E-Integrated Marketing Communication and its impact on Customers' Attitudes

This study aims to investigate the impact of E-integrated marketing communication (E-IMC) on customers' attitudes toward electronic products. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers deployed the descriptive analytical approach due to its relevance to this kind of research. The sample was purposive random sample of online customers who are exposed to E-IMC in the context of electronic products in Jordan; 547 questionnaires were distributed, 498 questionnaires were collected back and 455 questionnaires were accepted. The research included two main variables with sub dimensions; E-IMC as the independent variable, customers' attitudes toward electronic products representing the dependent variable.. E-IMC sub dimensions were online advertising (OD), online public relations (OPR) and online sales promotion (OSP. Results revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between E-integrated marketing communication (E-IMC) and customers' attitudes toward electronic products. In the light of the results, possible managerial implications are discussed  and future research subjects are recommended. Keywords: E-Integrated Marketing Communication (E-IMC), Customers' Attitudes,  Electronic Companies, Jordan

P53 Expression in Response to Equigan Induced Testicular Injury and Oxidative Stress in Male Rat and the Possible Prophylactic Effect of Star Anise Extracts

Objectives: Equigan is an anabolic androgenic steroid that developed for veterinary use to improve the food producing animal growth rate through promoting protein synthesis and muscle growth. The current study aimed to investigate the possible prophylactic effect of star anise extracts (SAE) response of to Equigan induced testicular injury, oxidative stress, P53 expression in male rats. Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats were equally divided into four groups. 1st Control group, while 2nd group were rats receive orally SAE for 12 weeks. 3rd group include rats that injected intramuscularly with Equigan for 12 weeks while 4th group were co-treated group where rats injected with Equigan and SAE for 12 weeks. Results: Testis sections in Equigan treated rat induced abnormal arrangement of spermatogenesis cycles; disturbance and decrease in the spermatogenic cells, many of a syncytial cells were detected with marked decrease in sperms numbers and moderate depleted and degenerated Leydig cells. Testicular immunohistochemical observation after Equigan intramuscular injections showed a significant increase of the apoptotic protein p53. Co-administration of SAE with Equigan improved the testicular injury and P53 alternations. Conclusions: SAE could scavenge free radicals and produce beneficial effects against Equigan damage in testis and P53 alternations

Providing person-centered palliative care in conflict-affected populations in the Middle East: What matters to patients with advanced cancer and families including refugees?

IntroductionUniversal health coverage highlights palliative care as an essential component of health services. However, it is unclear what constitutes person-centered care in populations affected by conflict, as they may have specific concerns in the dimensions of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. This study aimed to identify what matters to patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers in Jordan including refugees, to inform appropriate person-centered assessment and palliative care in conflict-affected populations.MethodsCross-sectional face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted at two sites in Amman. Adult patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers were purposively sampled to maximize diversity and representation. Interviews were digitally audio recorded, anonymized, and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis.FindingsFour themes were generated from 50 patients (22 refugees; 28 Jordanians) and 20 caregivers (7 refugees; 13 Jordanians) (1). Information, communication, and decision-making. Truth-telling and full disclosure from clinicians was valued, and participants expressed concerns that information was not shared in case patients would disengage with treatment. (2) Priorities and concerns for care and support. Participants’ top priority remained cure and recovery (which was viewed as possible). Other priorities included returning to their “normal” life and their “own” country, and to continue contributing to their family. (3) Role of spirituality and Islam. Most participants had strong faith in God and felt that having faith could comfort them. For refugees whose social network was fractured due to being away from home country, prayer and Quran reading became particularly important. (4) Unmet support needs of family caregivers. Family caregivers were affected physically and emotionally by worrying about and caring for the patients. They needed support and training, but often could not access this.DiscussionTruth-telling is highly valued and essential to achieving person-centered care and informed decision-making. This study also reveals specific concerns in conflict-affected populations, reflecting the experience of prior losses and fracturing of existing social networks and support. The role of religion is crucial in supporting refugee communities, and consideration should be paid to the needs of patients and caregivers when caring for a patient at home without access to their communities of origin and the support they accessed

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

Simulation of materials erosion and lifetime under intense radiation heat sources

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the energy transport through target materials irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses, which is characterized by the extremely high power density. The heat transfer and the ablation of the irradiated target were described numerically by the two-dimensional two-temperature model with temperature and phase dependent thermophysical properties of the electron and the lattice subsystems such as the heat capacity, the thermal conductivity, and the density. Based on the characteristics of the ultrashort laser heating two ablation mechanisms were used to estimate the ablation depth and the corresponding ablated mass and volume: the normal evaporation and phase explosion mechanisms. The impact of the total energy, spot size, reflectivity, and the electron-phonon coupling factor on the thermal evolution and the crater shape and size was investigated. Different models of temperature dependent electron-phonon coupling and electron heat capacity based on the calculation of the electronic structure of the density of state and other models based on the electron-electron and electron-lattice collision rate of copper irradiated by femtosecond laser pulse were used to investigate the temporal and spatial thermal evolution and the corresponding ablation as well. Due to the unique properties of the irradiation by ultrashort laser pulse with minimum heat-affected zone in target materials which makes it a promise choice for many applications, the coating was chosen as one of these applications by studying the double-layer irradiation by femtosecond laser where the first layer was the gold and the substrates were copper and aluminum. The impact of the thermal properties of the substrate on the thermal response of the first layer was investigated by analyzing the temporal and spatial electron and lattice temperature. Moreover some experiments were performed in order to validate the simulation results. In these experiments a set of copper target were prepared and irradiated by several energies of femtosecond laser pulses. The effect of crater depth on the number of pulses was studied by shooting various number of laser pulses at different spots and measuring the produced crater depths. The post irradiated samples were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively by using the Atomic Force Microscope and the Scanning Electron Microscope respectively. Finally, a comparison between the experimental results and the simulation results was presented

The angle of incidence dependence of the sputtering energy threshold of tungsten in future nuclear fusion device

The angle of incidence dependence of the sputtering energy thresholds (Eth) for tungsten targets irradiated by Helium, Tritium, and Deuterium ions was studied using two different simulation programs (RDS-BASIC and SDTrimSP). For each of the studied irradiation systems, the sputtering energy threshold was found to slightly decrease (3 to 6 eV) by increasing the angle of incidence of the irradiating ion beam. This decrease was found to vary from one irradiation system to another and give a minimum Eth value which was found to occur at a certain angle range for each system. Departing from this minimal Eth angles toward higher angles was found to result in an abrupt and more dramatic increase in the Eth values which can exceed the normal incident Eth values, especially at grazing angles. Our results were also compared and discussed in light of some existing theories

Computer simulation of the sputtering energy thresholds for some plasma-facing component materials irradiated with helium, deuterium, and tritium ions

Simulations for low-energy irradiation of nuclear Fusion plasma’s ion species on several plasma-facing materials were performed. This study is devoted to determining the minimum incident ion energy to cause sputtering or what is known as the “sputtering energy threshold” Eth. The simulations have been performed on various materials such as tungsten, graphite, and beryllium irradiated with various light ionic species such as helium, deuterium, and tritium. Two different Monte-Carlo-based simulation programs were used to perform this task. One of the latest versions of the state-of-the-art SDTrimSP simulation program was used in this study and complemented by the RDS-BASIC simulation program which was specifically designed to perform reasonably accurate and detailed calculations for the low–energy ions irradiation. The later simulation program also adopts a special and more realistic treatment accounting for the reduction in the atomic displacement threshold in the top surface monolayer. The simulation results were also compared with experimental data and theoretical data fittings