| 1. |
- Zaman, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Application of Nanoprecipitation Technique to Develop Poloxamer-407 Facilitated Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for the Controlled Delivery of Tacrolimus
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Polymer Science. - : HINDAWI LTD. - 1687-9422 .- 1687-9430. ; 2023
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Currently, the solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are utilized as a novel approach for the controlled drug delivery system (CDDS). Tacrolimus (TCM), a lipophilic drug, can easily be encapsulated in the hydrophobic core of these SLNs using nanoprecipitation technique. The current aim was to develop the controlled release Poloxamer (PLX) facilitated TCM loaded SLNs (PLX/TCM-SLNs), followed by their physicochemical evaluations, including chemical compatibility, particle size, surface charge, surface morphology, nature of SLNs, loading efficiency (LE), entrapment efficiency (EE), in vitro drug release studies, release kinetic modeling, and statistical evaluation. Here we also evaluate physicochemical properties of TCM and investigate solubility profile for improvement and dissolution rate of PLX/TCM-SLNs. PLX was used in the process as a polymer due to its low toxicity and weak immunogenic properties. The prepared formulation was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has confirmed the compatibility of the selected ingredients, whereas particle size analysis showed that prepared PLX/TCM-SLNs were of nanosized (120:6 +/- 9nm) having zeta potential of - 21.3 Mv. On the other hand, SEM had revealed the smooth and uniform surface of the particle, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the uniform surface as crystalline structure of TCM in PLX/TCM-SLNs masked. A satisfactory level of EE (94:5 +/- 2:74%) has also been noticed. Furthermore, in vitro drug release studies have explored the controlled release of drug during 8 hours, following zero order release kinetics and diffusion type of release mechanism. Outcomes of the studies have advocated the successful preparation of SLNs, as controlled release PLX/TCM-SLNs have been prepared efficiently.
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| 2. |
- Zaman, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Fabrication of PEGylated Chitosan Nanoparticles Containing Tenofovir Alafenamide : Synthesis and Characterization
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 27:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is an antiretroviral (ARV) drug that is used for the management and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The clinical availability of ARV delivery systems that provide long-lasting protection against HIV transmission is lacking. There is a dire need to formulate nanocarrier systems that can help in revolutionizing the way to fight against HIV/AIDS. Here, we aimed to synthesize a polymer using chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) by the PEGylation of chitosan at the hydroxyl group. After successful modification and confirmation by FTIR, XRD, and SEM, TAF-loaded PEGylated chitosan nanoparticles were prepared and analyzed for their particle size, zeta potential, morphology, crystallinity, chemical interactions, entrapment efficacy, drug loading, in vitro drug release, and release kinetic modeling. The fabricated nanoparticles were found to be in a nanosized range (219.6 nm), with similar to 90% entrapment efficacy, similar to 14% drug loading, and a spherical uniform distribution. The FTIR analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of PEGylated chitosan and nanoparticles. The in vitro analysis showed similar to 60% of the drug was released from the PEGylated polymeric reservoir system within 48 h at pH 7.4. The drug release kinetics were depicted by the Korsmeyer-Peppas release model with thermodynamically nonspontaneous drug release. Conclusively, PEGylated chitosan has the potential to deliver TAF from a nanocarrier system, and in the future, cytotoxicity and in vivo studies can be performed to further authenticate the synthesized polymer.
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| 3. |
- Ahmad, Naveed, et al.
(författare)
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Csr communication through social media : A litmus test for banking consumers’ loyalty
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainability (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 13:4, s. 1-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prior literature in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has largely focused on investigating its relationship with organizational-related outcomes, whereas the impact of CSR on consumer behavior is largely ignored in the recent literature. Further, most of the prior studies have investigated CSR with a philanthropic viewpoint, but its importance in achieving marketing-related outcomes is something that is to date, underexplored. Hence, the aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of CSR communication through social media on consumer loyalty with the mediating effect of consumers’ brand admiration in the banking sector of Pakistan. The banking sector was selected due to the reason that this sector is homogenized in nature and creating consumers’ loyalty due to this homogenized character of this sector is challenging. The data of the present study were collected from different banking consumers through an adapted questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale. A total of 448 fully filled questionnaires were received which included 289 male and 159 female banking consumers. The results of the present study revealed that CSR communications through social media have a positive impact on consumer loyalty, and consum-ers’ brand admiration partially mediates this relationship. The findings of the present study would help policymakers from banking institutions to use CSR strategy from the perspective of marketing which is undoubtedly very important for every organization in the current digital age.
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| 4. |
- Irshad, Muneeb, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of BaCo0.Fe-4(0).4Zr0.2-xNixO3-delta perovskite cathode using nickel as a sintering aid for IT-SOFC
- 2021
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2046-2069. ; 11:24, s. 14475-14483
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this research work, BaCo0.Fe-4(0).4Zr0.2-xNixO3-delta (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) perovskite cathode material for IT-SOFC is synthesized successfully using a combustion method and sintered at low temperature. The effects of nickel as a sintering aid on the properties of BaCo0.Fe-4(0).Zr-4(0).O-2(3-delta) are investigated through different characterization methods. The addition of nickel increased the densification and grain growth at a lower sintering temperature 1200 degrees C. XRD analysis confirms a single phase of BaCo0.Fe-4(0).Zr-4(0).O-2(3-delta), and an increase in crystalline size is observed. SEM micrographs show formation of dense microstructure with increased nickel concentration. TGA analysis revealed that BaCo0.Fe-4(0).4Zr0.2-xNix cathode materials are thermally stable within the SOFC temperature range, and negligible weight loss of 2.3% is observed. The bonds of hydroxyl groups and metal oxides are confirmed for all samples through FTIR analysis. The highest electrical properties are observed for BaCo0.Fe-4(0).4Zr0.2-xNix (x = 0.04) due to increased densification and electronic defects compared to other compositions. The maximum power density of 0.47 W cm(-2) is obtained for a cell having cathode material BaCo0.Fe-4(0).4Zr0.2-xNix (x = 0.02) owing to its permeable and well-connected structure compared to others.
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| 5. |
- Mallhi, Tauqeer Hussain, et al.
(författare)
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Mental Health and Coping Strategies among University Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Cross-Sectional Analysis from Saudi Arabia
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 15:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among faculty and staff at a Saudi Arabian university. A web-based self-administered survey was used to assess probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and coping strategies by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Brief-COPE scale, respectively. Of 502 participants (mean age 36.04 +/- 10.32 years, male: 66.3%), 24.1% (GAD-7 >= 10) had probable anxiety. Anxiety score was significantly higher in females (p < 0.001), those with a history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.036), and participants with less work experience (p = 0.019). Approximately 40% of participants met the criteria of probable depression, with females (p < 0.001) and participants with less experience having more depressive symptoms. Around one-fourth (27.7%) of study participants indicated probable PTSD (score +/- 33), with higher symptoms in females (p <0.001), less experienced staff (p < 0.00 1), and academic staff (p = 0.006). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r = 0.844, p < 0.001), anxiety and PTSD (r = 0.650, p < 0.001), and depression and PTSD (r = 0.676, p < 0.001). Active coping, religious/spiritual coping, and acceptance were common coping strategies, while substance use was the least adopted coping method among the study participants. This study indicated a high prevalence of probable psychological ailments among university staff.
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| 6. |
- Naveed, Muhammad Hamza, et al.
(författare)
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Cellulosic biomass fermentation for biofuel production : Review of artificial intelligence approaches
- 2024
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Ingår i: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1364-0321 .- 1879-0690. ; 189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scarcity in fossil fuel reserves and their environmental impacts has forced the world towards the production of clean and environment-friendly fuels called biofuels. This review focuses on the importance of different machine learning models and optimization techniques to simulate and optimize process conditions, yield and parameters in the fermentation of cellulosic biomass from fifty recent studies. The superiority of ML models, especially ANN dominance in 70 % of studies with highest coefficient of regression over conventional techniques in the production of bioethanol and biohydrogen is comprehensively reviewed. Research gaps and studies directed toward the usage of most optimum ML models in future are directed after the sensitivity analysis with 5 % variation that suggest the stability of ML models. It is intended to spur further investigation into the development and use of ML models combined with optimization methods and CFD in the fermentation process to produce bioethanol and biohydrogen.
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| 7. |
- Sarfraz, Amina, et al.
(författare)
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Catalytic Effect of Silicon Carbide on the Composite Anode of Fuel Cells
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Energy Materials. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2574-0962. ; 4:7, s. 6436-6444
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High efficiency, fuel flexibility, and sustainable energy conversion make fuel cells attractive compared to conventional energy systems. The direct ethanol fuel cells have attracted much attention because of the direct utilization of ethanol fuel. Anode materials are required to enhance the catalytic activity of the liquid fuel, which oxidize the fuel at lower operating temperature. Therefore, the catalytic effect using silicon carbide has been investigated in the LiNiO2-delta anode. The material has been characterized, and it is found that SiC shows a cubic structure and LiNiO2-delta exhibits a hexagonal structure, while the LiNiO2-delta-SiC composite exhibits a mixed cubic and hexagonal phase. Scanning electron microscopy depicts that the material is porous. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows the presence of Si-O-Si, Si-C, C=O, and Si-OH bonding. The LiNiO2-delta-SiC composite (1:0.3) exhibited a maximum electrical conductivity of 1.34 S cm(-1) at 650 degrees C with an electrical band gap of 0.84 eV. The fabricated cell with the LiNiO2-delta-SiC anode exhibits a power density of 0.20 W cm(-2) at 650 degrees C with liquid ethanol fuel. The results show that there is a promising catalytic activity of SiC in the fuel cell anode.
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| 8. |
- Ahmed, Saad, et al.
(författare)
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Demystifying Energy Consumption Dynamics in Transiently Powered Computers
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems. - : Association for Computing Machinery. - 1539-9087 .- 1558-3465. ; 19:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transiently powered computers (TPCs) form the foundation of the battery-less Internet of Things, using energy harvesting and small capacitors to power their operation. This kind of power supply is characterized by extreme variations in supply voltage, as capacitors charge when harvesting energy and discharge when computing. We experimentally find that these variations cause marked fluctuations in clock speed and power consumption. Such a deceptively minor observation is overlooked in existing literature. Systems are thus designed and parameterized in overly conservative ways, missing on a number of optimizations.We rather demonstrate that it is possible to accurately model and concretely capitalize on these fluctuations. We derive an energy model as a function of supply voltage and prove its use in two settings. First, we develop EPIC, a compile-time energy analysis tool. We use it to substitute for the constant power assumption in existing analysis techniques, giving programmers accurate information on worst-case energy consumption of programs. When using EPIC with existing TPC system support, run-time energy efficiency drastically improves, eventually leading up to a 350% speedup in the time to complete a fixed workload. Further, when using EPIC with existing debugging tools, it avoids unnecessary program changes that hurt energy efficiency. Next, we extend the MSPsim emulator and explore its use in parameterizing a different TPC system support. The improvements in energy efficiency yield up to more than 1000% time speedup to complete a fixed workload.
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| 9. |
- Akbar, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of sintering temperature on properties of LiNiCuZn-Oxide: a potential anode for solid oxide fuel cell
- 2019
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Ingår i: Materials Research Express. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 2053-1591. ; 6:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crystal structure and surface morphology play vital role in the performance of Solid Oxide Fuel cells (SOFCs) anode. Sufficient electrocatalytic activity and high conductivity are the key requirements for anode to enhance the electrochemical capability. In current work, sintering temperature effects are investigated on the properties of advanced LiNiCuZn-Oxide based electrode for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The powders were prepared by simple solid-state reaction method was followed by sintering at different temperatures (700 degrees C-1200 degrees C). Moreover, various characterization techniques have been employed to investigate the sintering temperatures effects on the crystallite size, morphology, particle size, energy band gap and absorption peaks. The energy gap (Eg) was observed to increase from 2.94 eV to 3.32 eV and dc conductivity decreased from 9.084 Scm(-1) to 0.46 Scm(-1) by increasing sintering temperature from 700 degrees C to 1200 degrees C. Additionally, the best fuel cell performance of 0.90 Wcm(-2) was achieved for LiNiCuZn-Oxide sintered at 700 degrees C using H-2/air as a fuel and oxidant and it decreased to 0.17 Wcm(-2) for powders sintered at 1200 degrees C. Based on these results, we can conclude that 700 degrees C is the best optimum temperature for these chemical compositions, where all parameters of electrode are as per SOFCs requirement.
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| 10. |
- Amin, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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New ridge estimators in the inverse Gaussian regression : Monte Carlo simulation and application to chemical data
- 2022
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Ingår i: Communications in statistics. Simulation and computation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0361-0918 .- 1532-4141. ; 51:10, s. 6170-6187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In numerous application areas, when the response variable is continuous, positively skewed, and well fitted to the inverse Gaussian distribution, the inverse Gaussian regression model (IGRM) is an effective approach in such scenarios. The problem of multicollinearity is very common in several application areas like chemometrics, biology, finance, and so forth. The effects of multicollinearity can be reduced using the ridge estimator. This research proposes new ridge estimators to address the issue of multicollinearity in the IGRM. The performance of the new estimators is compared with the maximum likelihood estimator and some other existing estimators. The mean square error is used as a performance evaluation criterion. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to assess the performance of the new ridge estimators based on the minimum mean square error criterion. The Monte Carlo simulation results show that the performance of the proposed estimators is better than the available methods. The comparison of proposed ridge estimators is also evaluated using two real chemometrics applications. The results of Monte Carlo simulation and real applications confirmed the superiority of the proposed ridge estimators to other competitor methods.
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| 11. |
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Impact of substantive staging and communicative staging of sustainable servicescape on behavioral intentions of hotel customers through overall perceived image : A case of boutique hotels
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Customers have become very sensitive regarding the innovative evaluation of servicesDue to competition in the hospitality industry, it is a challenge for hotel marketers to understand customers’ behavior. There is scant research in the hotel industry of Pakistan and especially on boutique hotels. This research seeks to measure the relationship between substantive, communicative elements of the sustainable servicescape and behavioral intentions (word of mouth) in a boutique hotel setting. However, the mediating effect of the overall perceived image is examined between these constructs. Responses of boutique hotel visitors were collected from Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Murree. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results display that both substantive and communicative servicescape elements positively affect the perceived image of customers, which has a positive influence on behavioral intentions such as word of mouth (WOM)Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
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| 12. |
- Jameel, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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A novel AP4M1 mutation in autosomal recessive cerebral palsy syndrome and clinical expansion of AP-4 deficiency
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2350. ; 15, s. 133-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:Cerebral palsy (CP) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder associated with intellectual disability in one-third of cases. Recent findings support Mendelian inheritance in subgroups of patients with the disease. The purpose of this study was to identify a novel genetic cause of paraplegic CP with intellectual disability in a consanguineous Pakistani family.METHODS:We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in two brothers with CP and intellectual disability. Analysis of AP4M1 mRNA was performed using quantitative real-time PCR on total RNA from cultured fibroblasts. The brothers were investigated clinically and by MRI.RESULTS:We identified a novel homozygous AP4M1 mutation c.194_195delAT, p.Y65Ffs*50 in the affected brothers. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed markedly reduced AP4M1 mRNA levels suggesting partial non-sense mediated mRNA decay. Several clinical and MRI features were consistent with AP-4 complex deficiency. However, in contrast to previously reported cases with AP4M1 mutations our patients show an aggressive behavior and a relatively late onset of disease.CONCLUSION:This study shows an AP4M1 mutation associated with aggressive behavior in addition to mild dysmorphic features, intellectual disability, spastic paraparesis and reduced head circumference. Our findings expand the clinical spectrum associated with AP-4 complex deficiency and the study illustrates the importance of MRI and WES in the diagnosis of patients with CP and intellectual disability.
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| 13. |
- Khan, Tahir Naeem, et al.
(författare)
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Novel missense mutation in the RSPO4 gene in congenital hyponychia and evidence for a polymorphic initiation codon (p.M1l)
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2350. ; 13, s. 120-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Anonychia/hyponychia congenita is a rare autosomal recessive developmental disorder characterized by the absence (anonychia) or hypoplasia (hyponuchia) of finger- and/or toenails frequently caused by mutations in the R-spondin 4 (RSPO4) gene. Methods: Three hypo/anonychia consanguineous Pakistani families were ascertained and genotyped using microsatellite markers spanning the RSPO4 locus on chromosome 20p13. Mutation screening of the RSPO4 gene was carried out by direct sequencing of the entire coding region and all intron-exon boundaries. Results: Mutations in the RSPO4 gene were identified in all families including a novel missense mutation c.178C>T (p.R60W) and two recurrent variants c.353G>A (p.C118Y) and c.3G>A (p.M1l). The c.3G>A variant was identified in unaffected family members and a control sample in a homozygous state. Conclusions: This study raises to 17 the number of known RSPO4 mutations and further expands the molecular repertoire causing hypo/anonychia. The c.353G>A emerges as a recurrent change with a possible founder effect in the Pakistani population. Our findings suggest that c.3G>A is not sufficient to cause the disorder and could be considered a polymorphism.
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| 14. |
- Mahmood, Asif, et al.
(författare)
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Unleashing the barriers to CSR implementation in the sme sector of a developing economy : A thematic analysis approach
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainability (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 13:22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the perspective of sustainability has been a part of the academic discussion in recent years. Different studies have also highlighted the inability of the SME sector to implement a CSR plan to achieve sustainability objectives. How-ever, why this sector is unable to adopt CSR is something that has not been properly attended by contemporary scholars. Against this backdrop, the current study aims to explore the major barriers that inhibit SMEs from implementing CSR and sustainability measures. The current study data were collected from the senior management of different SMEs in Pakistan and were analyzed using thematic analysis to extract different patterns of themes. The results unveil that the “lack of finances” is the most critical barrier for CSR, followed by the “lack of CSR knowledge.” The implications for theory and practice are also discussed in detail.
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| 15. |
- Mallhi, Tauqeer Hussain, et al.
(författare)
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Estimation of Psychological Impairment and Coping Strategies during COVID-19 Pandemic among University Students in Saudi Arabia : A Large Regional Analysis
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 19:21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictive measures have substantially affected educational processes around the globe, resulting in psychological distress among students. The mental health of students in higher education is of paramount importance, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus. In this context, the evaluation of students' mental health at educational institutes has gained invaluable popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to ascertain the psychological health and coping strategies among students from a higher education institute in Saudi Arabia.Methods: An online study instrument was used to assess anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), post-traumatic stress disorder-PTSD (Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IES-R) and coping strategies (Brief-COPE). The severity of the psychological distress was classified as per the scoring criteria and correlated with demographics using appropriate statistical methods.Results: Of 1074 students (age 21.1 +/- 2.1 years), 12.9% and 9.7% had severe anxiety and depression, respectively. The mean anxiety and depression scores were 7.50 +/- 5.51 and 9.31 +/- 6.72, respectively. About one-third (32%) of students reported suicidal ideation, with 8.4% students having such thoughts nearly every day. The average PTSD score was 21.64 +/- 17.63, where avoidance scored higher (8.10 +/- 6.94) than intrusion and hyperarousal. There was no association of anxiety, depression and PTSD score with the demographics of the study participants. Religious/spiritual coping (5.43 +/- 2.15) was the most adoptive coping mechanism, followed by acceptance (5.15 +/- 2.10). Male students were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with active copings, instrumental support, planning, humor, acceptance and religious coping. Substance use was the least adopted coping strategy but practiced by a considerable number of students.Conclusions: The long-lasting pandemic situation, onerous protective measures and uncertainties in educational procedures have resulted in a high prevalence of psychological ailments among university students, as indicated in this study. These findings accentuate the urgent need for telepsychiatry and appropriate population-specific mental health services to assess the extent of psychological impairment and to leverage positive coping behaviors among students.
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| 16. |
- Micah, Angela E., et al.
(författare)
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Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050
- 2021
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - : Elsevier. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 398:10308, s. 1317-1343
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$ per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached $8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total, $40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this, $13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and $1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4%) of the funds focused on country-level coordination and $2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7%) of COVID-19 development assistance for health went to Latin America, despite this region reporting 34.3% of total recorded COVID-19 deaths in low-income or middle-income countries in 2020. Spending on health is expected to rise to $1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 17. |
- Naveed, Khalid, et al.
(författare)
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New shrinkage parameters for the inverse Gaussian Liu regression
- 2022
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Ingår i: Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0361-0926 .- 1532-415X. ; 51:10, s. 3216-3236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the Inverse Gaussian Regression (IGR), there is a significant increase in the variance of the commonly used Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimator in the presence of multicollinearity. Alternatively, we suggested the Liu Estimator (LE) for the IGR that is the generalization of Liu. In addition, some estimation methods are proposed to estimate the optimal value of the Liu shrinkage parameter, d. We investigate the performance of these methods by means of Monte Carlo Simulation and a real-life application where Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) are considered as performance criteria. Simulation and application results show the superiority of new shrinkage parameters to the ML estimator under certain condition.
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| 18. |
- Raykova, Doroteya, et al.
(författare)
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Autosomal Recessive Transmission of a Rare KRT74 Variant Causes Hair and Nail Ectodermal Dysplasia : Allelism with Dominant Woolly Hair/Hypotrichosis
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:4, s. e93607-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pure hair and nail ectodermal dysplasia (PHNED) comprises a heterogeneous group of rare heritable disorders characterized by brittle hair, hypotrichosis, onychodystrophy and micronychia. Autosomal recessive (AR) PHNED has previously been associated with mutations in either KRT85 or HOXC13 on chromosome 12p11.1-q14.3. We investigated a consanguineous Pakistani family with AR PHNED linked to the keratin gene cluster on 12p11.1 but without detectable mutations in KRT85 and HOXC13. Whole exome sequencing of affected individuals revealed homozygosity for a rare c.821T> C variant (p.Phe274Ser) in the KRT74 gene that segregates AR PHNED in the family. The transition alters the highly conserved Phe274 residue in the coil 1B domain required for long-range dimerization of keratins, suggesting that the mutation compromises the stability of intermediate filaments. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses confirmed a strong keratin-74 expression in the nail matrix, the nail bed and the hyponychium of mouse distal digits, as well as in normal human hair follicles. Furthermore, hair follicles and epidermis of an affected family member stained negative for Keratin-74 suggesting a loss of function mechanism mediated by the Phe274Ser substitution. Our observations show for the first time that homozygosity for a KRT74 missense variant may be associated with AR PHNED. Heterozygous KRT74 mutations have previously been associated with autosomal dominant woolly hair/ hypotrichosis simplex (ADWH). Thus, our findings expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with KRT74 mutations and imply that a subtype of AR PHNED is allelic with ADWH.
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| 19. |
- Yousaf, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Electrochemical properties of Ni0.4Zn0.6 Fe2O4 and the heterostructure composites (Ni-Zn ferrite-SDC) for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Electrochimica Acta. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0013-4686 .- 1873-3859. ; 331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In solid oxide fuel cell, the redox reactions (HOR and ORR) demand good catalyst functions at the anode and cathode. Triple phase boundary (TPB) is an important mechanism to determine HOR and ORR as key factors to improve the reaction rate, charge transfer and ion diffusion processes. In the present work, Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 (Ni-Zn ferrite) and its heterostructures with Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 (SDC) are prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the phase structure and morphology of the material. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the phase of Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) and chemical states on the heterostructure surface. The electrical and conductive behaviors of synthesized samples are investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and fuel cell measurements. Unlike to conventional way, the as-prepared samples promote redox reactions from two aspects: a) as an electrolyte for ion transport; b) as a mixed conductor to extend the ionic transport on TPB region. The ionic transfer mechanism of Ni-Zn ferrite/SDC composite leads the improved fuel cell performance up to 760 mW/cm(2) at 550 degrees C. Further investigations verify the appreciable proton conduction in the prepared devices in a range of 0.012-0.048 Scm(-1).
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| 20. |
- Yu, Hua, et al.
(författare)
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A contemporary issue of micro-foundation of csr, employee pro-environmental behavior and environmental performance toward energy saving, carbon emission reduction and recycling
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The contemporary literature has largely addressed corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the macro or institutional level, whereas its effect at the micro-level is largely ignored. In addition, contemporary researchers have also ignored the importance of employee pro-environmental behavior to reduce the environmental footprint of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). With this back-ground, the present study attempts to decrease the environmental footprint of the SME sector of China by implementing CSR at the micro-level through the involvement of employees because employees spend a significant amount of their time at workplaces, and hence their environment-related behavior may significantly contribute to improve the natural environment. In this regard, here we examined the impact of the micro-foundation of CSR on SMEs' environmental performance with mediating effect of employees’ pro-environmental behavior. The data were collected from the different organizations in China. Our sample constitutes a supervisor–subordinate dyad from which we collected 562 filled questionnaires (281 from each). We used the structural equation modeling technique using AMOS software for data analysis, the results show that CSR, directly and indirectly, through employee’s pro-environmental behavior affects the environmental performance of SMEs, and employee pro-environmental behavior partially mediates this relationship. The findings of the present study are helpful for policymakers of the SME sector of China to address widespread environmental issues caused by their business operations.
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| 21. |
- Ahmad, Naveed, et al.
(författare)
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Relationship between corporate social responsibility at the micro-level and environmental performance : The mediating role of employee pro-environmental behavior and the moderating role of gender
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-5509. ; 27, s. 1138-1148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since Pakistan is vulnerable to changing climatic conditions, the country needs emergency measures at every level to mitigate their effect. Many studies have addressed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the macro or institutional level, but its effect at the micro-level is largely ignored in the contemporary literature. The present study aims at filling this gap by highlighting the role of micro-level CSR on Environmental Performance (ENP) and how it is influenced by employees’ pro-environmental (PEB) behavior and gender. This study has been carried out in the context of deteriorating environmental conditions, scarce CSR activities and a male dominant society. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire targeting the manufacturing and the service sectors of Pakistan and analyzed through the structural equation modeling technique, using AMOS and SPSS software. The results of this study confirm that micro-level CSR initiatives directly (β = 0.39⁎⁎) and indirectly (β = 0.031⁎⁎) influence the environmental performance of an organization by means of employees’ PEB. A conditional indirect gender effect on this interaction was also observed, with women (β =0.17⁎⁎) exerting a stronger effect than men (β = 0.031⁎⁎). These findings may be helpful for policymakers involved in environmental management: It is possible to reduce the environmental footprint of Pakistan's organizations by encouraging employee's PEB and particularly by actively involving women which are systematically set apart from decision making in Pakistan.
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| 22. |
- Ahmad, Naveed, et al.
(författare)
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The inter-relation of corporate social responsibility at employee level, servant leadership, and innovative work behavior in the time of crisis from the healthcare sector of pakistan
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organizational crisis can serve as a base to provide an opportunity to an organization for enhancing individuals, organizations, and communities. The healthcare sector is one of those sectors that remains under continuous pressure to provide high-quality service delivery to the patients. Hence, the requirement of innovation for this sector is huge when compared to other sectors. The majority of the previous studies have investigated the phenomenon of CSR at the employee’s level (CSR-E) to influence employee behavior positively. However, the importance of CSR-E to enhance the innovative capability of the employees at the workplace is not well-explored in extant literature. Moreover, it is not clear from previous studies how the concept of servant leadership can explain the employee’s engagement towards innovative work behavior (EIB). Thus, the current survey aims to test the relationship of CSR-E and EIB in the healthcare sector of Pakistan with the mediating effect of servant leadership. The data of the current study were obtained through a self-administered (paper-pencil) survey and they were analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The empirical results of SEM analysis revealed that CSR-E and EIB are positively related and servant leadership partially mediates this relationship. The findings of the current study will be helpful for policymakers to improve their understanding towards CSR-E to induce EIB in the time of crisis. At the same time, the current study also highlights the importance of servant leadership to the policymakers in encouraging the employees to display their innovative capability at the workplace to serve their organization during the time of crisis.
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| 23. |
- Ahmad, Naveed, et al.
(författare)
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The nexus of csr and co-creation : A roadmap towards consumer loyalty
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainability (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 13:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is regarded as an effort to be undertaken by the businesses to contribute towards society at large positively. The idea behind the concept of CSR is that businesses are required to pursue the notion of pro-social objectives along with economic objectives. Research has long established that corporate social responsibility, along with its philanthropic nature, can also produce extraordinary marketing results for businesses. The relationship between CSR and consumer loyalty is well acknowledged in extant literature. Likewise, involving consumers through co-creation in the product/service development process may provide an exciting experience to consumers, which is likely to influence their loyalty. With these arguments, the present research investigates the impact of CSR on consumer loyalty with the mediating role of co-creation in the banking sector of an emerging economy such as Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used for data analysis in the present study. The results validate that CSR improves consumer loyalty, and co-creation partially mediates this relationship. The results of the current survey will help banking institutions to identify how they can develop core strategic considerations based on CSR and co-creation.
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| 24. |
- Alonso-Fernandez, Fernando, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Writer Identification Using Microblogging Texts for Social Media Forensics
- 2021
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Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Biometrics, Behavior, and Identity Science. - Piscataway, NJ : IEEE. - 2637-6407. ; 3:3, s. 405-426
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Establishing authorship of online texts is fundamental to combat cybercrimes. Unfortunately, text length is limited on some platforms, making the challenge harder. We aim at identifying the authorship of Twitter messages limited to 140 characters. We evaluate popular stylometric features, widely used in literary analysis, and specific Twitter features like URLs, hashtags, replies or quotes. We use two databases with 93 and 3957 authors, respectively. We test varying sized author sets and varying amounts of training/test texts per author. Performance is further improved by feature combination via automatic selection. With a large amount of training Tweets (>500), a good accuracy (Rank-5>80%) is achievable with only a few dozens of test Tweets, even with several thousands of authors. With smaller sample sizes (10-20 training Tweets), the search space can be diminished by 9-15% while keeping a high chance that the correct author is retrieved among the candidates. In such cases, automatic attribution can provide significant time savings to experts in suspect search. For completeness, we report verification results. With few training/test Tweets, the EER is above 20-25%, which is reduced to < 15% if hundreds of training Tweets are available. We also quantify the computational complexity and time permanence of the employed features. © 2019 IEEE.
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| 25. |
- Amin, Fayiz, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of arch action on load-carrying capacity of double-sized industrial precast slabs: A combined numerical and experimental study
- 2024
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Ingår i: Results in Materials. - : Elsevier. - 2590-048X. ; 23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The precast industry offers slab panels of different geometries according to the field conditions. These slab panels are popular in temporary constructions and beneficial in sustainability but have some financial limitations and local constraints. For a long time, the construction industry has used the arch action method, which restricts the stresses to the compression zone in concrete members and develops the required load-carrying capacity. For the same motives, industrial buildings have preferred semi-circular precast roofs, but the morphology was not suitable. For the proposed slab in this research, firstly, the typical industrial precast slab panel was doubled in width to minimize the time and efforts required for its casting, curing, and placement. Secondly, that doubled-in-width slab was provided with the arch action to confine the stresses to compression and benefit from the section entirely. Lastly, the top of the slab was kept flat to take advantage of the roof space. All these changes aimed for structural stability, reduced material’s weight, improved load-carrying capacity, appropriate mobilization, and financial viability. A numerical approach and practical testing were adopted using the finite element modeling software, ABAQUS, to analyze load–deflection responses of both slabs through the concrete damage plasticity model. The proposed slab exhibited better performance as its capacity enhanced by about 1.5 times that of a typical slab. Although the volume of the material in the proposed slab increased slightly from 0.040 m3 to 0.045 m3, the reductions in joint filler materials, reinforcements, and efforts required for mixing and lifting machinery compensated for this increase significantly. Hence, the slab can be recommended for the industry to save the costs while taking heavier loads efficiently.
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