From handmade to mass-produced and no way back? Globalisation, souvenirs and small business in Vanuatu.

This study delves into the economic and sociocultural dimensions of the souvenir sector from the unique perspective of local market vendors in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Findings reveal a heavy reliance on imported souvenirs, particularly for the cruise-ship market. Such practices often lead to the commodification and misrepresentation of local cultures and destinations, driven by the demands of tourists and the broader processes of international exchange and globalisation. By giving voice to grassroots producers and vendors within the handicrafts and souvenir sector, this research contributes to a more holistic understanding of the sector's dynamics and its role within the broader context of global tourism and economic change in emerging island economies

Covid-19 and E-wallet usage intention in Kyrgyzstan

The usage of electronic commerce has continued to expand since the Covid-19 pandemic began in developed and developing countries. However, the usage of electronic commerce in Central Asian countries is underresearched. This study aims to determine the factors that influence e-wallet usage intention in Kyrgyzstan. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is extended and adopted in developing the hypotheses. Using surveys, 319 questionnaires were collected from young and middle-aged adults in Kyrgyzstan. The findings show that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control has a positive relationship with intention to use e-wallets. It is also found that attitude and intention will be stronger if the perceived behavioral control is high. The findings suggest ways to enhance the use of e-wallets in in Kyrgyzstan

Vaping aint' cool

The lack of regulation for vaping is a critical concern, especially considering the increasing popularity of cooling flavours vape products among young adults. These flavours may escalate the frequency of vaping and potentially lead to nicotine dependency

Popcorn lung: reflect on implications of vaping

THE prevalence of vaping among teenagers in Malaysia rose from 9.8 per cent in 2017 to 14.9 per cent in 2022. So it's crucial to address the safety of vape products. Often misled by the fruity flavours promoted by vape products, many are unaware that these liquids commonly contain chemicals such as nicotine, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings, dyes, cooling agents and other undisclosed ingredients. It's vital for users to recognise how these components can adversely affect the lungs and the breathing system

Development of novel antiviral peptides against dengue serotypes 1-4

Dengue infections pose a critical threat to public health worldwide. Since there are no clinically approved antiviral drugs to treat dengue infections caused by the four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes, there is an urgent need to develop effective antivirals. Peptides are promising antiviral candidates due to their specificity and nontoxic properties. The DENV envelope (E) protein was selected for the design of antiviral peptides due to its importance in receptor binding and viral fusion to the host cell membrane. Twelve novel peptides were designed to mimic regions containing critical amino acid residues of the DENV E protein required for interaction with the host. A total of four peptides were identified to exhibit potent inhibitory effects against at least three or all four DENV serotypes. Peptide 3 demonstrated all three modes of action: cell protection and inhibition of postinfection against all four DENV serotypes, whereas direct virus-inactivating effects were only observed against DENV-2, 3, and 4. Peptide 4 showed good direct virus-inactivating effects against DENV-2 (74.26%) as well as good inhibitions of DENV-1 (80.37%) and DENV-4 (72.22%) during the post-infection stage. Peptide 5 exhibited direct virus-inactivating effects against all four DENV serotypes, albeit at lower inhibition levels against DENV-1 and DENV-3. It also exhibited highly significant inhibition of DENV-4 (89.31%) during post-infection. Truncated peptide 5F which was derived from peptide 5 showed more significant inhibition of DENV-4 (91.58%) during post-infection and good direct virus-inactivating effects against DENV-2 (77.55%) at a lower concentration of 100 μM. Peptide 3 could be considered as the best antiviral candidate for pre- and post-infection treatments of DENV infections in regions with four circulating dengue serotypes. However, if the most predominant dengue serotype for a particular region could be identified, peptides with significantly high antiviral activities against that particular dengue serotype could serve as more suitable antiviral candidates. Thus, peptide 5F serves as a more suitable antiviral candidate for post-infection treatment against DENV-4

Physical, structural, elastic and optical investigations on Dy3+ ions doped boro-tellurite glasses for radiation attenuation application

A set of Dy3+ ions doped boro-tellurite glasses is prepared using the melt quenching method and its radiation resisting aptitude is estimated through various structural and elastic features. The results were interpreted due to the effect of TeO2 concentration in the glass systems. The observed molar volume (Vm) values reduced with the rise in the tellurium content with the creation of more bridging oxygens in the structure. The cross-link density rises the rigidity of the glass and its density. Additionally, boron-boron separation and tellurium-tellurium separation, and optical band gap were computed to prove the connectivity of the system which is noted to reduce with the rise in the tellurium content. Glass with 40% TeO2 is observed to hold high elastic moduli and consequently high density and connectivity which are vital requirements for effective radiation shielding. Moreover, the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code version 5 is used to qualify the γ-ray shielding properties. The qualification of the shielding properties showed that the linear attenuation coefficient was enhanced by a factor of 80% from 0.248 c

Stability of perovskite solar cells: issues and prospects

Even though power conversion efficiency has already reached 25.8%, poor stability is one of the major challenges hindering the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Several initiatives, such as structural modification and fabrication techniques by numerous ways, have been employed by researchers around the world to achieve the desired level of stability. The goal of this review is to address the recent improvements in PSCs in terms of structural modification and fabrication procedures. Perovskite films are used to provide a broad range of stability and to lose up to 20% of their initial performance. A thorough comprehension of the effect of the fabrication process on the device's stability is considered to be crucial in order to provide the foundation for future attempts. We summarize several commonly used fabrication techniques – spin coating, doctor blade, sequential deposition, hybrid chemical vapor, and alternating layer-by-layer. The evolution of device structure from regular to inverted, HTL free, and ETL including the changes in material utilization from organic to inorganic, as well as the perovskite material are presented in a systematic manner. We also aimed to gain insight into the functioning stability of PSCs, as well as practical information on how to increase their operational longevity through sensible device fabrication and materials processing, to promote PSC commercialization at the end

Molecular complexity of mammary glands development: a review of lactogenic differentiation in epithelial cells

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ with various physiological processes like cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis during the pregnancy-lactation-involution cycle. It is essential to understand the molecular changes during the lactogenic differentiation of mammary epithelial cells (MECs, the milk-synthesizing cells). The MECs are organized as luminal milk-secreting cells and basal myoepithelial cells (responsible for milk ejection by contraction) that form the alveoli. The branching morphogenesis and lactogenic differentiation of the MECs prepare the gland for lactation. This process is governed by many molecular mediators including hormones, growth factors, cytokines, miRNAs, regulatory proteins, etc. Interestingly, various signalling pathways guide lactation and understanding these molecular transitions from pregnancy to lactation will help researchers design further research. Manipulation of genes responsible for milk synthesis and secretion will promote augmentation of milk yield in dairy animals. Identifying protein signatures of lactation will help develop strategies for persistent lactation and shortening the dry period in farm animals. The present review article discusses in details the physiological and molecular changes occurring during lactogenic differentiation of MECs and the associated hormones, regulatory proteins, miRNAs, and signalling pathways. An in-depth knowledge of the molecular events will aid in developing engineered cellular models for studies related to mammary gland diseases of humans and animals

Constraints, Conflict and Counterproductive Work Behavior: Organizational Cynicism as a Mediator

Deviant workplace behavior is a pertinent issue as its detrimental impacts include financial losses for organizations. This study investigated the relationship between job stressors, organizational constraints (OC), interpersonal conflict (IC), organizational cynicism, and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). An online questionnaire was used to gather data from 141 Malaysians employed full-time (63 males, 78 females) aged between 19 and 62 years (M = 37.4; SD = 12.7) recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Data was analyzed on IBM SPSS Statistics 25 through regression analysis. Mediation was examined using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) method. Results showed that both OC (β = .51) and IC (β = .39) were significant predictors of CWB. OC predicted organizational cynicism (β = .69), which in turn predicted CWB (β = .49). Organizational cynicism partially mediated OC and CWB relationship. Findings have practical implications in mitigating the negative impacts of CWB. Future studies can explore other mediating variables to further build upon the stressor-strain framework in the workplace

Assessment of male patients’ average glandular dose during mammography procedure

Breast cancer is a common malignancy for females (25% of female cancers) and also has low incidence in males. It was estimated that 1% of all breast malignancies occur in males with mortality rate about 20%, with annual increase in incidence. Risk factors include age, family history, exposure to ionizing radiation and high estrogen and low of androgens hormones level. Diagnosis and screening are challenging due to limiting effectiveness of breast cancer screening. Therefore, patients may expose to ionizing radiation that may contribute in breast cancer incidence in males. In literature, limited studies were published regarding radiation exposure for males during mammography. The objective of this research is to quantify patient doses during male mammogram and to estimate the projected radiogenic risk during the procedure. In total, 42 male patients were undergone mammogram for breast cancer diagnosis during two consecutive years. The mean and range of patient age (years) is 45 (23–80). The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the peak tube potential and tube current time product are 28.64 ± 2. and 149 ± 35.1, respectively. The mean, and range of patients’ entrance surface air kerma (ESAK, mGy) per single breast procedure was 5.3 (0.47–27.5). Male patient’s received comparable radiation dose per mammogram compared to female procedures. With increasing incidence of male breast cancer, proper guidelines are necessary for the mammographic procedure are necessary to reduce unnecessary radiation doses and radiogenic risk