital ratios decreases the banks’ risks. Empirical findings demonstrated a significant and positive association between non-risk-based capital ratios and bank risk-taking. The findings also demonstrate that an increase in capital buffer ratios decreases the banks’ risks. The impact of capital ratios on risk-taking is heterogeneous for well and under-capitalized banks. The findings suggest that State-chartered member and non-member banks are inclined to take a higher risk than nationally chartered banks. The findings have implications for regulators to consider the State-chartered member, non-member, and nationally chartered banks while formulating the new guidelines for required capital ratios.

This study examines the speed of adjustment of the leverage and regulatory capital ratios between 2002 and 2018 for large commercial banks of the USA. The study applies a two-step system GMM technique to obtain the speed of adjustment. The results prove that higher-quality capital requires greater time to restore equilibrium after an economic shock. The results also show that large commercial banks adjust their regulatory ratios faster than leverage ratios. Furthermore, the speed of adjustment is heterogeneous for cross-sections. The speed of adjustment for well-capitalized banks is higher than adequately and undercapitalized commercial banks. The speed of adjustment for highly liquid is higher than low liquid banks. This study also finds the banks quickly adjust their capital before the crisis period. The heterogeneous results have implications for regulators, policymakers, and bank managers for better decision making.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by a progressive degeneration of anterior horn cells of the spinal cord resulting in hypotonia, skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness. We report the case of a 33-year-old female with SMA type IV (SMA4) who presented with symptoms of spinal cord lesion that was initially missed. Further evaluation resulted in the diagnosis of ependymoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the coexistence of SMA4 and ependymoma has been reported.

Objectives This study aims to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with underweight children under the age of 5 in Punjab, Pakistan.Design We analysed cross-sectional household-level subnationally representative Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.Settings Punjab province, Pakistan.Participants 24 042 children under 5 years of age.Data analysis Multilevel multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results Prevalence of moderately and severely underweight children was found to be (33.3% and 11.3%, respectively). Multivariate multilevel logistic regression results show that as the child grows older the likelihood of the child being underweight increases significantly (eg, children between 12 and 23 months are one and half times more likely to be underweight, whereas children between the ages of 36 and 47 months are two and a half times more likely to be underweight). Gender was found to be another significant factor contributing to underweight prevalence among children under the age of 5. The likelihood of a girl child being underweight is more than that of a boy child being underweight (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.0). Similarly, a child whose birth order is three or more is two times more likely to be underweight (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.5) relative to a child of a lower birth order. Moreover, diarrhoea also significantly increases the likelihood of the child being underweight (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.5). Child size is another determinant for underweight prevalence among children under 5, for example, a child with a size smaller than average at the time of birth is 2.7 times more likely to be moderately underweight than a child with an average or larger than average size at the time of birth.Conclusion Rigorous community-based interventions should be developed and executed throughout the province to improve this grave situation of underweight prevalence in Punjab. Mother’s education should be uplifted by providing them formal education and providing awareness about the importance of proper nutrition for children.

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of bank capital, bank liquidity level and credit risk on the profitability of commercial banks in the postcrisis period between 2011 and 2017 in Asian developed economies in comparison with the USA banking industry. The findings show that bank capital and credit risk influence profitability in Asian developed economies similar to in the USA commercial banks, whereas the impact of liquidity on the profitability of the USA large commercial banks is negative and positive on Asian developed economies commercial banks in the postcrisis era. The findings indicate that a 6% increase in capital leads to a 1% increase in profit, a 3.5% increase in liquidity leads to a 1% increase in profit. Specifically, larger banks generate 1% profit against a 1% increase in liquid assets. Medium size banks make 1% profit against a 3% increase in liquid assets, and small size banks produce 1% profit against a 7% increase in liquid assets. The findings show that liquidity influences profitability more intensively than capital, whereas the sign of coefficients is similar for large, small and medium-size banks. The results of this paper indicate that liquidity and bank capital have a positive impact on profitability, while credit risk has a negative influence on the profitability of banks. The findings of the simultaneous equations model indicate that bank capital has a positive impact on profitability in large and medium banks, whereas the profitability of banks influences the bank capital positively in case of large banks and negatively in case of medium banks.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors promoting knowledge sharing and knowledge creation in banking sector of Pakistan. With the help of literature review, we identified most important factors in knowledge sharing and knowledge creation including organizational culture, trust, motivation, employee’s attitude and socialization. The populations selected for analysis consist of (250) male and female employees of banking sector of Pakistan and response have been received from 225 respondents. The collection of data was a very difficult task and it has taken almost four months. The data were collected from the five cities of Pakistan including Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar and Lahore. The results show that all the factors have significant impact on knowledge creation and Knowledge sharing. The findings of the study also show that these factors are necessary for the promotion of knowledge creation and knowledge sharing culture in an organization. The knowledge sharing and knowledge creation are the keys for the success of an organization. A firm or an organization can sustain its competitive edge in market with the help of Knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. The final results of this study conclude that socialization factor is at top, trust factor is at second and motivational factor is at third according to the respondents’ point of view.

Immersive technology, especially virtual reality (VR), transforms education. It offers immersive and interactive learning experiences. This study presents a systematic review focusing on VR's integration with educational theories in higher education. The review evaluates the literature on VR applications combined with pedagogical frameworks. It aims to identify effective strategies for enhancing educational experiences through VR. The process involved analyzing studies about VR and educational theories, focusing on methodologies, outcomes, and effectiveness. Findings show that VR improves learning outcomes when aligned with theories such as constructivism, experiential learning, and collaborative learning. These integrations offer personalized, immersive, and interactive learning experiences. The study highlights the importance of incorporating educational principles into VR application development. It suggests a promising direction for future research and implementation in education. This approach aims to maximize VR's pedagogical value, enhancing learning outcomes across educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time data gathering, analysis, and reaction are made possible by this information and communication technology system. Data storage is also made possible by it. This is a good move since it enhances the administration and operation services essential to any city's efficient operation. The idea behind "smart cities" is that information and communication technology (ICTs) need to be included in a city's routine activities in order to gather, analyze, and store enormous amounts of data in real-time. This is helpful since it makes managing and governing urban areas easier. The "drone" or "uncrewed aerial vehicle" (UAV), which can carry out activities that ordinarily call for a human driver, serves as an example of this. UAVs could be used to integrate geospatial data, manage traffic, keep an eye on objects, and help in an emergency as part of a smart urban fabric. This study looks at the benefits and drawbacks of deploying UAVs in the conception, development, and management of smart cities. This article describes the importance and advantages of deploying UAVs in designing, developing, and maintaining in smart cities. This article overviews UAV uses types, applications, and challenges. Furthermore, we presented blockchain approaches for addressing the given problems for UAVs in smart research topics and recommendations for improving the security and privacy of UAVs in smart cities. Furthermore, we presented Blockchain approaches for addressing the given problems for UAVs in smart cities. Researcher and graduate students are audience of our article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]