Consumer Behavior in Fast Food Marketing in Bangladesh: A Case Study

The main objective of the study is to identify the determinants that influence consumer satisfaction in fast food marketing in Bangladesh. Data were collected from the students in a private industry in Dhaka city. Principal component factor analysis and SEM are employed for analyzing data. The results indicate that among the six explanatory variables, five are observed to statistically significantly influence consumer satisfaction in the fast food industry. These variables are food quality, service quality, food variety, outlet environment and convenient location. Keywords: Fast food, Consumer behavior, Consumer satisfaction, Factors, Marketin

Nanohybrid and microfilled composite resin in Class II restoration of permanent molar teeth

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical performance of nanohybrid composite resin in Class II restorations placed with a one-step self-etch adhesive with that of microfilled composite resin of permanent posterior molar teeth. A total of 100 participants who received Class II restorations either with nanohybrid composite resin bonded with a single step self-etch adhesive or conventional microfilled composite bonded with a single step self-etch adhesive. All restorations were evaluated by using slightly modified USPHS criteria at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months. The results revealed that nanohybrid composite resin showed better clinical outcome than that of the conventional microfilled composite resin restorations in respect to retention and marginal adaptation at 12 months observation period. It can be concluded that nanohybrid is superior to conventional microfilled composite resin in respect to retention, and marginal adaptation of Class II restorations of permanent molar teeth

Persistence and Academic Performance of Medical Students in Online Learning Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Government response to the COVID 19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 came as a wave of physical closures requiring sudden change in the method of instruction from face-to-face to a completely online. Assessment of students adaptation to this change during emergency lockdown is the focus of this study. We used a One-way ANOVA to compare pandemic and pre-pandemic Performance of First Year medical students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the brain and behavior module. Students’ test scores related to perception of persistence levels was studied using correlation analysis. In addition, a regression analysis was performed to examine prediction factors of medical student course grades during COVID-19. Students’ grades in the module during the COVID-19 were significantly higher compared to the grades in recent prior years at the p less than .001 level [F (3, 692) = 9.08]. Pearson product-moment correlation results showed a strong and positive correlation between students’ persistence level (M = 3.46, SD = .997, n = 79), and their module grade during COVID-19 (M = 258.777, SD = 14.6878, n = 79), r = .33, p = less than .01. The multiple linear regression analysis accounts for 14% of the variance in students’ module grades and the variance was statistically significant at p less than .05. As such, we conclude that students’ persistence to adjust to a new learning environment coupled with module directors and faculty successfully employing remote education methods, met the learning challenges during the pandemic and students maintained a high level of academic success

Impact of parents’ authoritative style on personality traits of children: a case study of Elementary class students in Pakistan

The study was carried out to determine the effects of authoritative parenthood on the personality traits of elementary school children including all the five traits namely agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism and openness. The study is significant as it gives parents a chance to evaluate their parenting style and comprehend its positive and negative effects on children’ personality traits. It was an Ex Post Facto study in which data was collected about the cases of elementary class children in Pakistan. A multistage random sample of 30 elementary schools, three hundred cases (children and their parents) and 90 teachers was chosen. Two questionnaires were used in the study; One to evaluate the parenting styles of the parents which was adopted from Robinsons Parenting style questionnaire and second, adopted from the Big Five Inventory questionnaire to assess the personalities of the children. Cronbach’s Alpha value of the total parenting style questionnaire was 0.95 and Cronbach’s Alpha value of the total personality style tool used in this study was 0.84. Data was collected by the researchers during parent-teacher meetings and meetings with teachers in the selected schools. Percentage of frequencies, mean score, standard deviation, ANOVA statistics and correlation values were calculated using SPSS. Results indicated highly significant and positive relationship between authoritative parenting style and the four personality traits i.e. agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness but a significant and negative relationship with neuroticism. Moreover, a highly significant impact of parenting authoritativeness level on children personality traits was explored. Therefore, it is recommended that parents should practice authoritative parenting style to raise strong and healthy individuals and refrain the negativism in the personality of children. &nbsp

Emotions Regulation and Academic Performance of Elementary School-Aged Students

Abstract Emotions regulations is the capacity that plays a necessary function in our routine lives and essential not only for the attainment of socialization but also necessary in achieving educational tasks.This research proposed to examine the association between the emotions regulations and academic achievement of elementary aged students. The quantitative research method was adopted to determine the results. The sample size of the study confined 209 students (boys & girls) of twelveelementary schools in district Bahawalnagar of Punjab Pakistan. The sample of the study utilized simple random sampling. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect the data from students regarding their emotions regulations. School records and Punjab Board Gazette (Punjab Examination Commission)was included to collect data of the study. Mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation techniques were applied to analyze the data. The results of the study exploredthat most of the respondents practice positive strategies while expressing their emotions and have a high level of academic sores. It was also found that the students who could not able to express their emotions in positive ways; consequently, they show poor performance in education. Therefore, policy makers need to focus on attention to develop positive emotions regulations among elementary aged students. Keywords; Emotions, Emotions regulations, academic achievements, elementary educatio

Enhancing the catalytic activity of eggshell-derived CaO catalyst and its application in biodiesel production from waste chicken fat.

The comparatively greater cost of producing biodiesel in comparison to petroleum diesel is one of the key drawbacks. Eggshells and leftover chicken fat are examples of poultry wastes that can be used to produce biodiesel at a low cost as catalysts and oil, respectively. In this study, eggshell-derived CaO and its doping with sodium methoxide catalyst for enhancing catalytic activity was synthesized for the transesterification of waste chicken fat and characterized by FT-IR and XRD analyses. XRD studies confirmed the crystalline structure of the developed catalyst and doping of sodium with eggshell-derived CaO. The transesterification reaction was performed at different reaction parameters such as the catalyst loading, the methanol to oil ratio, the reaction temperature, and the reaction time. The biodiesel produced at the maximum yield was evaluated by gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. A maximum yield of 96% biodiesel was obtained with catalyst loading of 2 wt% of oil, as well as a methanol to oil ratio of 13:1 at 60 °C in 1 h. The output demonstrates that eggshell waste is a potentially accessible source of biomass-derived nano catalyst for the synthesis of biodiesel using chicken fat as a feedstock

CRYOPRESERVATION OF SPERMATOZOA OF THREATENED ASIAN STRIPED DWARF CATFISH Mystus Vittatus (BLOCH 1794) FOR EX-SITU CONSERVATION: AN APPROACH TO PROVERY ALLEVIATION

Cryopreservation is an important ex-situ conservation measure practiced successfully in fishes over the years. The effects of different extenders and cryoprotectants on the viability and fertilizing ability of cryopreserved sperm of Mystus vittatus were investigated in this study in order to develop a cryopreservation protocol. Milt was collected through sacrifice of males and was suspended in extender solutions. The concentration and pH of milt were found to be 7.9×109 - 8.1×109cells/ml and 8±0, respectively. Different concentrations of NaCl solutions (0.1% to 1.1%) were used to evaluate activation of sperm motility and it was decreased as the concentration of the NaCl solution increased. Sperm motility was completely inhibited at 1.1% and 0.8% NaCl solution with Alsever’s solution and Kurokura-2 solution respectively. Two extenders, Alsever’s and Kurokura-2 solutions and two cryoprotectants, Dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) and methanol were employed to preserve the sperm. Ten percent cryoprotectants with both extenders, Alsever’s and Kurokura-2 solutions produced better motility after 5 and 10 min incubation. 15% cryoprotectant was found to be toxic to sperm. Alsever’s solution with 10% Me2SO showed better performance producing 77.5±1.4% and 58.8±1.25% equilibration and post-thaw motility than that of 73.8±3.15% and 52.5±2.5% with Kurokura-2 solution plus Me2SO respectively. Between two diluents, sperm preserved with Alsever’s solution plus Me2SO produced highest fertilization (70.0±7.07%) and hatching (37.5±13.7%), while those preserved with Kurokura-2 plus Me2SO produced 72.5±2.5% and 29.9±12.5% fertilization and hatching respectively. Fresh sperm yielded 85.0±0% fertilization and 48.0±15.5% hatching.  The protocol developed through this study can be applied for long-term preservation of genetic materials of the threatened catfish M. vittatus and the cryopreserved sperm can be used in artificial breeding for broodstock development. Thus the protocol will help to propagate the new generation in hatcheries using cryopreserved sperm and make the fish available in captive culture systems as well as in wild which eventually helps to eradicate poverty

Antinociceptive Activity of Methanol Extract of Areca catechu L. (Arecaceae) Stems and Leaves in Mice

ABSTRACT The antinociceptive effect of crude methanol extracts of stems and leaves of Areca catechu L. (Arecaceae) was evaluated in acetic acid-induced gastric pain writhing model in Swiss albino mice. The methanol extract of Areca catechu stems dose-dependently reduced the number of writhings (constrictions) in mice, when tested at doses of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg extract administered per kg body weight. Significant reductions in the number of writhings were noted with all administered doses. The percent inhibitions of acetic acid-induced writhings with the four different doses were, respectively, 30.8, 36.6, 40.9 and 59.6. The standard antinociceptive drug, aspirin, when administered at doses of 200 and 400 mg per kg body weight reduced writhings by 42.3 and 55.8%, respectively. A significant dose-dependent inhibition of writhings was also observed with crude methanol extract of Areca catechu leaves, where the extract at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg body weight significantly inhibited writhings by 55.8, 57.7, 86.5 and 88.5%, respectively. Dose for dose, the leaf extract demonstrated higher antinociceptive activity than the stem extract. At even the lowest dose of 50 mg extract per kg body weight, the antinociceptive activity of leaf extract was comparable to that of 400 mg aspirin per kg body weight. The results suggest that both stem and leaf extract possess good antinociceptive activity, which merits further scientific studies as to isolation of responsible phytochemical component(s)

Leptin: A Metabolic Signal for the Differentiation of Pituitary Cells

Pituitary cell function is impacted by metabolic states and therefore must receive signals that inform them about nutritional status or adiposity. A primary signal from adipocytes is leptin, which recent studies have shown regulates most pituitary cell types. Subsets of all pituitary cell types express leptin receptors and leptin has been shown to exert transcriptional control through classical JAK/STAT pathways. Recent studies show that leptin also signals through post-transcriptional pathways that involve the translational regulatory protein Musashi. Mechanistically, post-transcriptional control would permit rapid cellular regulation of critical pre-existing pituitary transcripts as energy states change. The chapter will review evidence for transcriptional and/or post-transcriptional regulation of leptin targets (including Gnrhr, activin, Fshb, Gh, Ghrhr, and Pou11f1) and the consequences of the loss of leptin signaling to gonadotrope and somatotrope functions

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation