Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attitudes toward advertising in Brunei Darussalam

Attitudes toward advertising is an established construct in marketing. The construct has been researched mostly using the attitude theory and has been of interest to both marketing academicians and practitioners. Attitudes toward advertising have been researched with different frameworks, in different markets and for advertising in different media. However, there is limited research on consumers’ attitudes toward advertising in Asian markets. In particular, there is no study so far on attitudes toward advertising in Brunei Darussalam, an affluent but less populous South East Asian market. This paper investigates attitudes toward advertising, antecedents to attitudes toward advertising and consequent behaviors in Brunei. The framework proposed by Pollay and Mittal (1993), later further by Wolin et al. (2002) is used in this paper. Responses from the consumer surveys were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). It was found that most of the belief factors in Pollay and Mittal framework influenced attitudes toward advertising among Bruneian consumers. Overall positive attitudes toward advertising were observed, which in turn influenced advertising-related behaviors. The significance of these traits is explained based on the distinctive socio-economic environment as well as the advertising landscape of Brunei Darussalam. Understanding consumers’ attitudes toward advertising and ensuing behaviors for previously unexplored markets shall be an important initiation in improving the quality as well as productivity of advertising.
Finding order in disorder: Magnetic coupling distributions and competing anisotropies in an amorphous metal alloy

Amorphous metals have unusual magnetic properties that arise due to the disordered atomic arrangement. We show that Co x(Al70Zr30)100− x (65 < x < 92 at. %) amorphous alloys have a distribution in the local magnetic coupling and ordering temperature, which can be explained by nanoscale composition variations. We use competing anisotropies induced by the substrate and an applied field during growth to probe the Co concentration distribution. Only regions with high enough Co concentration develop a magnetic anisotropy along the magnetic field during growth, whereas regions of low Co concentration have an anisotropy dictated by the substrate. A Gaussian distribution in the Co concentration of width 5.1 at. % is obtained from the variation in anisotropy. The results demonstrate the importance of composition variations for emergent magnetic properties and have far reaching implications for the properties of disordered materials in general.
Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Sinocyclocheilus wenshanensis (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae)

Abstract Sinocyclocheilus wenshanensis is a cyprinid fish species endemic to Southwestern China. In this study, we first sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of S. wenshanensis by next-generation sequencing method. The entire length of mitogenome is 16,595 base pairs (bp), containing 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region. Its gene arrangement pattern was identical to other previously reported Sinocyclocheilus fishes. The overall base composition is 31.12% A, 16.63% G, 25.45% T, and 26.80% C, with AT content of 56.57%. Phylogenetic analysis using mitogenome of 26 Cyprinidae fishes showed that S. wenshanensis are closely related to S. aluensis and S. oxycephalus. This work would provide molecular information fundamental to future phylogenetic analyses among Sinocyclocheilus species.
Activity of ALK Inhibitors in Renal Cancer with ALK Alterations: A Systematic Review

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements (ALK-RCC) is currently considered an “emerging or provisional” tumor entity by the last World Health Organization classification published in 2016. Although several studies assessing ALK-RCC’s clinical and histological characteristics have been published in recent years, only a few publications have evaluated the activity of ALK inhibitors (ALK-i) in this subgroup of patients. Considering the well-recognized efficacy of this evolving class of targeted therapies in other ALK-positive tumors, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the reported activity of ALK-i in the ALK-RCC subtype. MEDLINE was searched from its inception to 7 January 2022 for case reports and case series on adult metastatic ALK-RCC patients treated with ALK-i whose therapeutic outcomes were available. A virtual cohort of ALK-RCC patients was created. Our results showed a favorable activity of first- and second-generation ALK-i in pretreated ALK-RCC patients in terms of either radiological response or performance status improvement. We hope that the present work will prompt the creation of large, multi-institutional clinical trials to confirm these promising early data.
Effect of Omega-3 Supplement on Oxidative Stress Markers in Brain and Heart Tissue Homogenates of Shock Induced Albino Rats

The study evaluates the effect of omega-3 supplement on oxidative stress markers in the brain and heart homogenates in male albino rats induced with shock stress using the electroconvulsive device. 25 rats weighing averagely 110g were divided into 5 groups of five rats each with different treatment regimens. Group I served as the negative control, Group II as shock control, Group III as omega-3 control, Group IV given omega-3 supplement by oral gavage method daily for the first one week and induced stress by shock for 5 days, Group V was induced stress by shock for 5 days and then administered omega-3 supplement for one week. 1 ml Omega-3 supplement equivalent to 123mg/kg body weight was given to the rats through oral gavage method. The results shows that omega-3 supplement significantly increased (P< 0.05) the superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione values while the malonaldehyde and nitric oxide values were reduced after being exposed to shock stress, then pretreatment and post treatment with omega 3 supplement in both the brain and heart tissues of the albino rats when compared to the shock control group whose values were reduced except for the value of malonaldehyde and nitric oxide which was increased. Oxidative stress is implicated in the brain homogenates than in the heart of the albino rats induced with shock stress. The study reveals that Omega-3 supplementation shows more effective protection for these organs notwithstanding the time of administration though pretreatment with omega 3 supplement shows more ameliorating effect than the post treatment. Hence intake of omega 3 might protect our organs against oxidative induced stress.
Short-Term Load Forecasting Model of Electric Vehicle Charging Load Based on MCCNN-TCN

The large fluctuations in charging loads of electric vehicles (EVs) make short-term forecasting challenging. In order to improve the short-term load forecasting performance of EV charging load, a corresponding model-based multi-channel convolutional neural network and temporal convolutional network (MCCNN-TCN) are proposed. The multi-channel convolutional neural network (MCCNN) can extract the fluctuation characteristics of EV charging load at various time scales, while the temporal convolutional network (TCN) can build a time-series dependence between the fluctuation characteristics and the forecasted load. In addition, an additional BP network maps the selected meteorological and date features into a high-dimensional feature vector, which is spliced with the output of the TCN. According to experimental results employing urban charging station load data from a city in northern China, the proposed model is more accurate than artificial neural network (ANN), long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional neural networks and long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM), and TCN models. The MCCNN-TCN model outperforms the ANN, LSTM, CNN-LSTM, and TCN by 14.09%, 25.13%, 27.32%, and 4.48%, respectively, in terms of the mean absolute percentage error.
A Numerical Simulation of an Experimental Melting Process of a Phase-Change Material without Convective Flows

The melting process of lauric acid in a square container heated from the top surface was numerically studied from an experimental case. Knowledge of this process is of special interest for computationally efficient modeling systems, such as PCM-enhanced photovoltaic panels in horizontal positions or energy storage using PCM embedded on flat surfaces. In these systems, the geometric arrangement of the PCM hinders the fluid-phase movements through natural convection, which slows the melting process and can cause overheating in the fluid phase. Using Ansys Fluent Software, three different approaches and two simulation methods, enthalpy-porosity and effective heat capacity, were developed for the numerical study. The results were compared with experimental measurements in a successful evaluation of the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics simulations. It could be observed that the effective heat capacity method presented significant advantages over the enthalpy-porosity method, since similar accuracy results were obtained, and a lower computational cost was required.
Military Spending-Household Consumption Nexus: A Heterogeneous Panel Data Approach - La relazione tra spesa militare e consumi delle fam iglie: un approccio panel data

This paper explores the relationship between milita ry spending and household consumption for a panel of fifteen African countries. Specifically, the study seeks to ascertain the substitutability or complementarity effects of military spending on household consumption using the panel Granger causality tests. The results from the unit root and cointegration tests indicate that the military spending and household consumption series have one order of integration as well as cointegrated. The Granger causality test results re veal that there is evidence of long run bidirectional causality between military spending a nd household consumption for the entire panel. The results from the Panel Dynamic OLS indic ate that military spending and household consumption positively influence each other in the long run. Taken together, the results suggest that military spending and household consumption ar e complementary. - Questo studio analizza la relazione tra la spesa mi litare e i consumi delle famiglie su un campione di quindici paesi africani. In particolare lo scopo di questo lavoro e accertare gli effetti di sostituibilita o complementarieta della spesa mi litare con i consumi delle famiglie tramite l’utilizzo di test di causalita di Granger. I risul tati dei test di radice unitaria e di cointegrazion e indicano che le serie della spesa militare e dei co nsumi delle famiglie hanno un ordine di integrazione e uno di cointegrazione. I risultati d ei test di Granger rivelano causalita bidirezionale nel lungo periodo tra spesa militare e consumi delle famiglie per tutto il panel . I risultati del test dei minimi quadrati ordinari (Pa nel Dynamic OLS) indicano che la spesa militare e i consumi delle famiglie si influenzano reciprocamente in senso posito nel lungo periodo. Considerati nel loro complesso i risultati suggeriscono che la spesa militare e i consumi delle famiglie sono complementari.
Impact of “COVID-19” Lockdown on Male Sexual Behavior in Egyptian Sample

Abstract Objective To assess the changes in the sexual behavior of Egyptian married men during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Methods In a cross-sectional study, the sexual behavior of 164 Egyptian married men was examined through an online questionnaire, designed by the authors, and uploaded to strictly male social media groups using Google Forms. The questionnaire included demographic and clinical variables about age, stress level about COVID-19, fear of infection during sexual relations and also compared sexual behavior before the COVID-19 lockdown. Results 39.17% of the sample reported decrease in sexual desire, 28.05% reported decrease in sexual frequency, 17.68% reported decrease in sexual satisfaction and 22% reported fear of infection with COVID-19 during sexual relations. Severe stress about COVID-19, increased rate of marital conflicts and fear of infection with COVID-19 during sexual relations were significantly associated with decreased sexual desire, frequency and satisfaction. Conclusions This study demonstrated severe stress about COVID-19, increased rate of marital conflict and fear of infection with COVID-19 during sexual activity, all of which were significantly associated with decreased levels of sexual desire, frequency and satisfaction respectively among married Egyptian men during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Promoting education to manage stress, decreasing marital conflicts and the correction of the mistaken belief that COVID-19 is a sexually transmitted disease is highly important to promote healthy sexual relations during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period.
Factors of E-Business Adoption in Small and Medium Enterprises: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

The research was aimed at identifying and empirically investigating the factors influencing the adoption of e-business in SMEs of Saudi Arabia. The Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework was complemented with the individual context elements to develop the conceptual model for the present study. The framework was developed based on the two-pronged strategy: an extant literature review and a focus group interview with panel of experts. Subsequently, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted, and data from 111 SMEs were collected. The researchers tested the model and related hypotheses, employing multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that the firm size, competitive pressure, entrepreneur’s innovativeness, and IT savviness significantly influence the e-business adoption in SMEs. The findings and conclusions of the study, as well the future research prospects, are discussed.
Profile Characteristics of the Farmers Followed Indigenous Agricultural Practices in Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh

The study was conducted with an Ex-post facto research design in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh to identify the profile characteristics of the farmers followed indigenous agricultural practices in major three crops (paddy, groundnut and red gram). Data were collected from a randomly selected 180 farmers from two districts i.e. Ananthapur and Kurnool of Rayalaseema region by personal interview method. The results revealed that majority of the respondents are middle aged (60.00%), illiterates (37.78%), semi-medium farmers (36.11%), had medium farming experience (52.22%) with medium family size (77.78%), family income (41.11%), extension contact (47.77%), mass media exposure (45.56%), innovativeness (41.67%), fatalism (63.89%), social participation (55.56%), achievement motivation (41.11%), scientific orientation (44.45%), economic orientation (62.22%), market orientation (59.45%) and attitude towards indigenous agricultural practices (50.56%).
The impact of menstruation on participation in adventurous activities

ABSTRACT Menstruation is a ‘taboo’ subject in many cultures and its effect on women’s participation in sport and physical culture in western societies is under-researched. This study examines the effect of menstruation and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) on habitual participants in adventurous activities through the voices of women. It transcends the social/biological divide using a theoretical framework to ascertain the personal, socio-cultural and practical constraints and enablers to participation. In a survey to explore women’s lived experiences (n = 100), 89% of respondents noted that their participation is affected by menstruation/PMS. The dominant constraints to participation in adventurous activities were related to practical challenges of hygiene and waste disposal for managing menstruation. Rich qualitative data provide evidence for the negative and emotional responses of women to ‘missing out’ on adventurous activities with the majority of concerns about their performance in socio-cultural contexts related to personal anxieties. Some women commented on their belief in being a role model in professional work encouraging open discussion around menstruation and enabling more women and girls to take part in adventurous activities. Key practical recommendations for practice are suggested in respect of provision of toilet facilities where possible and biodegradable sanitary products. Raised awareness amongst leaders and educators, particularly men is important so that they might identify strategies to manage the constraints facing women and girls and enable more inclusivity and greater participation in adventurous activities.
Culture Isolate of Rickettsia felis from a Tick

Although the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, has been identified as the primary vector of Rickettsia felis, additional flea, tick, mite, and louse species have also been associated with this bacterium by molecular means; however, the role of these arthropods in the transmission of R. felis has not been clarified. Here, we succeeded in culture isolation of R. felis from a host-seeking castor bean tick, Ixodes ricinus, the most common tick in Slovakia. The bacterial isolation was performed on XTC-2 cells at 28 °C using the shell-vial technique. An evaluation of the growth properties was performed for both the XTC-2 and Vero cell lines. We observed R. felis in the infected host cells microscopically by Gimenez staining and immunofluorescence assay. The R. felis isolate was purified by gradient ultracentrifugation and visualized by electron microscopy. Fragments of the genes gltA, ompA, ompB, htrA, rpoB, sca4, rffE, and rrs were amplified and compared with the corresponding sequences of the type strain URRWXCal2 and other R. felis culture -isolated strains. We did not detect any nucleotide polymorphisms; however, plasmid pRFδ, characteristic of the standard strain, was absent in our isolate. Herein, we describe the first successful isolation and characterization of a tick-derived R. felis strain “Danube”, obtained from an I. ricinus nymph.
Novel behavioral model in evaluating initiation and sustenance of teeth brushing behavior among students pursuing health sciences: a cross-sectional study

Background: Oral hygiene maintenance is a crucial and integral feature in determining the overall wellbeing of a person. It has been established that interventions for health promotion at the public health level derived from theoretical models based on social and behavioural sciences have a superior effectiveness as compared to the ones without a theoretical background. Hence a novel behavioral model known as the multi-theory model (MTM) was used to understand two important aspects of health behavior change: (i) Initiation and (ii) Sustenance in twice daily teeth brushing in a university setting with objectives to identify factors effecting MTM in initiation and sustenance of twice daily brushing behavior among students pursuing health sciences and correlating the MTM theory with socio-demographic and behavioral patterns. Methods: The study is an analytical cross-sectional study. Students pursuing Medicine and Dentistry in a University setting were included. A validated questionnaire was designed for this study. Questions were framed to evaluate the constructs of initiation and sustenance of MTM, personality, sleeping habits and demographic corelates of participants. Multiple means between the groups were compared using analysis of variance and a post hoc test. Correlation was established between different domains, the items were then entered for hierarchical multiple regression. Results: Of the 235 participants in the study, 229 completed the questionnaire. There was a significant association between brushing quartiles, professional streams (p<0.001) and academic performance (p<0.001). The hierarchical multiple regression revealed that at stage one, behavioral confidence contributed significantly to the regression model (F (1,227) = 33.227, p<0.001) and accounted for 12.4% of the variation in twice daily brushing. Conclusion: MTM is a good tool in predicting the initiation and sustenance of twice daily brushing behavior among young adults and can form a useful tool in assessing the patterns of brushing behavior in a population.
The ESG Reporting of EU Public Companies. Does the Company’s Capitalisation Matter?

Large companies in the European Union are required to publish information related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. The aim of our study is to determine the quality of ESG reporting in EU public companies (measured by the ESG-index) and its effect on their market capitalisation. Therefore, the results of our research will be both scientific and applicative, and they will be useful for investors when making investment decisions on the stock exchange. The research includes over 15,000 companies listed on 27 stock exchanges (in the “old” and “new” member states, EU-14 and EU-13, respectively), covering the period 2002 to 2019. The data were obtained from the Refinitiv database. We drew three conclusions after the research. Firstly, only 50% of the companies listed on the stock exchanges in the old EU member states and merely 5% of the companies from the new EU member states had reported ESG-indexes in any year of the research period. Secondly, we found a positive relationship between a company’s market capitalisation and the quality of its ESG reports. Thirdly, the market values of companies are positively but not strongly affected by the ESG-indexes.
Aloe arborescens: In Vitro Screening of Genotoxicity, Effective Inhibition of Enzyme Characteristics for Disease Etiology, and Microbiological Activity

The present study assessed the genotoxicity, the possibility of inhibiting selected enzymes, and the microbial activity of lyophilisate from 3-year-old A. arborescens leaves obtained from controlled crops. The lyophilisate from 3-year-old A. arborescens leaves was standardized for aloin A and aloenin A content. Moreover, concentrations of polyphenolic compounds and phenolic acids were determined. The first stage of the research was to determine genotoxicity using the comet test, which confirmed the safety of A. arborescens. Assays of enzymatic inhibition were performed for hyaluronidase (IC50 = 713.24 ± 41.79 µg/mL), α-glucosidase (IC50 = 598.35 ± 12.58 µg/mL), acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (1.16 vs. 0.34 µM of eserine/g d.m., respectively). The next stage of the research was to determine the ability of the healing properties using the scratch test, which showed a positive response using the extract. Microbial activity was evaluated and obtained against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and yeasts. We concluded that A. arborescens leaf gel meets the important conditions for plant raw materials to obtain semi-solid forms of herbal medicinal products.