Catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking by external magnetic fields in three-dimensional lattice QED

The enhancement of the fermionic condensate due to the presence of both homogeneous and non-homogeneous external magnetic fields is studied for three-dimensional QED.Comment: 5 pages, contribution to "Strong and electroweak matter 98", Copenhagen, December 199

A model of Islamic tourism towards religious motivation and tourist satisfaction in Malaysia

Abstract The aim of this chapter is to explore the roles of religious motivation in the relationship between tourists' antecedents and their destination and satisfaction , and to provide some guidelines to aid tourism professionals in developing and implementing the niche strategy of Islamic tourism for the advancement of the tourism industry of a country such as Malaysia. In the Malaysian context, the religious motivation of international Muslim tourists is increasingly active in their minds, which suggests that tourism professionals consider Shariah-compliant tourism to keep long-term customer relationships. Perceived value, destination image, and service quality influence international Muslim tourists to look to this destination for satisfaction . As a moderation role, the more the level of religious motivation varies, the more the effect of moderator yields. In addition, tourism professionals necessarily require understanding relevant Shariah rules, character­ istics of international Muslim tourists , and the context of the Islamic country so that they can design a Shariah-compliant tourism strategy and policy effective for further growth of the tourism industr

Web-based marketing communication to develop brand image and brand equity of higher educational institutions: a structural equation modelling approach

Abstract Purpose – Internet-based marketing communication has been an important element for organizations to build brand image and brand equity. Higher education is not an exception. However, configuring the right mix in the age of social networking sites and various online displays and constantly changing algorithm in search engine optimization have become major challenges today. Hence, the purpose of this study is to configure integrated online marketing communication for the development of brand image andbrand equity forhighereducationalinstitutions. Design/methodology/approach – The study is quantitative in nature. A responsive group of 370 students was chosen from different educational institutions in Malaysia via stratified random sampling techniques.Bothexploratoryandconfirmatoryfactoranalyseswereusedforinterpretingthedata.Totestthe derivedhypotheses,structuralequationmodellingwasused. Findings – In line with contemporary literature, the study revealed positive relationships between brand imageandbrandequity,betweensearchengineandbrandimageandbetweensocialmediaandbrandimage. Therelationshipbetweenonlinedisplayandbrandimagewasnotfoundsignificant. Research limitations/implications – Future research can be done considering both online and conventional marketing communications for the same purpose. This approach can also be used for private andpublicinstitutionsseparately,consideringtheirdifferencesinnature. Practical implications – Because history and tradition are no more a single tool to attain and retain the positive image and customer-based brand equity, this study can help higher educational institutions to configure integrated online communication for their target groups, such as students and industry, in the age oftheinternet. Originality/value – This study generates a comprehensive understanding of the impact of Web-based marketingcommunicationtodevelopbrandimageandbrandequityofhighereducationalinstitution

Effectiveness of facebook towards online brand awareness : a study on Malaysian facebook users perspective

The purpose of this study is to determine the relative importance of facbook as compared to other strategies such as affiliate marketing and word of mouth in creating online brand awareness. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis is performed in the study. The study chooses 303 Malaysian frequent internet users as the respondents. In confirmatory factor analysis, a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach is applied to determine the relationship among the exogenous and endogenous constructs. The study finds facebook as the most influential online brand awareness creating strategies followed by the affiliated marketing and online word of mouth. In creating the online brand awareness; all the strategies have positive influence, however. The study can be a useful guideline for managerial implication in practice

Induced Magnetic moments in three-dimensional gauge theories with external magnetic fields

We study the appearance of induced parity-violating magnetic moment, in the presence of external magnetic fields, for even-number of fermion species coupled to dynamical fields in three dimensions. Specifically, we use a SU(2)xU(1) gauge model for dynamical gauge symmetry breaking, which is also proposed recently as a field theoretical model for high-temperature superconductors. By decomposing the fermionic degrees of freedom in terms of Landau levels, we show that, in the effective theory with the lowest Landau levels, a parity-violating magnetic moment interaction is induced by the higher Landau levels when the fermions are massive. The possible relevance of this result for a recently observed phenomenon in high-temperature superconductors is also discussed.Comment: 15 pages revtex, one figure incorporated, References added no other change

Performance of Five Species of Phytoseiid Mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Bactrocera zonata Eggs (Diptera: Tephritidae) as a Factitious Food

Development, survival and reproduction of the generalist predatory mites, Amblyseius largoensis (Muma), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes), Typhlodromips swirskii (Athias-Henriot), Proprioseiopsis kadii (El-Halawany and Abdel-Samad) and Cydnosus negevi (Swirski and Amitai) were assessed when fed on eggs of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) as a factitious food. For N. barkeri and P. kadii, the development was faster, while the reproduction was higher in N. barkeri and A. largoensis than for P. kadii. Survival of immatures of T. swirskii and C. negevi was low on eggs of B. zonata and all failed to develop beyond the protonymphal stage. A total of 35.4, 31.2 and 19.6 eggs per female, respectively, were obtained when N. barkeri, A. largoensis and P. kadii were fed B. zonata eggs. A diet of the peach fruit fly eggs provided the longest female longevity and highest mean total fecundity, which resulted in the highest net reproductive rate (Ro=34.61 and 32.78) and doubling time (DT=1.53 and 1.60) for N. barkeri and A. largoensis, respectively

Exploring the role of religious motivation towards tourist satisfaction: a proposed Islamic tourism model from a Malaysian perspective

The purpose of the study is to identify factors influencing tourist satisfaction of Islamic tour destination under the Islamic tourism concept. The study is conceptual in nature.It develops a Tourist Satisfaction Model derived from the comprehensive literature review and prior empirical findings where the relationships among Religious Motivation, Destination Selection, Destination Image, Perceived Value, Service Quality and Tourist Satisfaction are depicted. The theoretical supports of this research provides justifiable evidence that the proposed Tourist Satisfaction Model is acceptable. The research indicates that Malaysia as an Islamic tourism Destination haswide acceptance to the Muslim tourists all around the world. A further study can be addressed to test the model empirically and configure relative importance of the causing factors behind the tourist satisfaction. The proposed model may give the practitioners a way to develop their destination as an Islamic tourism center while academician can find a comprehensive model to test for the specific destination. Key words: Tourist Satisfaction, factor influencing, Islamic Tourism and Malaysi

Zinc oxide nanoparticles inhibits quorum sensing and virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background: Quorum sensing inhibitionis an advanced strategy that aims to interfere with bacterial cell-to-cell communication systems (quorum sensing), which regulate virulence factors production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in order to overcome the globalcrisis of antimicrobial resistance.Objectives: Study the potential quorum sensing inhibitory effect of Zinc oxide (ZnO)nanoparticlesin Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the impact on production of virulence factors.Methods: Quorum sensing inhibitory effect of ZnO was evaluated by assessing its ability to reducePseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors production; rhamnolipids, pyocyanin, pyoverdin, hemolysins, elastase and proteases. Furthermore, qRT-PCR was performed to determine ZnO inhibitory effect onQS-regulatory geneslasI, lasR,rhlI, rhlR, pqsA and pqsR that control virulence factors secretion. Moreover, mice survival test was conducted to investigate the influence of ZnO on Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced mortality in vivo.Results: ZnO revealed a statistically significant reduction in the production of QS-controlled virulence factors rhamnolipids, pyocyanin, pyoverdin, hemolysins, elastase and proteases. Furthermore, ZnO exhibited a significant decrease in the relative expression of QS-regulatory geneslasI, lasR,rhlI, rhlR,pqsA and pqsR. Additionally, ZnO significantly reduced the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vivoConclusion: ZnO nanoparticles can be used as a quorum sensing inhibitor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections either as an adjuvant or alternative to conventional antimicrobials.Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ZnO, quorum sensing, virulence inhibition

Prey suitability of Tuta absoluta larvae (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) for three predatory phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) under laboratory conditions

Tomato crop in the Mediterranean Basin has been recently affected by the exotic pest Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), which is difficult to control due to its high reproduction rate and potential to develop resistance to insecticides. In this paper, the suitability and effectiveness of three predatory phytoseiid mites Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski and Amitai), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) and Amblyseius largoensis (Muma), an indigenous species, were evaluated on larvae of T. absoluta under laboratory conditions. First instar larvae of T. absoluta proved to be possible food source for tested phytoseiid mites under laboratory conditions. Females of C. negevi, A. largoensis and N. barkeri were able to feed and sustain oviposition on unfed, first instar larvae of T. absoluta. A diet of insect larvae provided the shortest oviposition period and adult longevity of C. negevi and A. largoensis, while N. barkeri showed the longest corresponding periods. The total and daily number of insect larvae consumed was significantly higher in N. barkeri than in A. largoensis and C. negevi. Likewise, N. barkeri laid significantly higher number of eggs (23.6 eggs / female) than that deposited by C. negevi and A. largoensis (2.5 and 3.9 eggs / female). The sex ratio of the progeny was female biased and ranged: (females / total=0.62-0.68%) when insect larvae were provided for females of C. negevi, A. largoensis and N. barkeri

A comparative study of the icephobic and self-cleaning properties of Teflon materials having different surface morphologies

Materials having fluorocarbon bonds are among the best candidates for the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces. Here, we describe two facile, non-expensive, and industrialized approaches to produce superhydrophobic Teflon materials having ultra-water repellency, icephobic, and self-cleaning properties. Direct replication and plasma-treatment approaches produced Teflon sheets having very different surface patterns, i.e. microstructures and micro- nanostructures. Neither approach altered the chemical composition of the original Teflon surfaces. Rice leaf–like microstructures were produced on the replicated surface, whereas lotus leaf–like hierarchical micro-nanostructures characterized the plasma-treated surface. Water droplets rolled off the micro-nanostructured surfaces ~10% faster than off the microstructured surfaces. The micro-nanostructured surface also produced more rebounds for a water droplet during the impact test. Although both surfaces possessed similar self-cleaning properties, the micro-nanostructured surface reduced ice adhesion to a greater degree than the microstructured surface. The more effective ice repellency of the micro-nanostructured surface was due to its surface morphology that reduced the interlocking of ice inside the surface asperities. However, the microstructured surface delayed considerably the onset of freezing of a water droplet due to the larger micro-air pockets trapped within its surface asperities