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Abstract:Artificial neural networks are a promising field in medical diagnostic applications. The goal of this study is to propose a neural network for medical diagnosis. A feed-forward back propagation neural network with tan-sigmoid transfer functions is used in this paper. The dataset is obtained from UCI machine learning repository. The results of applying the proposed neural network to distinguish between healthy patients and patients with disease based upon biomedical data in all cases show the ability of the network to learn the patterns corresponding to symptoms of the person. Three cases are studied. In the diagnosis of acute nephritis disease; the percent correctly classified in the simulation sample by the feed-forward back propagation network is 100% while in the diagnosis of heart disease; the percent correctly classified in the simulation sample by the feed-forward back propagation network is approximately 88%. On the other hand, in the diagnosis of disk hernia or spondylolisthesis; the percent correctly classified in the simulation sample is approximately 82%. Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) curve are used to evaluate diagnosis for decision support.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the essential factors influencing the adoption and use of e-banking services as perceived by customers of the Jordanian commercial banks. Design/methodology/approach This paper adapts and modifies the unified theory of acceptance and use of the technology model. Modifications were made to explain intention to use e-banking services. Findings The modified model explained 0.887 of behavior intention variance and 0.516 percent of the intended degree of e-banking services use variance. Three constructs are found to be good predictors: effort expectancy (EE), social influence, and perceived e-banking services quality. Performance expectancy and hedonic motivation are not significant predictors. However, all three predictors were significantly moderated by age only. Research limitations/implications As with any research in the field of IT adoption and consumer behavior, researchers should take into consideration the generalization of their empirical findings. The generalization could be enhanced if future research uses the Jordanian baking sector which includes Jordanian and non-Jordanian banks. Finally, the current research findings are based on the cross-sectional research method. Taking this fact into consideration, the relation between intention and actual use may raise questions. One solution is to study intention and actual use at different points in time by conducting longitudinal research to access and test the research hypotheses. Practical implications Managers need to focus on promoting e-banking services in terms of consumer’s EE, social influence, and e-banking service quality. Since young consumers are early adopters, Jordanian banks need to introduce added entertainment values for youth and extra convenience for older consumers. Originality/value The main contributions revolve around developing a better understanding of the essential factors influencing the adoption and use of e-banking services. This research incorporates a new variable: perceived e-banking quality. Thus, the proposed model provides better explanatory power than previous research.

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The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between leadership styles, absorptive capacity and firm's innovation in the Jordanian Pharmaceutical sector. It is a knowledge-intensive industry and one where effective leadership has been very substantial. Findings reveal that transformational leadership style and transactional leadership style are antecedents to absorptive capacity and a firm's innovation. The results confirm a significant and direct relationship between both leadership styles and firm innovation, and indirectly through absorptive capacity. Overall, the research's findings provide valuable insights for managers to foster absorptive capacity and innovation of their firms.