scholarly journals Effect of Risk and Protective Decision Aids on Flood Preparation in Vulnerable Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi ◽  
Baruch Fischhoff ◽  
Benjamin Strauss

Abstract Although the risks of flooding demand responses by communities and societies, there are also many cost-effective actions that individuals can take. The authors examine two potential determinants of such adoption: individual predisposition to act and the impact of decision aids that emphasize the risk, the actions, both, or neither (control). Respondents are a representative sample (N = 1201) of individuals in the areas most heavily affected by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The authors find that, in the overall sample, seeing protective actions coupled with risk information or alone produced higher rates of individuals reporting that they intended to take action preparing for future storms, compared to a control group receiving no additional information. Moreover, that occurred despite the aids reducing their perceptions of risk. The authors find that individuals who reported having taken previous action are more responsive to decision aid messages with the exception of the combined message (risk and protective actions)—which had a positive effect on those who had not acted previously, but a negative effect on those who had. These results suggest that, in communities that already are aware of their flood risks, the critical need is for authoritative, comprehensible information regarding the most feasible and cost-effective protective actions that they can take. Providing such information requires analysis to determine which actions qualify and a design process that incorporates user feedback to ensure that recommendations are easily understood and credible.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xupeng Yuan ◽  
Jiahao Yan ◽  
Ruizhi Hu ◽  
Yanli Li ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
...  

Recent evidences suggest that gut microbiota plays an important role in regulating physiological and metabolic activities of pregnant sows, and β-carotene has a potentially positive effect on reproduction, but the impact of β-carotene on gut microbiota in pregnant sows remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanisms of β-carotene on the reproductive performance of sows from the aspect of gut microbiota. A total of 48 hybrid pregnant sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) with similar parity were randomly allocated into three groups (n = 16) and fed with a basal diet or a diet containing 30 or 90 mg/kg of β-carotene from day 90 of gestation until parturition. Dietary supplementation of 30 or 90 mg/kg β-carotene increased the number of live birth to 11.82 ± 1.54 and 12.29 ± 2.09, respectively, while the control group was 11.00 ± 1.41 (P = 0.201). Moreover, β-carotene increased significantly the serum nitric oxide (NO) level and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.05). Characterization of fecal microbiota revealed that 90 mg/kg β-carotene increased the diversity of the gut flora (P < 0.05). In particular, β-carotene decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes including Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, Lachnospiraceae NK4B4 group and Ruminococcaceae UCG-008, but enriched Proteobacteria including Bilophila and Sutterella, and Actinobacteria including Corynebacterium and Corynebacterium 1 which are related to NO synthesis. These data demonstrated that dietary supplementation of β-carotene may increase antioxidant enzyme activity and NO, an important vasodilator to promote the neonatal blood circulation, through regulating gut microbiota in sows.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilham Akbar

The research entitled �The Influence of Relationship Marketing and Relationship Quality Towards Customer Loyalty with Customer Satisfaction as The Intervening Variable on Mulleg Perfume Product in Purwokerto� aims to determine the impact of relationship marketing and relationship quality towards customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and to determine whether customer satisfaction could become the intervening variable. The hypothesis of this research is the relationship marketing has negative effect towards customer satisfaction, the relationship marketing has positive effect towards customer loyalty, the relationship quality has positively effect towards customer satisfaction, the relationship quality has positively effect towards the customer loyalty, and the customer loyalty could be able to mediate the influence of relationship marketing and relationship quality toward customer loyalty.� The analysis method that used on this research is the structural equation modeling.The results show that the relationship marketing has positive and significant effect towards customer satisfaction. It will increase the customer satisfaction of Mulleg Aromatic perfume product in Purwokerto. The relationship quality has positive and significant effect towards customer satisfaction, so it will increase the customer satisfaction of Mulleg Aromatic perfume product in Purwokerto. The relationship marketing has positive and significant effect towards customer loyalt. It will increase the customer loyalty of Mulleg Aromatic perfume product in Purwokerto. The relationship quality has positive and significant effect towards the customer loyalty. The Customer Satisfaction has positive and significant effect towards customer loyalty. The customer satisfaction could mediate the influence of relationship marketing towards the customer loyalty on Mulleg Aromatic perfume product in Purwokerto. The customer satisfaction could mediate the influence of relationship quality towards the customer loyalty of Mulleg Aromatic perfume product in Purwokerto.�Keywords : Relationship Marketing , Relationship Quality , Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty�


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 04009
Author(s):  
Irina Chervonova

The article presents the results of studying the impact of the spore-forming probiotic “Olin” and the prebiotic “Eсofiltrum” on the meat quality of broiler chicken carcasses of the Ross-308 cross. In the course of the research, it has been found that the inclusion of these preparations in the broiler diet has a positive effect on the studied indicators: the pre-slaughter weight increased by 4.3-5.7%, the weight of the gutted carcass by 4.6-6.2%, the muscle weight 4.8-6.5%, the weight of the loin muscles by 5.7-8.2%. The ratio of edible parts to inedible parts is 4.14 in the third experimental group, 4.08-in the second, and 4.04-in the control. Based on the results of the anatomical cutting of broiler carcasses and according to the fatness indicators the poultry carcasses of the third and second experimental groups, 87.5% and 87.2%, respectively, belong to the first grade, and the yield of the first grade carcasses is 86.2% in the control group. Meat products obtained from both the control poultry and the poultry of both experimental groups has no off-aroma odor and taste, the meat is juicy, tender and aromatic. The products obtained from broiler chickens, whose ration includes the probiotic “Olin” and the prebiotic “Ecofiltrum”, do not have any deviations from the established standards and norms. During the research, it has been found that the use of the studied drugs has a positive effect on the meat quality of poultry carcasses. However, broiler chickens receiving the probiotic “Olin” has more pronounced meat qualities.


Author(s):  
Andrzej Zyluk ◽  
Konrad Czernikiewicz ◽  
Joanna Antoniak ◽  
Urszula Abramczyk

Abstract Background Microsurgery is a specific surgical expertise that involves operating on very small structures, and requires the assistance of a magnifying device: a microscope or loupes. Several factors have been identified that could affect the quality of microsurgical performance in training or surgical procedures. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the selected factors – caffeine, alcohol and physical exercise – on a microsurgical task prior its performance. Methods Ten students from the 5th and 6th years of medical studies who had completed the advanced microsurgical course performed a “6-stitches test” on a latex glove spanned over a cup prior to and after consumption of caffeine, alcohol and performing physical exercises. The times taken to complete the task at baseline and post-exposure were recorded. Results The results of the study show a statistically significant positive effect of caffeine and a statistically significant negative effect of physical exercise on microsurgical performance when performed shortly before the task. Small dose of alcohol taken before the task showed had little effect on performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Aisyah Amatul Ghina ◽  
Subiakto Sukarno

To achieve a vision of sustainable financial well-being (FWB) in Indonesia, generating more knowledge in household behavior and FWB is pivotal. This study assesses the impact of household financial position and social comparison on individual FWB in Indonesia. Using the latest wave of Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) dataset, subjective FWB assessed by questions on subjective prosperity, perceived current standard of living adequacy and perceived future standard of living. The empirical analysis shows that net wealth and total assets are also essential determinants and positively related to FWB along with income. On the contrary, though it is only found significant on the perceived current standard of living adequacy, the total debt level has a negative effect on FWB. The findings also confirm that socioeconomic and demographic factors also significantly affect FWB (e.g., being female and more educated has a positive effect on FWB). Furthermore, it also found that relative financial position (i.e., social comparison) has important roles in determining individuals' FWB level. Being above the reference group's average for a particular financial measure (i.e., income and total assets) has a positive effect on an individual's FWB. The findings of this study suggest for promoting financial education in the national school system starting senior high school to increase the level of financial well-being among young adult and people with lower educational attainment.JEL Classification C31; D14; I31


Author(s):  
Alimohammad Ranjbar ◽  
Elahe Kamali Ardakani ◽  
Rahele Zareshahi

Aims: In Iranian culture, due to some narratives from the prophet Mohammad about the use of frankincense during pregnancy for increasing IQ in children, some women consume frankincense during expectancy. This study's goal is to evaluate the relationship between frankincense used during pregnancy and the incidence of ADHD. Methods: In this study, the case group comprised children 4-17 years old referring to Shahid Chamran Pharmacy in Yazd from summer to winter 2018 for receiving Methylphenidate, those with whom a psychologist had identified ADHD based on DSM-V factors.  The control group included children of the same age group but without ADHD. For data gathering, a checklist was used with some questions on smoking, family history of ADHD, presence/absence of a specific disease during pregnancy, frankincense used during pregnancy, and a chemical medication consumed during pregnancy. Results: The main result demonstrated that the children whose mothers used frankincense during pregnancy were 0.67 times less likely to be affected by ADHD than those whose mothers did not use this substance. However, the difference failed to be statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Some studies report that frankincense can bear a positive effect on the development of the brain and possibly adequate formation of dendrites trees, axons and induce proper communication between them, so the impact of frankincense on the brain may be justified by its protective effect against the hyperactive child.


Author(s):  
E. V. Romanova

We studied the effect of the antimicrobial drug «Multiomycin 1 %» on the hematological and biochemical pa-rameters of blood, the activity of digestive enzymes (amylase, alkaline phosphatase, protease), the structure of the mi-crobiocenosis of the small and large intestines, and the quality of the products. Based on the results of preclinical stud-ies, a production test was carried out in conjunction with the veterinary drug «Yuberin oral», as well as an assessment of the impact on the productivity of poultry was given. «Multiomycin 1 %» did not adversely affect the chickens. The drug had a positive effect on the activity of the digestive processes, increased their activity. Contributed to a decrease in the total microbial contamination in the contents of the small and large intestines and an increase in the content of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Combined use with yuberin contributed to an increase in safety, an increase in the aver-age daily gain, as well as a decrease in the incidence of gastroenteritis. The weight gain at the end of the experiment in the chickens of the experimental group was 3,74 % higher than in the control. The use of the veterinary drug «Multiomycin 1 %» did not have a negative effect on the quality of the products.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubén Martínez-Alonso ◽  
María J. Martínez-Romero ◽  
Alfonso A. Rojo-Ramírez

The aim of this research is to explore the effect that innovation, as a potential source of sustained competitive advantage and firm growth, has on the achievement of sustainable economic performance. In particular, this paper empirically examines the influence of four innovation forms (intramural R&D, extramural R&D, product innovation, and process innovation) on firms’ sustainable economic performance, considering the moderating effect of family involvement in management. To test the hypotheses, random-effects regression analyses are applied to a longitudinal sample of 598 Spanish private manufacturing firms throughout the 2006–2015 period. The results show a negative effect of intramural and extramural R&D on sustainable economic performance and a positive effect of process innovation on sustainable economic performance. Moreover, a reinforced relationship between process innovation and sustainable economic performance is also revealed when family involvement in management acts as a moderator. The findings make several contributions to research and practice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 903-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amro A. Maher ◽  
Anusorn Singhapakdi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the moral failure of a scandalized foreign brand afflicted with a product-harm crisis on competing brands (i.e. within the same product category) while taking into account the country of origin (COO) of the brands. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the results of two studies. The first study uses an experimental design, while the second uses a survey to examine a real-life product-harm crisis. Findings The results indicate that the moral failure of a scandalized foreign brand has an indirect negative effect on the intention to purchase competing foreign brands from the COO of the scandalized foreign brand. This effect is, however, reversed for domestic brands, where moral failure has an indirect positive effect on the intention to purchase competing domestic brands. Research limitations/implications The results of this research were based on an examination of how US consumers responded to the moral failure of Japanese and German brands. Future studies should examine brands from different COOs in different countries. Practical implications These results suggest that competing foreign brands from the COO of the scandalized brand should collaborate to quickly handle a product-harm crisis to prevent a spillover and that domestic competitors should capitalize on the opportunity to attract new customers. Originality/value This study represents a first attempt to examine the effect of a foreign brand’s moral failure in handling product-harm crisis on competing brands, both foreign and domestic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Naranjo Sánchez

Abstract Based on previous findings about the role of music as an emotional stimulus, as well as the potential benefits of music-driven emotional engagement in written production and creative behaviour, the present study investigates the impact of emotional background music on translation quality and creativity. A translation experiment in two different conditions (music vs. silence) was conducted in a controlled environment. Participants translated two literary texts of opposing emotional contents (happy vs. sad) while they listened to an emotionally-matching soundtrack. Statistical analysis of within- and between-group comparisons only revealed conclusive results for the sad condition, showing a positive effect of sad music on translation creativity and a negative effect on accuracy.


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