Majid Amin, Fuad A. Awwad, Emad A.A. Ismail, Muhammad Ishaq, Taza Gul and Tahir Saeed Khan
(1) A mathematical model for the Hybrid nanofluids flow is used as carriers for delivering drugs. (2) The flow conditions are controlled to enable drug-loaded nanofluids to flow…
Abstract
Purpose
(1) A mathematical model for the Hybrid nanofluids flow is used as carriers for delivering drugs. (2) The flow conditions are controlled to enable drug-loaded nanofluids to flow through the smaller gap between the two tubes. (3) Hybrid nanofluids (HNFs) made from silver (Ag) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are analyzed for applications of drug delivery. (Ag) and (TiO2) (NPs) are suitable candidates for cancer treatment due to their excellent biocompatibility, high photoactivity, and low toxicity. (4) The new strategy of artificial neural networks (ANN) is used which is machine-based and more prominent in validation, and comparison with other techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
The two Tubes are settled in such a manner that the gap between them is uniform. The Control Volume Finite Element Method; Rk-4 and Artificial Neural Network (ANN).
Findings
(1) From the obtained results it is observed that the dispersion and distribution of drug-loaded nanoparticles within the body will be improved by the convective motion caused by hybrid nanofluids. The effectiveness and uniformity of drug delivery to target tissues or organs is improved based on the uniform flow and uniform gap. (2) The targeting efficiency of nanofluids is further improved with the addition of the magnetic field. (3) The size of the cylinders, and flow rate, are considered uniform to optimize the drug delivery.
Research limitations/implications
(1)The flow phenomena is considered laminar, one can use the same idea through a turbulent flow case. (2) The gap is considered uniform and will be interesting if someone extends the idea as non-uniform.
Practical implications
(1) To deliver drugs to the targeted area, a suitable mathematical model is required. (2) The analysis of hybrid nanofluids (HNFs) derived from silver (Ag) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles is conducted for the purpose of drug delivery. The biocompatibility, high photoactivity, and low toxicity of (Ag) and (TiO2) (NPs) make them ideal candidates for cancer treatment. (3) Machine-based artificial neural networks (ANN) have a new strategy that is more prominent in validation compared to other techniques.
Social implications
The drug delivery model is a useful strategy for new researchers. (1) They can extend this idea using a non-uniform gap. (2) The flow is considered uniform, the new researchers can extend the idea using a turbulent case. (3) Other hybrid nanofluids flow, in the same model for other industrial usages are possible.
Originality/value
All the obtained results are new. The experimental thermophysical results are used from the existing literature and references are provided.
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Faheem Ahmad Khan, Maria Ahmad and Tahir Saeed
This study aims to investigate the direct effect of the behavior-based sales control system on job outcomes: salesperson’s performance and turnover intentions. The current study…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the direct effect of the behavior-based sales control system on job outcomes: salesperson’s performance and turnover intentions. The current study also intends to integrate these two streams by conceptualizing work engagement as a mediating variable between behavior-based sales control systems and salespersons’ job outcomes in the pharmaceutical sales context.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through multi-stage stratified random sampling from a sample of 619 salespersons working in 20 pharmaceutical firms (multinational and national) through self-administered questionnaires.
Findings
The structural equation model yielded results indicating that the behavior-based sales control system was positively related to salespersons’ work engagement and negatively to turnover intentions while the relationship between the behavior-based sales control system and salespersons’ job outcomes was mediated by work engagement.
Originality/value
Two relatively separate lines of investigation have appeared in academic literature. The first line centered on sales force control systems and salespersons’ related consequences, whereas the second line of investigation emphasizes work engagement and its consequences. Although both lines are important, a diminutive research effort has been made to join these two different lines of investigation in sales management, specifically, in the pharmaceutical context. Focusing on this, the current research explores the role of an unexplored construct of work engagement in a pharmaceutical sales context. Second, it addresses the need to identify additional mediating variables to clarify the inconsistent relationship between sales control systems and job outcomes, such as job performance and turnover intentions.
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Rubina Begum, Fahad Riaz Choudhry, Tahir Mehmood Khan, Faizah Safina Bakrin, Yaser Mohammed Al-Worafi and Khadeeja Munawar
The term “Mental health literacy” is defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention. The importance of health…
Abstract
Purpose
The term “Mental health literacy” is defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention. The importance of health literacy for physical health is widely studied; however, the area of mental health literacy in Pakistan has been comparatively neglected. The purpose of this paper is to address the knowledge about mental health in people living in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
Relevant literature relating to mental health literacy was identified through various database searches. The databases searched included: PubMed, Cochrane database of Systemic Reviews, PsycINFO using the terms mental health, mental health literacy, mental health education, Pakistan.
Findings
Literature suggests that there is dearth of knowledge about mental illnesses and their treatment among public. This review also highlights the importance of mental health literacy among professionals working in the field of health care. In Pakistan, due to low literacy rate, a high percentage of poverty and dearth of trained professionals warrants an emendation in approaches established for attaining the goal of public health and psychiatric care.
Practical implications
Findings have implications for practitioners in the field of mental health care as well as designing targeted interventions for enhancing mental health literacy and help-seeking behavior in the future.
Originality/value
A limited understanding and lack of improvement in mental health literacy may interfere with society’s acceptance of evidence-based mental health care which may hamper the delivery of adequate mental health services to the needy.
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Umair Ahmed, Muhammad Saeed and Shah Jamal Alam
This paper aims to explore the use and impact of social media, specifically Twitter (now X), in political mobilization in Pakistan. It focuses on the events followed by the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the use and impact of social media, specifically Twitter (now X), in political mobilization in Pakistan. It focuses on the events followed by the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister in April 2022 and the protest campaign that ensued, facilitated through the strategic use of the Urdu hashtag #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور (translated as “imported-government unacceptable”) on Twitter, both within and outside Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Web scraping, data from Twitter was extracted and analyzed between 2022 and 2023. By probing into user account profiles and interactions with this hashtag, this paper investigates the claims surrounding the hashtag’s popularity, by identifying suspicious accounts and their contributions in the trending of the hashtag.
Findings
Findings suggest that the claim of the hashtag's unprecedented success was overhyped, further suggesting that the popularity and impact of the social media campaign were exaggerated. Despite high engagement rates, the study indicates a discrepancy between perceived influence and actual impact on public sentiment and political mobilization.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature on social media’s role in political mobilization and agenda-setting in the Pakistani context. More generally, understanding hashtag dynamics and their impact on shaping public opinion, may be beneficial to academics and practitioners in better understanding the role of digital platforms in the politics.
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Muhammad Mumtaz Khan, Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik, Syed Saad Ahmed and Tahir Islam
This study aims to unfurl the mediating role of facets of voice behavior. The study also unearths the relationship between servant leadership and voice behavior.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to unfurl the mediating role of facets of voice behavior. The study also unearths the relationship between servant leadership and voice behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected from follower manager dyads in two waves of data collection initiated after the completion of the preceding wave. The final sample size obtained was 312.
Findings
The study found servant leadership to be related to innovative work behavior and facets of voice behavior. The study also found promotive voice behavior and preventive voice behavior to be related to the innovative work behavior of employees. The study found promotive voice behavior and prohibitive voice behavior work as parallel mediators linking servant leadership to the innovative work behavior of employees.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to unearth mediation linking servant leadership to innovative work behavior through both facets of voice behavior.
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Muhammad Farooq, Imran Khan, Qadri Al Jabri and Muhammad Tahir Khan
The study hypothesized that the impact of board diversity on financial distress (FD) is not direct but rather mediated by the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR…
Abstract
Purpose
The study hypothesized that the impact of board diversity on financial distress (FD) is not direct but rather mediated by the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of CSR as a mediator in the board diversity–FD relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examined six board diversity dimensions – age, gender, nationality, education and tenure in 81 nonfinancial Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)-listed firms from 2010 to 2021. The CSR engagement of the sample firms is evaluated using a multidimensional financial approach and the likelihood of FD is computed using Altman’s Z-score. The system-generalized method of moments estimator is used to meet the study objectives. In addition, several tests are run to determine the robustness of the study’s findings.
Findings
Based on the procedure for mediation analysis outlined by Baron and Kenny (1986), the authors found that CSR is significantly inversely associated with the likelihood of FD. Second, board diversity variables age, gender and national diversity were positively associated with CSR. Third, board age, gender and national diversity are significantly inversely related to FD. Finally, it was found that there is partial mediation between board age diversity and FD, whereas full mediation is shown between board age diversity and FD and between board nationality diversity and FD.
Practical implications
This study provides practical insights into PSX’s board diversity for companies, regulators and policymakers.
Originality/value
This research studies the connection between board diversity and FD. In addition, the current study extended the analysis by testing for the first time the mediating role of CSR in the diversity–distress relationship, particularly in the context of an emerging economy.
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Muhamad Umar Mai, Tjetjep Djuwarsa and Setiawan Setiawan
This study attempts to examine the relationship between board characteristics and dividend payout decisions of conventional and Islamic banks.
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to examine the relationship between board characteristics and dividend payout decisions of conventional and Islamic banks.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed unbalanced panel data of both Indonesian conventional and Islamic banks over the period 2008–2021, estimated using tobit and logit models. Dividend payout decisions were measured using the dividend payout ratio and probability to pay dividends. Meanwhile, board characteristics were represented by board size, board independence, board gender diversity, board meeting, board chairman tenure and board chairman tenure.
Findings
The results show that, in the context of conventional banks, board meetings, board chairman tenure and board chairman tenure are correlated with higher dividend payout decisions, while board gender diversity indicates lower dividend payout decisions. On the other hand, in the context of Islamic banks, board size and board meetings are associated with higher dividend payout decisions, while board independence and board chairman tenure are related to lower dividend payout decisions.
Research limitations/implications
This study fills the gaps in the literature on bank dividend policy. It also provides additional insights regarding the relationship between board characteristics and dividend payout decisions in the context of conventional and Islamic banks. In addition, this study gives essential contributions to regulators and investors of both banks, especially in a developing country, Indonesia.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to provide empirical results regarding the relationship between board characteristics and dividend payout decisions of conventional and Islamic banks. Board characteristics are indicated as one of the fundamental factors that determine dividend payout decisions of both conventional and Islamic banks in Indonesia.
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Amer Sohail, Zohaib Butt, Affaf Asghar Butt and Aamer Shahzad
This study examines the effect of business group affiliations on corporate cash holdings and how political connectedness modifies the relationship between business group…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the effect of business group affiliations on corporate cash holdings and how political connectedness modifies the relationship between business group affiliations and corporate cash holdings.
Design/methodology/approach
The multiple ordinary least square regression with year dummies is used to estimate the effect of business groups on cash holdings. For moderating, the multiplicative term is used. The data from 252 non-financial firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange were collected for the analysis from 2010 to 2018.
Findings
The findings show that business group affiliations negatively affect corporate cash holdings, and political connection positively moderates this relationship. Business group firms that are politically connected hold less cash. The firm-specific factors such as leverage, size, cash flow, and dividend dummy also significantly affect corporate cash holdings.
Practical implications
The results imply that affiliated companies have lessened financing frictions and improved stability in their expected future cash flows. Moreover, the results indicate that political connection minimizes the opportunity and agency costs linked to cash holdings.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the moderating role of political affiliations on the relationship between business groups and cash holdings in the emerging market.
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Munawar Abbas, Farhan Saeed, Muhammad Umair Arshad, Muhammad Tahir Nadeem, Huma Bader-Ul-Ain, Zohaib Hassan and Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria
This paper aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia, i.e. decrease in platelet count.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia, i.e. decrease in platelet count.
Design/methodology/approach
Male Sprague Dawley rats were used to evaluate therapeutic potential of apple extracts. Diets enriched with apple fruit and seed’s ethanolic extract were provided to normal and KBrO3-induced thrombocytopenic rats for 60 days. KBrO3 was administered at level of 85 mg/Kg of body weight of rats to intentionally decrease the platelet count. Platelet count and other hematological parameters were monitored at monthly intervals to evaluate therapeutic effect of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia.
Findings
The results of current research portrayed that both apple seed and fruit extracts enriched diets increased the platelet count significantly (p < 0.05) in thrombocytopenic rats. It was observed that apple fruit extract-enriched diet (AFE) raised the platelet count to 14.72 and 33.07 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Apple seed extract-enriched diet (ASE) raised the platelet count to 11.08 and 32.90 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Other hematological parameters including white blood cells, red blood cells and hemoglobin were also significantly increased.
Originality/value
Thrombocytopenia is uprising problem in developing world including India and Pakistan accompanied by different diseases especially dengue and related complications. Because of questioning on therapies against thrombocytopenia, research on diet-based therapies, as a substitute to synthetic one, is increasing. Diet rich in antioxidant compounds including apple fruit and seeds are the limelight of manuscript.
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The existing literature asserted that the Islamic banking industry progress significantly, but it has increasingly found asset deficient which assaulted the performance of Islamic…
Abstract
Purpose
The existing literature asserted that the Islamic banking industry progress significantly, but it has increasingly found asset deficient which assaulted the performance of Islamic banks (IBs). The aim of this study to examine the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) on the relationship between corporate governance (CG) mechanisms and IBs performance is examined (ATO, NPM).
Design/methodology/approach
A panel sample of 129 IBs is drawn from the 29 organisation of Islamic cooperation (OIC) countries from 2008 to 2017. Two-step system generalized method of moments (2SYS-GMM) was used to account for the unobserved endogeneity and heteroscedasticity problem.
Findings
The empirical findings demonstrate that there is a significant impact of the CG mechanism on IC. Moreover, the empirical findings indicate that CG has a direct influence on banking performance but it affects indirectly through IC. IC also appears to have a mediation role in the relationship between the CG mechanism and the performance of IBs.
Research limitations/implications
As the empirical research on IC from CG point of view in Islamic banking is generally new in the banking literature, the output of this research will contribute to the building up of empirical framework and practices regarding IC in the Islamic banking industry by using the resource-based theory as a leading theory and agency theory as a sub theory. It is anticipated that this study provided a superior comprehensive discussion of the IC in IBs across OIC countries which discovers the CG mechanism to influence the IC to improve banking performance.
Practical implications
This study offers useful insights to the regulators and practitioners to draw the rules and regulations in improving the CG mechanism and the effectiveness of internal controls by acknowledging the importance of IC in Islamic banking institutions. Particularly, the findings of this study may be of benefit to bankers to efficiently use the IC as a premise to design new and creative strategies to achieve a competitive advantage in the banking industry.
Originality/value
The study is unique in its nature because it presents a successful model for IBs to concentrate more on the role of IC in enhancing banking performance, which might be used by the banks to rearrange the roles within CG, to place their priorities regarding the internal governance system and financial plans for competency enhancement.