Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat seberapa besar dampak kualitas produk, persepsi konsumen dan brand image terhadap keputusan pembelian produk endorsement pada masyarakat di Medan dengan menggunakan word of mouth sebagai variabel moderasi. Sampel penelitian ini adalah sebesar 100 orang responden dengan teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis jalur (path analysis). Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan kualitas produk, persepsi konsumen dan brand image berpengaruh terhadap keputusan pembelian produk endorsement pada masyarakat di Medan. Lebih lanjut, word of mouth tidak memoderasi kualitas produk terhadap keputusan pembelian dan juga tidak memoderasi persepsi konsumen terhadap keputusan pembelian namun word of mouth memoderasi brand image terhadap keputusan pembelian produk endorsement bagi masyarakat di Medan.
During the last two decades, the concept of Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) has been evolved to find solution to the requirement of improving mechanical properties and reducing structural weight of elemental components of aircraft structures. In this work FML is prepared using Al 2024 by placing alternately with glass/carbon/aramid Fibres. From experimental results of FML shows greater advantage in mechanical properties then aluminium monolithic layer and this composite fibre laminates individual. The FMLs tested in this work were made of 3 layers of 2024 T3 aluminium alloy 0.28 mm thickness and fibre mats. The 5-3/2 laminates of size 300x300 mm with 3 mm thick were prepared using Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding (VARTM) in cold compaction and test specimen were cut by using abrasive water jet machining as per ASTM Standards. The adhesion between fibre and metal layer will play a major role in strength of FML. By keeping this in consideration FMLs were prepared without blow holes and capable of withstanding delamination while preparing specimens through water jet and during various tests employed. The fracture surfaces of destructed specimens are studied with help Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image. Similarly, the numerical simulation of all the tests were done using Ansys APDL 10.0 Software. It is observed that aramid FML have substantially stronger in longitudinal directions. Hence, more priority given in this paper to investigate tensile strength and fatigue life of aramid FML.
The dominant sequence transduction models are based on complex recurrent or convolutional neural networks that include an encoder and a decoder. The best-performing models also connect the encoder and decoder through an attention mechanism. We propose a new simple network architecture, the Transformer, based solely on attention mechanisms, dispensing with recurrence and convolutions entirely. Experiments on two machine translation tasks show these models to be superior in quality while being more parallelizable and requiring significantly less time to train. Our model achieves 28.4 BLEU on the WMT 2014 Englishto-German translation task, improving over the existing best results, including ensembles, by over 2 BLEU. On the WMT 2014 English-to-French translation task, our model establishes a new single-model state-of-the-art BLEU score of 41.0 after training for 3.5 days on eight GPUs, a small fraction of the training costs of the best models from the literature.
Cystic fibrosis is a challenging disease which creates many complications. The impact caused from cystic fibrosis on an adolescent is a challenging phase for their lives. Negative impacts like the society’s pressure, anxiety and depression are few common reasons that are being unspoken and ignored due to complexity of the disease. This study is aimed to identify the necessary gaps and educate the necessary policy makers and CF center health care team to have a better understanding about the context of the aftermath of cystic fibrosis and enhance better patient care. More over this systematic review also points out the main trends in this field of study. Qualitative study and quantitative are prominently used research methods to gain an understanding the about the gaps in the research. However, there is still a scarcity of quantitative and mixed research methods. Furthermore, limitations such as language, cultural influences were identified whilst going through the analysis. Overall through the information given in the following in this study more information regarding that warrants answers can be identified which will lead to proper care towards the teenagers who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Learning is a conscious effort made by individuals to acquire various kinds of abilities (competencies), skills (skills), and attitudes (attitudes) through a series of learning processes that will ultimately result in behavioral changes in the individual. The learning process in schools tends to emphasize the achievement of changes in cognitive (intellectual) aspects which are carried out through various forms of approaches, strategies, and certain learning models. Learning systems that specifically develop affective abilities have received less attention, affective abilities are only used as a nurturing effect. This study aims to (1) find out whether online learning is able to bring out the affective abilities of prospective study program teachers (2) analyze the affective abilities of prospective teachers in online learning. The data used in this study is qualitative data. The technique used is a questionnaire. This questionnaire was given to respondents, namely students of PGSD teacher candidates at Muhammadiyah University of Pringsewu. The results of the study indicate that affective abilities can appear in online learning as evidenced by the results of the questionnaire that has been given to respondents. The indicators of affective ability in this study include attitudes, interests, self-concept, values, and morals, all of which are in the good range. This means that the results of students' affective abilities can be said to be valid or appear in online learning
This paper throws light on the role played by culture and traditions specifically of Hindu religion in legitimising the subordinate position of women in Indian society. Along with presenting a brief account on the status of women from ancient times to contemporary situation, the sex-gender binary has also been explored. How a child after his birth socialised to behave in a certain way on the basis of his/her sex has been noted. This process of socialisation is based on the age old customs and traditions which are discriminatory in nature. The male child is taught to be strong, dominating and aggressive in nature and henceforth assigned laborious work to do for managing the finances of house. On the other hand, female child is taught to be sensitive, loving and caring and therefore assigned to manage household work, child nurturing and motherhood related responsibilities.
Nine fruit morphological traits were studied in ten stands of Jatropha curcas spread in eight forest divisions of Uttarakhand. Variation was examined at stand level as well as at tree level. Significant differences were found among stands for fruit length, fruit diameter, pericarp weight per fruit, seed: fruit weight ratio, kernel: fruit weight ratio and pericarp: fruit weight ratio traits while all morphological traits showed significant differences among trees within stands. The estimation of the variance components, however, revealed that the fruit traits, especially weight traits viz. fruit weight, total seed weight per fruit and total kernel weight per fruit have negligible contribution from stands and small contribution from trees. Maximum variation was found among fruits within trees (i.e. at fruit level or error). Pericarp weight per fruit and fruit ratio traits (i.e. seed: fruit weight ratio, kernel: fruit weight ratio and pericarp: fruit weight ratio) were affected to small extent by stand per se. The repeatability of all fruit traits at tree level were also low to moderate (0.105 to 0.278)
Purchasing is one of the key managerial activities in every organisation, its significance having been identified during the 19th century. According to Kasilingham (2012, p.57), the period shortly before the Second World War marked the discovery of the fact that a firm’s success was not so much dependent upon what it was capable of selling but rather on how able organisations were to acquire necessary services together with materials from vendors. This discovery was triggered by a global shortage of virtually all fundamental materials for supporting operations, coupled with an abnormal rise in prices following the First World War. Since that time, purchasing has gained significance for the critical role it plays towards ensuring continuity of production (Hacioglu, 2019 p.265). Worth noting is that purchasing acts as “an interface between suppliers and functional areas within the buying organisation” (Crandall, Crandall & Chen, 2009 p.265). Among some of the functional areas that are influenced by purchasing are finance, marketing, production, and quality assurance (Magad & Amos, 2013 p.225). A vital deduction that can be made from this latter statement is that for the purchasing function to proceed smoothly and make the other functions- and the entire organisation- active, organisations must cultivate and maintain good relationships with suppliers and all other players in the supply chain. In addition, organisations operate in environments that are highly unpredictable; the techniques needed to perform the purchasing function become more refined almost every day due to constant changes in the market (Kasilingam, 2012 p.57). Subsequently, there is a need for managers in organisations to understand and embrace the idea of sustainable procurement.
Diaspora groups across the world have been known for adopting and inventing processes and forms of ‘homemaking’ in their host lands. This article brings into focus the methods of homemaking assumed by the Indo-Surinamese Hindustani diaspora in the Netherlands, which owes its origin to colonial dispersal. Considering their status as a ‘twice-migrant’ diaspora, the process may appear to be distinctly difficult for the Hindustanis, a position this article seeks to examine. The article interrogates the notion of homemaking in the case of the Hindustanis through ethnographic conversational interviews of Indo-Surinamese interlocutors—a unique perspective based on personal histories and everyday experiences.
Background: This study was conducted to determine the level of the public knowledge, attitudes and practices related to common eye diseases in the southern Indian population. Methods: A cross sectional population-based survey used a semi structured questionnaire on awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices related to eye diseases. Stratified multistage cluster random sampling method was used with a sample size of 867 adults >16 years based on, estimated awareness of cataract 70%, assuming an expected rate of 85%, design effect of 1.5, margin of error 4% with 95% confidence interval with 25% from urban areas and 75% from rural areas. A pilot study was conducted to validate the questions used in the main study. SPSS (version 19) used for analysis. Results: A total of 782/867 (90.1%) subjects participated in the survey, with females 47.4%. Awareness of major eye diseases for cataract 81.5%, glaucoma 47.8%, refractive error 74.3%, squint 89.0%, diabetic retinopathy 65.0% and age-related macular degeneration 36.7% respectively. 41.8% subjects reported wearing glasses either for distance, near or for both. Of the 777 subjects only 294 people underwent an eye examination by an ophthalmologist in the last two years (37.8%). 57.5% subjects had knowledge of the nearest eye care facility within five kilometers of their residence. Electronic media were the major source of information on eye health. Conclusions: Though the awareness levels of common eye diseases were quite high, the knowledge of cataract (10.4%) was poor. There is a need to increase the level of awareness for eye diseases like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
Worldwide, the focus on online learning during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic faced many challenges. The present study aimed to evaluate the preferences, perceptions, and attitudes of university students toward various strategies of learning. A pre-piloted cross-sectional survey was posted on the internet in Arabic and English language. Questions covered the demographical characteristics of the participants and their preferences and perceptions of various learning strategies. We received 270 questionnaires from various countries. The majority (n=199, 73.7%) of respondents were from the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with n=125 (46.3%) participants from the College of Pharmacy. The majority (n=198, 73.0%) of respondents were females, Arabs (n=262, 97.0%), living with their families (n=208, 77.0%), and with only the father working (n=174, 64.0%). Preference was, for online learning (n=145, 53.7%) as compared to in-class learning (n=119, 44.1%). More students (n=110, 40.7%) claimed improvement in their grades with online learning but 62 of students (23.0%) stated that their grades were worsened. Student’s performance in online exams was similar to that in paper exams. The majority (n=168, 62.2%) of students claimed that their overall expectations of online learning were not the same as those for in-class learning. 50.0%-60.0% of respondents believed that in-class learning allows them to learn more effectively, and achieve the best work preparation, best exam performance, and best education value, and they were more likely to recommend it. Despite the disadvantages of online learning, it remains the future strategy for higher education. Appropriate planning of courses, and helping students by reducing digital inequity, if any, would certainly prove satisfactory for the millennial generation of students
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Introduction: Study was conducted with an objective of investigating the inhibitory effect of Phaseolus lunatus seeds extract on three enzymes (α-amylase, maltase and glucoamylase) involved in diabetes. The disadvantages related to the use of synthetic drugs make it necessary to search for alternative medicines from medicinal plants. One therapeutic approach for treating postprandial hyperglycaemia is to decrease the plasma glucose level, which can be attained by lowering the starch hydrolysis by digestive enzymes such as α-amylase, maltase and glucoamylase. The use of synthetic antidiabetic agents caused gastrointestinal side effects. Methods: Hence, the research was aimed to evaluate the potential of Phaseolus lunatus seeds extract to inhibit α-amylase, maltase and glucoamylase as a possible mechanism of hypoglycemia caused by this plant with fewer side effects. Phaseolus lunatus, also known as Lima bean, is native to Tropical America and grown worldwide. Lima bean has been prescribed traditionally to treat different diseases, including diabetes. Result: The results of the present study showed that Phaseolus lunatus seeds extract has exerted both time and concentration-dependent Significant inhibitory effects on these digestive enzymes might be due to the cumulative impact of phytoconstituents in the plant extract. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be said that the part mechanisms by which Phaseolus lunatus exhibited its antidiabetic activity might be through inhibiting this digestive enzyme.
Background and Aim: Ultrasound popliteal sciatic nerve block (UPSNB) is commonly performed in foot and ankle surgery. This study aims to assess the use of dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone as adjuvants in UPSNB for hallux valgus (HV) surgery, comparing their efficacy in producing motor and sensory block and controlling postoperative pain. The adverse event rate was also evaluated. Methods: This mono-centric retrospective study included 62 adult patients undergoing HV surgery: 30 patients received lidocaine 2% 200 mg, ropivacaine 0.5% 50 mg and dexamethasone 4 mg (Group 1), whereas 32 patients received lidocaine 2% 200 mg, ropivacaine 0.5% 50 mg, and dexmedetomidine 1 mcg/Kg (Group 2). At first, the visual analogue scale (VAS) was evaluated after 48 hours. The other outcomes were time to motor block regression, evaluation of the first analgesic drug intake, analgesic effect, adverse effects (hemodynamic disorders, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)) and patient satisfaction. The continuous data were analyzed with student’s t-test and the continuous one with χ2. Statistical significance was set at a p-value lower than 0.05. Results: No significant difference was found in VAS after 48 hours (4.5 ± 1.6 vs 4.7 ± 1.7, p = 0.621) to motor block regression (18.9 ± 6.0 vs 18.7 ± 6, p = 0.922). The number of patients that took their first analgesic drug in the first 48 h (p = 0.947 at 6 hours; p = 0.421 at 12 hours; p = 0.122 at 24 hours and p = 0.333 at 48 hours) were not significant. A low and similar incidence of intraoperative hemodynamic disorders was recorded in both groups (hypotension p = 0.593; bradycardia p = 0.881). Neither PONV nor other complication was found. Patients in Group 1 reported a lower degree of interference with sleep (p = 0.001), less interference with daily activities (P = 0.002) and with the affective sphere (P = 0.015) along with a more satisfactory postoperative pain management (p < 0.001) as compared to Group 2. Conclusion: No significant differences were observed in the duration of motor and sensory blockade between patients in both groups. Additionally, both groups showed good pain control with a low rate of adverse effects, even if there was no clinical difference between the groups. However, patients who received dexamethasone reported experiencing less interference with their sleep, daily activities and overall emotional well-being, and overall pain control.
Introduction: Psilocybin mushroom use is well documented in spiritual and religious ceremonies globally. This drug is now the most popular in Europe and the USA. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the experiences and effects of psilocybin on patients with depression and anxiety. Method: A qualitative study was conducted interviewing ten participants currently taking psilocybin while experiencing depression and/or anxiety. Ethical approval was obtained from the University ethics committee. Participants were recruited via social media and groups are known to have used psilocybin for the treatment of anxiety and/or depression. Participants were informed of study aims and consent was obtained before interviews commenced. Confidentiality was maintained throughout this study. Interviews began with informing participants that psilocybin may be effective in the management of depression. Initially, information around the way treatment with psilocybin was obtained was sought. This was followed by queries around the effects of the drug in terms of experiences both during and after treatment. Finally, participants were asked to outline the positive effects of psilocybin on their lives. Results: The data were thematically coded using Grounded Theory as an underpinning philosophical paradigm. Emerging themes included enhancement of smell, vision, hearing, and taste sensations. Another theme emerging was the experience of being ‘connected with the universe’ while on the drug. Additionally, participants reported a stabilization of mood, an increase in optimism and emotional control, and a healthier emotional connection with others. Most also felt an increase in comfort, peace and calmness. Another theme that emerged centered on the mechanism of action of psilocybin. Participants stated that this substance seemed to ‘make new connections in their brain,’ resulting in new perspectives. Some participants felt this resulted in a calming influence on the mind and body. This aligns with research showing that psilocybin works by changing the thinking and improving information processing. Conclusion: Psilocybin has promising effects on the patients with depression/anxiety even after a single dose. Psilocybin is safe but the administration should be guided by a health professional to yield safe and positive outcomes.
Diabetic foot ulcers are moderately severe complications in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, with peripheral neuropathy and angiopathy often serving as risk factors. This study aimed to examine the clinical characteristics and risk factors linked to diabetic foot ulcers in type 2 diabetes mellitus individuals within the Pakistani demographic. A retrospective cross-sectional design was used, to analyze the medical files of 68 diabetic foot ulcer patients. Data were collected from the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at Chaudhary Muhammad Akram Teaching and Research Hospital, Lahore Pakistan from Sept. to Dec. 2024. Patients’ clinical profiles, including demographic data, diabetes duration, diabetes control, HbA1c levels, and the presence of comorbidities were all evaluated. Out of the 68 patients, 70.6% were male having a mean age of 55.6±11.7 years, and 55.9% had diabetes for seven years or more. With regard to clinical factors, 61.8% had peripheral neuropathy, 58.8% had hypertension, 47.1% had retinopathy, 26.5% had nephropathy, 20.6% had ischemic stroke, 8.8% had ischemic heart disease, and 2.9% had hypothyroidism, with 97.1% showing poor glycemic control. This study identified a high rate of comorbidities in patients with diabetic foot ulcers, with inadequate diabetes control being a major contributing factor. Timely detection and management of diabetes and its complications are crucial to alleviating the impact of diabetic foot ulcers.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The chosen organisation for this research work is Primark. Primark is a renowned fashion retailer operating in the global markets today. The organisation is known for its latest fashion products (Azad, 2018). Primark has been selected because it is a famous brand in the global market and has an okay -developed marketing department. Marketing is one of the most critical areas of an organisation. This is mainly because this area helps plan and implement strategies that can enhance an organisation’s sales, profits, and market share. Moreover, marketing can also ensure that customer satisfaction is high, and the positive relationships are maintained with all individuals and parties that are directly or indirectly associated with an organisation. The marketing mix of an organisation comprises of several strategies that can enhance the value to its customers. Following tasks will further elaborate about marketing and its core concepts -
Background: Perinatal mortality remains high in developing countries, including Yemen. However, information on perinatal mortality in Yemen is lacking. This study aimed to find out the perinatal mortality rate in Aden General Hospital and to analyze the causes of perinatal mortality. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Aden General Hospital during the period from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. It was a retrospective study for the first 6 months (January–June 2003) and prospective for the remaining period (July 2003–June 2004). Results: During the study period from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004, there were a total of 3770 births at Aden General Hospital, out of which there were 2976 births during the period from January to December 2003 and a further 794 births in the 6-month period from January to June 2004. The perinatal deaths were 166 (4.4%) giving a perinatal mortality rate of 44/1000 normal deliveries. Further analysis showed a total of 105 perinatal deaths in 2003 with a perinatal mortality rate of 35.3/1000 normal deliveries and 61 deaths in the period from January to June 2004 with a rate of 77/1000 normal deliveries. Unclassified deaths including premature cases accounted for 29% (n=48) of all causes, followed by mechanical causes 36 (21.7%). The mechanical causes are divided as follows, 33 (19. 9%) due to fetal distress and 3 (1.8%) due to breech presentation. Uncertain origin causes accounted for 19.3% (n=32) of all cases of death and toxemia was observed in 16 cases (9.6%), while malformation was found in 13 (7.8%) cases. Conclusion: The perinatal mortality rate in our center was 44/1000 deliveries. The major cause of perinatal mortality was prematurity, followed by mechanical causes. The most of the mortalities occurred outside the health facilities (extra-hospital).
Assessing students' progress in introductory programming courses is crucial for identifying learning gaps and improving teaching methods. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Moodle-based tests with randomized questions in monitoring student progress in C programming courses at J. Selye University during the 2023/24 academic year. A series of ten tests were administered across two courses, covering essential programming topics such as data types, variables, conditional statements, loops, two-and three-dimensional arrays, recursion, and sorting algorithms. The results revealed significant variations in student performance, with recursion and the pretest/posttest loops presenting the greatest challenges. The correlation analysis of test scores showed strong relationships among related topics, confirming the structured progression of the curriculum. These findings suggest that Moodle-based assessments offer valuable insights into students' learning trajectories, enabling educators to adapt their instructional strategies accordingly. Such insights can help optimize introductory programming curricula, enhancing student engagement and understanding.
The space-time dynamics of chlorophyll a concentration and seawater excess viscosity has been investigated in the hydrographically contrasting inshore and offshore water masses of the eastern English Channel. This was done during the phytoplankton spring bloom dominated by Phaeocystis globosa before and after the very large-scale formation of foam induced by an increase in wind-driven turbulence and the related wave breakings. The results suggest that the dynamics of chlorophyll a concentration and seawater excess viscosity are differentially controlled by the formation of foam through the intensity of the spring bloom and wind-generated turbulence.
With 450 questionnaires, the authors used SPSS software to analyze and found that the researched factors all had a positive impact on the development of community tourism services in Ha Giang province. In particular, the degree of influence on the development of CBT services in Ha Giang province in the order of importance is as follows: The level of organization and management of the tourism industry (QL), The participation of the community in the development of community tourism (TG), Tourism Resources (TN), Infrastructure Development (HT), Human Resource Training Development (NL). This result is the basis for us to choose appropriate solutions to improve the quality of community tourism services in Ha Giang province in the future.
International journal of business and social science research