The Mediation Effect of Trusting Beliefs on the Relationship Between Expectation-Confirmation and Satisfaction with the Usage of Online Product Recommendation

Online Product Recommendations (OPRs) are increasingly available to onlinecustomers as a value-added self-service in evaluating and choosing a product.Research has highlighted several advantages that customers can gain from usingOPRs. However, the realization of these advantages depends on whether and towhat extent customers embrace and fully utilise them. The relatively low OPR USAgerate indicates that customers have not yet developed trust in OPRs’ performance.Past studies also have established that satisfaction is a valid measure of systemperformance and a consistent significant determinant of users’ continuous systemusage. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the mediation effect of trustingbeliefs on the relationship between expectation-confirmation and satisfaction. Theproposed research model is tested using data collected via an online survey from626 existing users of OPRs. The empirical results revealed that social-psychologicalbeliefs (perceived confirmation and trust) are significant contributors to customersatisfaction with OPRs. Additionally, trusting beliefs partially mediate the impactof perceived confirmation on customer satisfaction. Moreover, this study validatesthe extensions of the interpersonal trust construct to trust in OPRs and examinesthe nomological validity of trust in terms of competence, benevolence, andintegrity. The findings provide a number of theoretical and practical implications.&nbsp

Reichenbach Fuzzy Set of Transitivity

Fuzzy implicators are the basic ingredients of many applications. So it becomes essential to study the various features of an implicator before implementing it in any practical application. This paper discusses the properties of transitivity of a fuzzy relation on a given universe and measure of fuzzy transitivity defined in terms of the Reichenbach fuzzy implicator which is an s-implicator

Apoptotic Potential of Artemsia sieberia Besser (Asteraceae) Fraction against Human Cancer Cell Lines

Purpose: To investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity of crude and dichloromethane fraction of A. sieberi against seven cancer cell lines (Colo20, HCT116, DLD, MCF7, Jurkat, HepG2 and L929).Methods: A. sieberi was extracted with methanol and further purification was carried out using liquidliquid extraction with hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. Each extract was assayed for cytotoxic potential against cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. The morphology of the HepG2 cell nucleus was investigated by Hoechst 33342, DNA-binding dye. A Tali™ image-based cytometer was used to assess cell viability, death and apoptosis using annexin-v /pi (propidium iodide). A chromatographic fingerprint was constructed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Results: The most effective anticancer activity of the unrefined methanol extract was against HepG2 cell lines (LC50 = 161.5 μg/mL). The hexane and ethyl acetate fractions showed no antiproliferative activity. The dichloromethane fraction displayed higher cytotoxic activity (LC50 = 61.75 μg/mL) and also repressed the migration of the cells. About 50 % of HepG2 cells were apoptotic when treated for 24 h with the dichloromethane fraction at the concentration of 120 μg/mLConclusion: A. sieberi possesses apoptotic activity and inhibited the migration of the HepG2 cell lines.Keywords: Artemsia Sieberia, Apoptosiss, Cytotoxicity, Hoescht staining, HepG2 cell line

Microfinance Customer (Borrower) Experience towards the Effectiveness of MFIS in Bangladesh: An Exploratory Analysis

Microfinance initiative is widely acclaimed as an approach to raise income level, alleviate poverty and bring about development, but recently the effectiveness of the microfinance programs has been appeared to be a focus of debate in microfinance literature. An exploratory survey was conducted to analyze the microfinance customers’ (borrowers’) perception about the microfinance schemes adopted by different microfinance institutes (MFIs) in Bangladesh. This study covered only three MFIs such as Grameen Bank (GB), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Association for Social Advancement (ASA). Convenience sampling technique was adopted in data collection process. The customers were asked to evaluate different objects selected in the questionnaire. The respondents ranked the attributes on a number of itemized five-point scale ratings bounded at each end by one of two bipolar adjectives. Based on the study, borrowers’ experience suggests that income level has not been increased. This implies that MFIs are not effective to achieve their objectives of raising income and reducing poverty. It also shows that the factors such as membership criteria, costs of credit, income level and religious restrictions are observed significant to affect microfinance consumer experience in Bangladesh

Hydrogen Production Using TiO2-Based Photocatalysts: A Comprehensive Review

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most widely used photocatalysts due to its physical and chemical properties. In this study, hydrogen energy production using TiO2- and titanate-based photocatalysts is discussed along with the pros and cons. The mechanism of the photocatalysis has been elaborated to pinpoint the photocatalyst for better performance. The chief characteristics and limitations of the TiO2 photocatalysts have been assessed. Further, TiO2-based photocatalysts modified with a transition metal, transition metal oxide, noble metal, graphitic carbon nitride, graphene, etc. have been reviewed. This study will provide a basic understanding to beginners and detailed knowledge to experts in the field to optimize the TiO2-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production

Line × Tester analysis for morpho-physiological traits of Zea mays L seedlings

Background:  Zea mays L. is one of the most imperative cereal crop in world after wheat and rice. It is a used as food for human and feed for livestock. To meet the ever increasing demand, maize production can be increased by application of improved agronomic techniques to get varieties with higher qualitative and quantitative traits and resilience to abiotic stresses.Methods: The genetic material was comprised of 8 parents and 12 F1 hybrids. The genotypes were sown in the iron treys filled with sand in three replications following completely randomized design. The data was recorded for fresh root length (FRL), fresh shoot length (FSL), fresh root-to-shoot length ratio (FRSLR), fresh root weight (FRW), fresh shoot weight (FSW), total fresh weight (TFW), fresh root-to-shoot weight ratio (FRSWR), dry root weight (DRW), dry shoot weight (DSW) and total dry weight (TDW), dry root-to-shoot weight ratio (DRSWR), chlorophyll contents (Ch.C), leaf temperature (LT), transpiration rate (E), photosynthetic rate (A), stomata conductance (gs), water use efficiency (WUS) and sub-stomata CO2 concentration (Ci). GCA (general combining ability) and SCA (specific combining ability) were calculated by using Kepmthorn, (1957) technique.  Results: Higher GCA of B-336 variety was recorded for FRL, FRW, FSW, TFW, A and Ci. Higher SCA of EV-1097Q × Pop/209, Sh-139 × Pop/209, EV-1097Q × B-316 and Sh-139 × B-316 varieties was recorded for FRL, FSL, FRW, FSW, TFW, A, Ci, WUE, LT, E and gs.Conclusion: Higher heritability, genetic advance, GCA and SCA had decisive role in selection of drought tolerant maize varieties. F1 hybrids EV-1097Q × Pop/209, Sh-139 × Pop/209, EV-1097Q × B-316 and Sh-139 × B-316 showed higher SCA for all traits that persuaded that these hybrids may be used for higher grain and fodder yield under drought conditions.

Visible light‐active pure and lanthanum‐doped copper oxide nanostructures for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and hydrogen production

Clean water and renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important in the current era, as well as a future challenge, and one of the potential solutions is photocatalysis. In the current study, a simple one-step hydrothermal technique is employed to fabricate the pure and La-doped CuO (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) photocatalysts. The influence of varying La concentration on structure, morphology, and optical properties is determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. SEM showed that synthesized nanostructures are irregularly spherical and transform into needle-like nanostructures on increasing La concentration. XRD revealed the monoclinic phase with a crystallite size of 15–23 nm. The UV–visible spectrum exhibited a decrease in the band gap of La-doped CuO needle-like nanostructures from UV to visible light. The composition and purity of synthesized nanostructures are evaluated via the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum which revealed that needle-like nanostructures are pure without any impurity traces. The synthesized nanostructures were used as a photocatalyst against methylene blue dye to examine their photocatalytic activity. The synthesized CuO-3La photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance of dye degradation and hydrogen production 95.3 μmol h−1 g−1 with more than 97% cyclic stability. Therefore, the synthesized La-doped CuO nanostructures are potential candidates for photocatalytic water splitting and hydrogen evolution

Synthesis of 2-{[5-(aralkyl/aryl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2- yl]sulfanyl}-N-(4-methyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)acetamides: Novel bi-heterocycles as potential therapeutic agents

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic potential of new bi-heterocycles  containing a 1,3-thiazole and 1,3,4-oxadiazole in the skeleton against Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, supported by in-silico study. Methods: The synthesis was initiated by the reaction of 4-methyl- 1,3-thiazol-2-amine (1) with bromoacetyl bromide (2) in aqueous basic medium to obtain an electrophile,2-bromo-N-(4-methyl-1,3- thiazol- 2-yl)acetamide (3). In parallel reactions, a series of carboxylic acids, 4a-r, were converted through a sequence of three steps, into respective 1,3,4-oxadiazole heterocyclic cores, 7a-r, to utilize as nucleophiles. Finally, the designed molecules, 8a-r, were synthesized by coupling 7a-r individually with 3 in an aprotic polar solvent. The structures of these bi-heterocycles were elucidated by infrared (IR), electron ionization-mass spectrometry (EI-MS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR). To evaluate their enzyme inhibitory potential, 8a-r were screened against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), but brine shrimp lethality bioassay.Results: The most active compound against AChE was 8l with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 17.25 ± 0.07 μM. Against BChE, the highest inhibitory effect was shown by 8k (56.23 ± 0.09 μM). Compound 8f (161.26 ± 0.23μM) was recognized as a fairly good inhibitor of urease. In view of its inhibition of α-glucosidase, 8o (57.35 ± 0.17μM) was considered a potential therapeutic agent.Conclusion: The results indicate that some of the synthesized products with low toxicity exhibit notable enzyme inhibitory activity against selected enzymes compared with the reference drug, and therefore, are of potential therapeutic interestKeywords: 4-Methyl-1,3-thiazol-2-amine,1,3,4-Oxadiazole,  Cholinesterases, α-Glucosidase, Urease, Brine shrim

Ecological niche model comparison under different climate scenarios: a case study of Olea spp. in Asia

Ecological niche modeling (and the related species distribution modeling) has been used as a tool with which to assess potential impacts of climate change processes on geographic distributions of species. However, the factors introducing variation into niche modeling outcomes are not well understood: To this end, we used seven algorithms to develop models (Maxent, GARP, BIOCLIM, artificial neural networks, support‐vector machines, climate envelope, and environmental distance) to estimate the potential geographic distribution of olives (Olea europaea sensu lato, including Olea ferruginea) under two climatic data sets (current 2000 and future 2050). Five general circulation models and two representative concentration pathway scenarios were used as predictor variables in future projections of the geographic potential of this species; models were fit at global extents (10′ spatial resolution) but transferred and interpreted for a region of particular interest in Central Asia, which largely avoids problems with truncation of niche estimates. We found marked differences among approaches in predicted distributions and model performance, as well as in the future distributional pattern reconstructed, from one algorithm to another. These general approaches, when model‐to‐model variation is managed appropriately, appear promising in predicting the potential geographic distribution of O. europaea sensu lato and thus can be an effective tool in restoration and conservation planning for wild populations, as well as possible commercial plantations of this species

Prevalence of tobacco use among women: a cross sectional survey from a squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan

Background: While the prevalence of tobacco use has been slowly declining in the developed countries, rates have been steadily rising in the developing countries. This has led to a rapid rise in tobacco related lung diseases among women. Objective: Determine the prevalence of tobacco use (both smoking and smokeless) among women in an urban squatter settlement (Orangi Town) in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 19,325 females aged between 15 and 80 years in Orangi Town, an urban squatter settlement in Karachi, Pakistan. Modified questionnaire, developed by World Health Organization WHO and Global Adult Tobacco survey (GATS), was used in Urdu. A total of 16,987 women agreed to participate. Results: The mean age was 37.3 ± 9.8 years amongst whom 15,255 (89.80%) were married, 9143 (53.82%) admitted that at least one person uses tobacco in some form in their homes. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco was 42.25% (7178). The prevalence of smoking tobacco was low as compared to smokeless tobacco i.e. 18.0% (3058). Among smokers, 85.47% (1789) admitted that they had tried to quit smoking during last 12 months but failed. CONCLUSION: Tobacco use among women in an urban squatter settlement is very high and alarming. Preventive and control measures against tobacco use are required in these communities