The Role of Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Lifestyle of Consumers in Determinig Buying Tendency

Provedeno istraživanje temelji se na trodimenzionalnoj koncepciji sklonosti kupovini u čijoj su osnovi kognitivna i afektivna impulzivnost te podložnost situacijskim čimbenicima kupovine. Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati odnose različitih dimenzija sklonosti kupovini s osnovnim sociodemografskim karakteristikama i životnim stilovima potrošača. Prikupljanje podataka provedeno je metodom ankete na uzorku od 194 ispitanika iz Bosne i Hercegovine. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na veću sklonost kognitivnoj i afektivnoj impulzivnosti kupovine kod žena u odnosu na muškarce, dok spolne razlike nisu utvrđene u podložnosti situacijskim čimbenicima kupovine. Nadalje, dobiveni su značajni učinci razine ukupnih mjesečnih primanja kućanstva ispitanika na sve dimenzije sklonosti kupovini, dok je razina prosječnih mjesečnih primanja pojedinca imala značajan učinak samo na kognitivnu impulzivnost. Radni status (zaposlenost) i razina obrazovanja nisu imali značajne učinke na sklonost kupovini. Od četiriju ispitivanih životnih stilova (inovativno, obiteljski, društveno i liderski orijentirani), inovativno orijentirani životni stil ima najsnažniju povezanost sa svim trima dimenzijama sklonosti kupovini. Drugim riječima, inovativno orijentirani potrošači imaju veću sklonost impulzivnoj kupovini i podložniji su situacijskim čimbenicima kupovine. Osim s inovativnom orijentacijom životnog stila, impulzivnost kupovine povezana je i s liderskom orijentacijom, ali u manjoj mjeri. Podložnost situacijskim čimbenicima pri kupovini povezana je sa svim orijentacijama životnog stila osim s obiteljskim.This study was based on a three-dimensional conceptualization of the buying tendency stemming from cognitive and affective impulsivity and susceptibility to the situational factors of buying. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships of different dimensions of buying tendency to basic socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyles of consumers. The study was conducted using a survey on a sample of 194 respondents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The obtained results indicate greater levels of cognitive and affective buying impulsivity in women compared to men, with no gender differences identified in the susceptibility to buying situational factors. Furthermore, significant effects were obtained by the level of total monthly family income of respondents in all dimensions of buying tendency, while the level of respondents\u27 monthly income had a significant effect only on cognitive impulsivity. Employment status and education level had no significant effect on the buying tendency. Among the four studied consumers’ lifestyles (innovative, family, social and leadership oriented), innovatively oriented lifestyle has the strongest correlation to all three dimensions of buying tendency. In other words, innovatively oriented subjects are more prone to impulsive buying and susceptible to buying situational factors. In addition to the innovative orientation lifestyle, impulsive buying was also associated with the leadership orientation, but to a lesser extent. Susceptibility to buying situational factors was associated with all lifestyle orientations, apart from the family orientation

Subacute alcohol and/or disulfiram intake affects bioelements and redox status in rat testes

The aim of the study was to investigate if alcohol and disulfiram (DSF) individually and in combination affect bioelements' and red-ox homeostasis in testes of the exposed rats. The animals were divided into groups according to the duration of treatments (21 and/or 42 days): C-21/C-42 groups (controls); OL21 and OL22-42 groups (0.5 mL olive oil intake); A(1-21) groups (3 mL 20% ethanol intake); DSF1-21 groups (178.5 mg DSF/kg/day intake); and A(21)+DSF22-42 groups (the DSF ingestion followed previous 21 days' treatment with alcohol). The measured parameters in testes included metals: zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg) and selenium (Se); as well as oxidative stress (OS) parameters: superoxide anion radical (O-2(center dot-)), glutathione reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) decomposition and activities of total superoxide dismutase (tSOD), glutathione-Stransferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR). Metal status was changed in all experimental groups (Fe rose, Zn fell, while Cu increased in A(21)+DSF24-32 groups). Development of OS was demonstrated in A(1-21) groups, but not in DSF1-21 groups. In A(21)+DSF22-42 groups, OS was partially reduced compared to A groups (A(1-21)>MDA>C; A(1-21) lt GSH lt C). High metal-binding affinity of DSF/DDTC changes red-ox homeostasis in rat testes

How to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life: COV19-QoL – the development, reliability and validity of a new scale

Objective: The primary objective of this paper is to present a short measure of perceptions on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life, along with analysis of its reliability and validity in non-clinical and clinical samples. Methods: The scale was named The COV19 – Impact on Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) and it consists of six items presented in the form of a 5-point Likert scale. The items (i.e. statements) cover main areas of quality of life with regard to mental health. The scale was administered to 1346 participants from the general population in Croatia (the non-clinical sample) and 201 patients with severe mental illness recruited from four European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), constituting the clinical sample. The clinical sample was part of the randomised controlled trial IMPULSE funded by the European Commission. Data on age and gender were collected for both samples, along with psychiatric diagnoses collected for the clinical sample.Results: Main findings included a high internal consistency of the scale and a moderate to strong positive correlation among participants’ scores on different items. Principal component analysis yielded one latent component. The correlation between participants’ age and their results on COV19-QoL was negligible. Participants’ perceived quality of life was the most impacted domain, whereas mental health, personal safety and levels of depression were the least impacted domains by the pandemic.Discussion: The COV19-QoL is a reliable and valid scale which can be used to explore the impact of COVID-19 on quality of life. The scale can be successfully used by researchers and clinicians interested in the impact of the pandemic on people experiencing various pre- existing mental health issues (e.g. anxiety, mood and personality disorders) as well as those without such issues

Oxidative stress, bioelements and androgen status in testes of rats subacutely exposed to cadmium

The objective of our study was to examine testicular toxicity of cadmium (Cd), focusing on oxidative stress (OS), essential metals and androgenic status and morphological changes. Male Wistar rats [controls and four Cd-subgroups (n = 6) organized according to the exposure (1, 3, 10 and 21 days)] were intraperitoneally (i.p.) treated with 1 mg CdCl2/kg/day. Testicular Cd deposition was noticed from the 1st day. After 10 and 21 days, copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) increased by 60-109% and 43-67%, respectively, while zinc (Zn) decreased by 24-33%. During 121 days of the exposure, decrease in testicular total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total glutathione-s-transferase (GST) activities occurred gradually by 30-78% and 15-84%, respectively, while superoxide anion radical (O-2(center dot-)) increased gradually by 114-271%. After 10-21 days, decrease in testicular catalase (CAT) activity appeared by 13-31%. After 21 days, malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased by 44% and the ratio of oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) increased by 130% in testes of the rats exposed to Cd. Additionally, decreased testicular testosterone level and the relative testes mass, along with induced microscopic and macroscopic changes were occured, what can be explained as the consequence of instantly developed OS, impaired essential metals status and Cd testicular deposition