The role of communication in the restaurant crowdfunding’s success

PurposeIn recent years, crowdfunding is assuming an increasingly central role in the development of business projects as an alternative financing tool to traditional sources. This study analyses the role of communication in the success of crowdfunding campaigns in the restaurant sector in the European context.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a regression analysis on a sample of 442 European restaurant crowdfunding projects launched on the Kickstarter platform in a time period spanning from 2014 to 2021. More specifically, this study uses a logistic regression model to test the impact of communication on the success of restaurant crowdfunding projects.FindingsEmpirical results suggest a strong impact of communication, declined in its different forms, on the success of restaurant crowdfunding campaigns. More specifically, they highlight a positive impact of the number of images, number of videos, readability and community orientation of the project description, number of comments and number of updates on the success of restaurant crowdfunding projects.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first research that examines the effect of the communication on the success of restaurant crowdfunding projects conducted in the European context.

Influences of NaCl and Na2SO4 on the Micellization Behavior of the Mixture of Cetylpyridinium Chloride + Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone at Several Temperatures

Herein, the conductivity measurement technique is used to determine the interactions that may occur between polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) polymer and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) surfactant in the presence of NaCl and Na2SO4 of fixed concentration at variable temperatures (298.15–323.15 K) with an interval of 5 K. In the absence or presence of salts, we observed three critical micelle concentrations (CMC) for the CPC + PVP mixture. In all situations, CMC1 values of CPC + PVP system were found to be higher in water than in attendance of salts (NaCl and Na2SO4). Temperature and additives have the tendency to affect counterion binding values. Various physico-chemical parameters were analyzed and demonstrated smoothly, including free energy (ΔG0m), enthalpy (ΔH0m) and entropy change (ΔS0m). The micellization process is achieved to be spontaneous based on the obtained negative ΔG0m values. The linearity of the ΔHmo and ΔSmo values is excellent. The intrinsic enthalpy gain (ΔH0*m) and compensation temperature (Tc) were calculated and discussed with logical points. Interactions of polymer hydrophobic chains or the polymer + surfactant associated with amphiphilic surface-active drugs can employ a strong impact on the behavior of the gels.

Tablet Disintegration and Dispersion under In Vivo-like Hydrodynamic Conditions

Disintegration and dispersion are functional properties of tablets relevant for the desired API release. The standard disintegration test (SDT) described in different pharmacopoeias provides only limited information on these complex processes. It is considered not to be comparable to the biorelevant conditions due to the frequent occurrence of high hydrodynamic forces, among other reasons. In this study, 3D tomographic laser-induced fluorescence imaging (3D Tomo-LIF) is applied to analyse tablet disintegration and dispersion. Disintegration time (DT) and time-resolved particle size distribution in close proximity to the tablet are determined in a continuously operated flow channel, adjustable to very low fluid velocities. A case study on tablets of different porosity, which are composed of pharmaceutical polymers labelled with a fluorescent dye, a filler, and disintegrants, is presented to demonstrate the functionality and precision of the novel method. DT results from 3D Tomo-LIF are compared with results from the SDT, confirming the analytical limitations of the pharmacopoeial disintegration test. Results from the 3D Tomo-LIF method proved a strong impact of fluid velocity on disintegration and dispersion. Generally, shorter DTs were determined when cross-linked sodium carboxymethly cellulose (NaCMCXL) was used as disintegrant compared to polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP). Tablets containing Kollidon VA64 were found to disintegrate by surface erosion. The novel method provides an in-depth understanding of the functional behaviour of the tablet material, composition and structural properties under in vivo-like hydrodynamic forces regarding disintegration and the temporal progress of dispersion. We consider the 3D Tomo-LIF in vitro method to be of improved biorelevance in terms of hydrodynamic conditions in the human stomach.

Does It Pay to Treat Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019? Social Perception of Physicians Treating Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the public has often expressed great appreciation toward medical personnel who were often shown in the media expressing strong emotions about the situation. To examine whether the perception of people on a physician is in fact influenced by whether the physician treats patients with COVID-19 and the emotions they expressed in response to the situation, 454 participants were recruited in May 2020. Participants saw facial expressions of anger, sadness, happiness, and neutrality which supposedly were shown by physicians who were presented as working either in COVID-19 wards or in an internal medicine ward. Participants rated how competent, empathetic, caring, and likable each physician was, to what degree they would wish to be treated by each physician, and what salary each physician deserved. Physicians treating patients with COVID-19 were seen more positively and as deserving higher pay; they appeared more competent, caring, likable, and were more likely to be chosen as a caregiver compared to physicians not treating patients with COVID-19. The expressed emotions of physicians had a strong impact on how they were perceived, yet this effect was largely unrelated to whether they treated patients with COVID-19 or not such that happy physicians seemed more empathetic, caring, and likable than the physicians who showed negative emotions. Positive regard toward physicians treating patients with COVID-19 was associated with the fact that they were seen as saving lives and not due to the risk imposed by their work.

Effectiveness of Public Spending before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic of COVID-19 influences all sectors of the economy. It caused decreasing in produced Gross domestic product (GDP) and higher unemployment. As it is known, to overcome this negative tendency, it is possible to put in practice monetary and fiscal instruments. During the pandemic, the government tried to slow down negative economic results through public spending. With them, the government looks to be increased aggregate demand in the economy and as a result-GDP raises and unemployment reduces. The research is based on created original model for testing the impact of total public spending, capital, salary, social insurance and care, for maintenance by a consolidated fiscal program on the value of GDP. The changes of GDP measure the effectiveness of public spending. The period of research is before and during the COVID-19 crisis (2019-2020) in the case of Bulgaria. Before the pandemic the analysis shows coefficient of determination for capital spending is more significant compare with all other types of public expenditure and these cost predetermine economic growth. During the pandemic of COVID-19 public spending has used as the main instrument to overcome the negative results for the economy. For this period it found an extremely strong impact of labor costs and social care expenditure on aggregate demand. They bring more positive results to be solved health issues, but not for faster recovery of the economy.

The Distribution of pCO2W and Air-Sea CO2 Fluxes Using FFNN at the Continental Shelf Areas of the Arctic Ocean

A feed-forward neural network (FFNN) was used to estimate the monthly climatology of partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2W) at a spatial resolution of 1° latitude by 1° longitude in the continental shelf of the European Arctic Sector (EAS) of the Arctic Ocean (the Greenland, Norwegian, and Barents seas). The predictors of the network were sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), the upper ocean mixed-layer depth (MLD), and chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a), and as a target, we used 2 853 pCO2W data points from the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas. We built an FFNN based on three major datasets that differed in the Chl-a concentration data used to choose the best model to reproduce the spatial distribution and temporal variability of pCO2W. Using all physical–biological components improved estimates of the pCO2W and decreased the biases, even though Chl-a values in many grid cells were interpolated values. General features of pCO2W distribution were reproduced with very good accuracy, but the network underestimated pCO2W in the winter and overestimated pCO2W values in the summer. The results show that the model that contains interpolating Chl-a concentration, SST, SSS, and MLD as a target to predict the spatiotemporal distribution of pCO2W in the sea surface gives the best results and best-fitting network to the observational data. The calculation of monthly drivers of the estimated pCO2W change within continental shelf areas of the EAS confirms the major impact of not only the biological effects to the pCO2W distribution and Air-Sea CO2 flux in the EAS, but also the strong impact of the upper ocean mixing. A strong seasonal correlation between predictor and pCO2W seen earlier in the North Atlantic is clearly a yearly correlation in the EAS. The five-year monthly mean CO2 flux distribution shows that all continental shelf areas of the Arctic Ocean were net CO2 sinks. Strong monthly CO2 influx to the Arctic Ocean through the Greenland and Barents Seas (>12 gC m−2 day−1) occurred in the fall and winter, when the pCO2W level at the sea surface was high (>360 µatm) and the strongest wind speed (>12 ms−1) was present.

Temperature Effects on Tuber Production and Carbohydrates Partitioning in Different Cultivars During Consecutive Stages of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Growth

The main objective of this study was to assess responses of mid-early (Spunta) and mid-late (Bellini) potato cultivars to different temperature regimes during subsequent stages of potato growth. The impact of high temperature (25/22°C day/night), low temperature (18/16°C day/night) and intermediate temperature (20/18°C day/night) was evaluated for different growth stages. Data were obtained for photosynthesis, carbohydrates in leaves, stems and tubers as well as production parameters. Enzyme activities were determined for sucrose-phosphate synthase in leaves, acid invertase in stems and acid and neutral invertases in tubers. Gene expression levels of relevant sugar metabolizing enzymes was quantified.A detailed correlation analysis revealed a strong impact of the expression level of sugar metabolizing enzymes in leaves on the final number of tubers per plant.Whereas total tuber yield increases with temperature, the number of tubers per plant was highest under low temperature conditions. Our data suggest an important role of the temperature on the length of the different growth stages.

Impact of Postgraduate Student Internships During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postgraduate students’ internships in China, 911 students from different regions of China were surveyed through online questionnaires. Among the postgraduate students surveyed, 48.51% of which believed that the pandemic had its greatest impact on colleagues interaction, and 59.60% believed that the pandemic had a strong impact on practical skills. In total, 31.8% of postgraduate internship programs were impacted by COVID-19. The proportions of respondents having severe, moderate, and mild anxiety levels were 1.42%, 4.72%, and 15.92%, respectively; and the rates of severe, moderate, and mild depression were 1.64%, 10.86%, and 21.84%, respectively. ANOVA found that major, degree type, and degree of impact of the pandemic on colleague interactions and improved practical abilities all affected postgraduate mental health. The findings suggest that the mental health of postgraduate students should be monitored during a pandemic, and targeted psychological counseling should be offered. Postgraduate internships should be emphasized as to ensure a smooth internship process during a pandemic period. Psychological counseling and assistance should be provided to those whose internships were affected by the pandemic, and programs should be set up to aid postgraduate students in adapting to the new internship and employment conditions brought on by the “new normal” of pandemic prevention and control.

Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Transition to a Circular Economy (CE) in Vietnam by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

Currently, the transition to a circular economy is becoming a development trend of many countries around the world to cope with climate change and reduce carbon emissions. Vietnam is also one of the countries in the process of taking steps to transition to a circular economy. However, to make a successful transition to a circular economy, citizen participation is essential. Thus, the question is, are people ready to participate in the circular economy? Therefore, this study surveyed 431 people regarding their willingness to participate in the circular economy based on the theory of planned behavior and the structural equation model. The results of empirical research have shown that the factors attention to the environment, and attitude towards intention are the factors that have a strong impact on willingness to participate in the circular economy. Based on the given influencing factors, the authors make some policy suggestions for the Vietnamese government in the transition to a circular economy.

Male and female recombination landscapes of diploid Arabidopsis arenosa

The number and placement of meiotic crossover events during meiosis has important implications for the fidelity of chromosome segregation as well as patterns of inheritance. Despite the functional importance of recombination, recombination landscapes vary widely among and within species, and this can have a strong impact on evolutionary processes. A good knowledge of recombination landscapes is important for model systems in evolutionary and ecological genetics, since it can improve interpretation of genomic patterns of differentiation and genome evolution, and provides an important starting point for understanding the causes and consequences of recombination rate variation. Arabidopsis arenosa is a powerful evolutionary genetic model for studying the molecular basis of adaptation and recombination rate evolution. Here we generate genetic maps for two diploid A. arenosa individuals from distinct genetic lineages where we have prior knowledge that meiotic genes show evidence of selection. We complement the genetic maps with cytological approaches to map and quantify recombination rates, and test the idea that these populations might have distinct patterns of recombination. We explore how recombination differs at the level of populations, individuals, sexes and genomic regions. We show that the positioning of crossovers along a chromosome correlates with their number, presumably a consequence of crossover interference, and discuss how this effect can cause differences in recombination landscape among sexes or species. We identify several instances of female segregation distortion. We found that averaged genome-wide recombination rate is lower and sex differences subtler in A. arenosa than in A. thaliana.