The Effects of Consumer Cultural Values on Ethical Judgment and Performance of Global Brands Among Young Consumers

This study uses well-developed and tested scales to examine differences across two countries in the effects of consumer cultural values on ethical judgment and global brand performance. The study measured consumer attention toward two global brands – Nike and KFC. The research was conducted using over 804 young consumers from Russia and China. The research includes two studies specifically focused on young consumers (18-25) and their attention toward two brands. The first study showed that young Chinese and Russian consumers with strong cultural values are more ethical consumers than unethical. However, consumers who demonstrated strong cultural value such as achievement showed active unethical behavior in both samples. The second study confirmed that two cultural values in young consumers, hedonism and achievement, strongly affected KFC brand performance in both countries. However, young Russian consumers with hedonism and power cultural values strongly affected Nike brand performance, as well as young Chinese consumers with universalism cultural values

Inventions in the Area of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies. Part II

Introduction. Advanced technologies impress people’s imagination demonstrating the latest achievements (materials, methods, systems, technologies, devices etc.) that dramatically change the world. This, first of all, concerns nanotechnological inventions designed by scientists, engineers and specialists from different countries. Main part. The article provides an abstract overview of inventions of scientists, engineers and specialists from different countries: Germany, Russia, USA, et al. The results of the creative activity of scientists, engineers and specialists, including inventions in the field of nanotechnology and nanomaterials allow, when introduced to industry, achieving a significant effect in construction, housing and communal services, and related sectors of the economy. For example, the task resolved by the invention «A composition on the basis of oxide nanostructures to provide surface with superhydrophobic properties», means to design a new method of obtaining materials with superhydrophobic properties which possess improved performance and functional characteristics which can be applied in various areas: power engineering, electronics, machine-building, construction, ship-building, aviation, aerospace and food industries. The feature of the invention is that the surfaces demonstrate superhydrophobic properties and, as a result of that, their applying allows protecting metal structures, such as power lines, frame structures, roofs, from ice formation and dirtying. The technical result is possible due to the use of composition on the basis of oxide nanostructures to provide surface with superhydrophobic properties. The composition contains tetraethoxysilane and tetraisopropyl titanate as structure-forming agents, hexamethyldisilazane as hydrophobic element, isopropyl alcohol as dissolvent, non-spheric nanocrystal titanium dioxide with particle size from 10 to 50 nm as a grow accelerator of anisotropic structures to provide specified roughness of the surface. The specialist can be also interested in the following inventions in the area of nanotechnologies: a composite heat-conducting material on the basis of nanoliquid, a nanocomposite material on the basis of potassium titanate, a method of obtaining of nanodispersed powders, hybrid supercondenser on the basis of nanosized nickel hydroxide, etc. Conclusion. One of the most challenging tasks the economy of every country faces is to increase industrial competitiveness through technological upgrade. From the side of the state and companies the principal object to control in this process are the people and enterprises dealing with introduction of inventions and new technologie

Methods for description of the total field propagation in the irregular dielectric waveguides, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2001, nr 2

Numerical and semi-analytical methods useful for analysis of the total field propagation in dielectric waveguides with sharp and smooth discontinuities are reviewed. The efficiency of these methods to model the field propagation in such structures is discussed comparatively. As an example, spatial transient regime of the radiation field propagation in planar step-index waveguide excited by a Gaussian beam is simulated numerically by two different beam propagation methods

Polymorphisms in genes involved in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs in the Kazakhs of Kazakhstan

A list of SNPs that were not found in heterozygous or homozygous variants. (DOC 83 kb

The Interrelationship between Coping Strategies and Socio-Psychological Competency of University Students’ Personality

In contemporary society characterized by socio-economic and political instability, the problem of studying the factors and mechanisms that contribute to the constructive resolution of life difficulties and counteracting their negative consequences is very important. This paper contains the results of an empirical study of the characteristics and relationships of students’ coping behavior with different levels of their socio-psychological competency. The research methods comprised the following: theoretical analysis, empirical research (testing), qualitative analysis of the obtained data, mathematical and statistical data processing (SPSS Statistics, Excel). The characteristics of indicators of socio-psychological competency were determined with the use of the technique for assessing socio-communicative competency, as well as a questionnaire that reveals the possibility of using socio-psychological skills by a person in difficult life situations. To study coping behavior, the following were used: “The ways of coping questionnaire” and “The youth coping scale”. The validity and reliability of the research results was ensured by the initial methodological positions, the use of tested tools, representativeness of the research sample, as well as mathematical processing of data with the help of software package for statistical analysis. The conclusions have been drawn that the basis of constructive mechanisms to overcome difficult life situations is a high level of formation of professional skills and abilities, introversion, motivation to achieve success, high intellectual development, moral standards, a high level of development of communication skills. It is these mechanisms that make it possible to resolve problem situations and tasks at work in a productive way. Their absence or a low level of development contributes to the dominance of situational methods of overcoming difficult life situations that impede professional formation and personal development

Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside of Flaxseed and Its Metabolites: Biosynthesis and Potential for Nutraceuticals

Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), found mainly in flaxseed, is one of the essential lignans. SDG, as well as the beneficial fatty acid composition and high fiber content, has made flaxseed an important source of functional food or nutraceutical ingredients. Various studies have shown that SDG offers several health benefits, including protective effects against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and mental stress. These health benefits have been attributed to the antioxidant properties of SDG. Additionally, SDG metabolites, namely mammalian lignans, enterodiol and enterolactone, have shown promising effects against cancer. Therefore, understanding the biosynthetic pathway of SDG and its molecular mechanisms is a key to enable the production of new flaxseed cultivars rich in nutraceutical content. The present review highlights studies on the different health benefits of SDG, as well as lignan biosynthesis in flaxseed and genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway. Since SDG, the predominant lignan in flaxseed, is a glycosylated lignan, we also focus on studies investigating the genes involved in secoisolariciresinol glycosylation. These genes can be used to produce new cultivars with a novel level of glycosylation or lignan composition to maximize the yields of lignans with a therapeutic or protective potential