Search results for: consumer protection association

Authors: Estibe Dagne Mekonnen

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In recent years, the prevalence of undernourishment was 30 percent for sub-Saharan Africa, compared with 16 percent for Asia and the Pacific (Ali, 2011). In Ethiopia, almost 40 percent of the total population in the country and 57 percent of Addis Ababa population lives below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 per day (UNICEF, 2009). This study aims to analyze the determinant of household food secrity in Addis Ababa city administration. Primary data were collected from a survey of 256 households in the selected sub-city, namely Addis Ketema, Arada, and Kolfe Keranio, in the year 2022. Both Purposive and multi-stage cluster random sampling procedures were employed to select study areas and respondents. Descriptive statistics and order logistic regression model were used to test the formulated hypotheses. The result reveals that out of the total sampled households, 25% them were food secured, 13% were mildly food insecure, 26% were moderately food insecure and 36% were severely food insecure. The study indicates that household family size, house ownership, household income, household food source, household asset possession, household awareness on inflation, household access to social protection program, household access to credit and saving and household access to training and supervision on food security have a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of household food security status. However, marital status of household head, employment sector of household head, dependency ratio and household’s nonfood expenditure has a negative and significant influence on household food security status. The study finally suggests that the government in collaboration with financial institutions and NGO should work on sustaining household food security by creating awareness, providing credit, facilitate rural-urban linkage between producer and consumer and work on urban infrastructure improvement. Moreover, the governments also work closely and monitor consumer good suppliers, if possible find a way to subsidize consumable goods to more insecure households and make them to be food secured. Last but not least, keeping this country’s peace will play a crucial role to sustain food security.

Keywords: determinants, household, food security, order logit model, Addis Ababa

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Authors: Suman Podder

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As Australian ‘Open Banking’ allows customers to share their financial data with accredited Third-Party Providers (‘TPPs’), it is necessary to evaluate whether the regulators have achieved the balance between protecting customer data privacy and promoting data-related innovation. Recognising the need to increase customers’ influence on their own data, and the benefits of data-related innovation, the Australian Government introduced ‘Consumer Data Right’ (‘CDR’) to the banking sector through Open Banking regulation. Under Open Banking, TPPs can access customers’ banking data that allows the TPPs to tailor their products and services to meet customer needs at a more competitive price. This facilitated access and use of customer data will promote innovation by providing opportunities for new products and business models to emerge and grow. However, the success of Open Banking depends on the willingness of the customers to share their data, so the regulators have augmented the protection of data by introducing new privacy safeguards to instill confidence and trust in the system. The dilemma in policymaking is that, on the one hand, lenient data privacy laws will help the flow of information, but at the risk of individuals’ loss of privacy, on the other hand, stringent laws that adequately protect privacy may dissuade innovation. Using theoretical and doctrinal methods, this paper examines whether the privacy safeguards under Open Banking will add to the compliance burden of the participating financial institutions, resulting in the undesirable effect of stifling other policy objectives such as innovation. The contribution of this research is three-fold. In the emerging field of customer data sharing, this research is one of the few academic studies on the objectives and impact of Open Banking in the Australian context. Additionally, Open Banking is still in the early stages of implementation, so this research traces the evolution of Open Banking through policy debates regarding the desirability of customer data-sharing. Finally, the research focuses not only on the customers’ data privacy and juxtaposes it with another important objective of promoting innovation, but it also highlights the critical issues facing the data-sharing regime. This paper argues that while it is challenging to develop a regulatory framework for protecting data privacy without impeding innovation and jeopardising yet unknown opportunities, data privacy and innovation promote different aspects of customer welfare. This paper concludes that if a regulation is appropriately designed and implemented, the benefits of data-sharing will outweigh the cost of compliance with the CDR.

Keywords: consumer data right, innovation, open banking, privacy safeguards

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Authors: Hefzollah Mohammadian, Ensieh Hajeb, Mohamad Baqer Heidari

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In this paper, for the protection and safety of tanks gases (flammable materials) and also due to the considerable economic value of the reservoir, the new system for the protection, the conservation and fire fighting has been cloned. The system consists of several parts: the Sensors to detect heat and fire with Nanotechnology (nano sensor), Barrier for isolation and protection from a range of two electronic zones, analyzer for detection and locating point of fire accurately, Main electronic board to announce fire, Fault diagnosis in different locations, such as relevant alarms and activate different devices for fire distinguish and announcement. An important feature of this system, high speed and capability of fire detection system in a way that is able to detect the value of the ambient temperature that can be adjusted. Another advantage of this system is autonomous and does not require human operator in place. Using nanotechnology, in addition to speeding up the work, reduces the cost of construction of the sensor and also the notification system and fire extinguish.

Keywords: analyser, barrier, heat resistance, general fault, general alarm, nano sensor

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Authors: Aungkana Kmonpetch

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Protection of trafficked victims and partnership among stakeholders are established as core principles in 5P’ strategies in international and national anti-human trafficking policies. In this article, it is of interest to discuss how the role of public-private partnerships in promoting the occupation development for employment in wage will enhance the better protection for victims of trafficking who affirmatively decide they want a criminal justice intervention, using Thailand as a case. Most of the victims who have accepted to be witness in the criminal justice system have lost income during their absence from work. The analysis of Thailand case is based on two methodological approaches: 1) interview with victims of trafficking, protection authorities, service providers, trainers and teachers, social workers, NGOs, police, prosecutors, business owners and enterprises, ILO, UNDP etc.; 2) create collaborative effort through workshops/consultation meetings in participation of all stakeholders – governmental agencies, private organizations, UN and international agencies. The linking of protection and partnership is anchored in international conventions and human trafficking directives. While this is actually framed as a responsive advantage for 5P strategies of anti-human trafficking – prevention, protection, persecution, punishment, and partnership, in reality, there might have more practical requirements of care and support. The article addresses how the partnership between governmental agencies and private organizations provide opportunities for trafficked victims to engage in high-skilled occupational development such as Silk-Sewing and Tailoring. The discussion is also focused how this approach of capacity building of the trainer for trainee, be enable the trafficked victims to cultivate the practices of high-skilled training to engage them into the business of social enterprise with employment in wage. The partnership coordination draws specifically to two aspects: firstly, to formulate appropriate assistance for promotion and protection of human rights of the trafficked victims in response to the 5P’ strategies of anti-human trafficking policy; secondly, to empower them to settle some economic stability for livelihood opportunity in the country of origin on their return and reintegration. Therefore, they can define how they want to move forward to prevent them at risk of vulnerable situations where they might being trafficked again or going on to work in exploitative conditions. It strengthens proper access to protection and assistance, depending on how the incentive of protection for cooperation is perceived to be and how useful the capacity building in occupation development for employment in wage will be implemented practically both in the host country and in the country of origin. This also brings into question how the victim of trafficking are able to access to the trade of market and are supported the employment opportunity according to the concept of decent work as they are constituted as witnesses. We discuss these issues in the area of a broader literature on social protection, economic security, gender, law, and victimhood.

Keywords: employment opportunity, occupation development, protection for victim of trafficking, public-private partnership

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Authors: Suwimol Apapol, Punrapha Praditpong

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The objectives of the study were to find out the frequencies of figures of speech in fragrance advertising captions as well as the types of figures of speech most commonly applied in captions. The relation between figures of speech and fragrance was also examined in order to analyze how figures of speech were used to represent fragrance. Thirty-five fragrance advertisements were randomly selected from the Internet. Content analysis was applied in order to consider the relation between figures of speech and fragrance. The results showed that figures of speech were found in almost every fragrance advertisement except one advertisement of several Goods service. Thirty-four fragrance advertising captions used at least one kind of figure of speech. Metaphor was most frequently found and also most frequently applied in fragrance advertising captions, followed by alliteration, rhyme, simile and personification, and hyperbole respectively which is in harmony with the research hypotheses as well.

Keywords: advertising captions, captions on internet, consumer purchasing decision, e-commerce

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Authors: Amrashaa Singh

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In the digital age and the large cyberspace, Data Protection and Privacy have become major issues in this technological era. There was a time when social media and online shopping websites were treated as a blessing for the people. But now the tables have turned, and the people have started to look at them with suspicion. They are getting aware of the privacy implications, and they do not feel as safe as they used to initially. When Edward Snowden informed the world about the snooping United States Security Agencies had been doing, that is when the picture became clear for the people. After the Cambridge Analytica case where the data of Facebook users were stored without their consent, the doubts arose in the minds of people about how safe they actually are. In India, the case of spyware Pegasus also raised a lot of concerns. It was used to snoop on a lot of human right activists and lawyers and the company which invented the spyware claims that it only sells it to the government. The paper will be dealing with the privacy concerns in the Indian perspective with an analytical methodology. The Supreme Court here had recently declared a right to privacy a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Further, the Government is also working on the Data Protection Bill. The point to note is that India is still a developing country, and with the bill, the government aims at data localization. But there are doubts in the minds of many people that the Government would actually be snooping on the data of the individuals. It looks more like an attempt to curb dissenters ‘lawfully’. The focus of the paper would be on these issues in India in light of the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Indian Data Protection Bill is also said to be loosely based on EU GDPR. But how helpful would these laws actually be is another concern since the economic and social conditions in both countries are very different? The paper aims at discussing these concerns, how good or bad is the intention of the government behind the bill, and how the nations can act together and draft common regulations so that there is some uniformity in the laws and their application.

Keywords: Article 21, data protection, dissent, fundamental right, India, privacy

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Authors: Razan Salem

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Men and women are different, and so their investment behaviors may also vary. To the author’s best knowledge, women's investment behavior and its association with demographic factors have not been explored directly in the behavioral finance literature, however, particularly in respect to the Arab region. Thus, this study extends the literature by focusing on examining the association of demographic factors (age, annual income, and education) with Arab women’s investment behavior. To achieve the study’s aim, the researcher distributed 600 close-ended online questionnaires to a sample of Arab male and female individual investors in both Saudi Arabia and Jordan; using Kruskal-Wallis H Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test to analyze the data. The findings reveal that age, education, and level of income are associated with Arab women’s investment behavior. Educational level and level of income are positively associated with Arab women investment confidence level. On the contrary, age is negatively associated with Arab women financial risk tolerance. According to annual income, Arab women with lower incomes have lower confidence and investment literacy levels. Overall, the study concludes that age, income, and education are important demographic factors that must be considered when investigating the investment behavior of women in the Arab region.

Keywords: Arab region, demographic factors, investment behavior, women investors

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Authors: Deepak Deshpande, Vikas Minchekar

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Day by day in modern India communal forces became stronger and stronger. Each and every caste group trying to show their strength through massive marches. Such kind of marches or ralliesruinous national integrity in India. To test this assumption present investigation has been carried out. This research was undertaken by using survey techniques. The study has been carried out in two phases. In the first stage, the students’ attitudes were collected while in the second phase the views of the members of the historical association were collected. The social dominance orientation scale and sources of social dominance inventory have been administered on 200 college students belonging to Maratha caste. Analyzed data revealed ahigh level of social dominance in Maratha caste students. Approximately, 80 percent students have reported that they have learned such dominance from the medieval history. The other sources disappear very less prominent. These results and present Indian social situation have been communicated with the members of the historical association of India. The majority members of this association agreed with this reality. The consensus also received on that Maratha caste person experiencing dominance due to the misinterpretation of the King Shivaji Empire; synchronize by politicians. The survey monkey app was used through electronic mail to collect the views on ‘The attitude towards the modification of curricula questionnaire’. The maximum number of members of the historical association agreed to employ to teach the medieval Indian history accordingly the secular perspectives.

Keywords: social dominance orientation, secular perceptive, national integrity, Maratha caste and medieval Indian history

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Authors: Nouha Ben Salah, Mohamed Ali Omri

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This paper treats the association between disclosure level and the cost of equity capital in Tunisian’slisted firms. This relation is tested by using two models. The first is used for testing this relation directly by regressing firm specific estimates of cost of equity capital on market beta, firm size and a measure of disclosure level. The second model is used for testing this relation by introducing information asymmetry as mediator variable. This model is suggested by Baron and Kenny (1986) to demonstrate the role of mediator variable in general. Based on a sample of 21 non-financial Tunisian’s listed firms over a period from 2000 to 2004, the results prove that greater disclosure is associated with a lower cost of equity capital. However, the results of indirect relationship indicate a significant positive association between the level of voluntary disclosure and information asymmetry and a significant negative association between information asymmetry and cost of equity capital in contradiction with our previsions. Perhaps this result is due to the biases of measure of information asymmetry.

Keywords: cost of equity capital, voluntary disclosure, information asymmetry, and Tunisian’s listed non-financial firms

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Authors: Wajeeha Zahid, Shafquat Rozi, Farhan Raza, Masood Kadir

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Background: Dental caries affects the overall health and well-being of children. Findings from various international studies regarding the association of dental caries with asthma are inconsistent. With the increasing burden of caries and childhood asthma, it becomes imperative for an underdeveloped country like Pakistan where resources are limited to identify whether there is a relationship between the two. This study aims to identify an association between dental caries and asthma. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 544 children aged 12-15 years recruited from five private schools in Karachi. Information on asthma was collected through the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed questions regarding child’s demographics, physician diagnoses of asthma, type of medication administered, family history of asthma and allergies, dietary habits and oral hygiene behavior. Dental caries was assessed using DMFT Index (Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth) index The data was analyzed using Cox proportional Hazard algorithm and crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with 95% CI were reported. Results: This study comprises of 306 (56.3%) boys and 238 (43.8%) girls. The mean age of children was 13.2 ± (0.05) years. The total number of children with carious teeth (DMFT > 0) were 166/544 (30.5%), and the decayed component contributed largely (22.8%) to the DMFT score. The prevalence of physician’s diagnosed asthma was 13%. This study identified almost 7% asthmatic children using the internationally validated International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) tool and 8 children with childhood asthma were identified by parent interviews. Overall prevalence of asthma was 109/544 (20%). The prevalence of caries in asthmatic children was 28.4% as compared to 31% among non-asthmatic children. The adjusted prevalence ratio of dental caries in asthmatic children was 0.8 (95% CI 0.59-1.29). After adjusting for carious food intake, age, oral hygiene index and dentist visit, the association between asthma and dental caries turned out to be non-significant. Conclusion: There was no association between asthma and dental caries among children who participated in this study.

Keywords: asthma, caries, children, school-based

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Authors: Shaokun Ge, Bart Merci, Fubao Zhou, Gao Liu, Ya Ni

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This study investigates the thermal response of main cables and suspenders in suspension bridges subjected to vehicle fires, integrating large-scale gasoline pool fire experiments with numerical simulations. Focusing on a suspension bridge in China, the research examines the impact of wind speed, pool size, and lane position on flame dynamics and temperature distribution along the cables. The results indicate that higher wind speeds and larger pool sizes markedly increase the mass burning rate, causing flame deflection and non-uniform temperature distribution along the cables. Under a wind speed of 1.56 m/s, maximum temperatures reached approximately 960 ℃ near the base in emergency lane fires and 909 ℃ at 1.6 m height for slow lane fires, underscoring the heightened thermal risk from emergency lane fires. The study recommends a zoning strategy for cable fire protection, suggesting a 0-12.8 m protection zone with a target temperature of 1000 ℃ and a 12.8-20.8 m zone with a target temperature of 700 ℃, both with a 90-minute fire resistance. This approach, based on precise temperature distribution data from experimental and simulation results, provides a vital reference for the fire protection design of suspension bridge cables. Understanding cable temperature response during vehicle fires is crucial for developing fire protection systems, as it dictates necessary structural protection, fire resistance duration, and maximum temperatures for mitigation. Challenges of controlling environmental wind in large-scale fire tests are also addressed, along with a call for further research on fire behavior mechanisms and structural temperature response in cable-supported bridges under varying wind conditions. Conclusively, the proposed zoning strategy enhances the theoretical understanding of near-field temperature response in bridge fires, contributing significantly to the field by supporting the design of passive fire protection systems for bridge cables, safeguarding their integrity under extreme fire conditions.

Keywords: bridge fire, temperature response, large-scale experiment, numerical simulations, fire protection

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Authors: Michael Saad Thabet Azrek

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Experiential advertising method is an unforgettable revel that remains deeply anchored within the customer's memory. Furthermore, client pleasure is defined as the emotional reaction to the stories provided that relate to precise products or services bought. Consequently, experiential advertising sports can influence the extent of consumer pleasure and loyalty. In this context, they have a look at pursuits to observe the connection between experiential advertising, purchaser satisfaction and loyalty to splendor merchandise in Konya. The outcomes of this examination confirmed that experiential marketing is an important indicator of consumer pride and loyalty, and that experiential advertising and marketing have a large positive impact on patron satisfaction and loyalty.

Keywords: sponsorship, marketing communication theories, marketing communication tools internet, marketing, tourism, tourism management corporate responsibility, employee organizational performance, internal marketing, internal customer experiential marketing, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, social sciences.

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Authors: Maruska Vizek, Josip Glaurdic, Marina Tkalec, Goran Vuksic

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We empirically explore whether and how taxation affects bilateral real exchange rates in the euro area – relative unit labor costs and relative consumer price indices. We find that employers’ social security contributions and the value added tax changes have the expected effects put forward in the fiscal devaluation literature and simulations. Increases in employers’ contributions appreciate the relative unit labor costs in the short- and the long-run, while value added tax hike appreciates the relative consumer prices. Somewhat surprisingly, for personal income tax increases, we find a short-run depreciating impact on the relative unit labor costs, while increases in employees’ contributions depreciate both measures of real exchange rates in the short-run.

Keywords: sovereign bonds, European Union, developing countries, political determinants

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Authors: Cynthia K. Burzell

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Aequor's Founder, a Marine and Medical Microbiologist, discovered novel, non-toxic chemicals in the ocean that uniquely remove biofilm in minutes and prevent its formation for days. These chemicals and over 70 synthesized analogs that Aequor developed can replace thousands of toxic biocides used in consumer and industrial products and, as new drug candidates, kill biofilm-forming bacteria and fungi Superbugs -the antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens for which there is no cure. Cynthia Burzell, PhD., is a Marine and Medical Microbiologist studying natural mechanisms that inhibit biofilm formation on surfaces in contact with water. In 2002, she discovered a new genus and several new species of marine microbes that produce small molecules that remove biofilm in minutes and prevent its formation for days. The molecules include new antimicrobials that can replace thousands of toxic biocides used in consumer and industrial products and can be developed into new drug candidates to kill the biofilm-forming bacteria and fungi -- including the antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) Superbugs for which there is no cure. Today, Aequor has over 70 chemicals that are divided into categories: (1) Novel natural chemicals. Lonza validated that the primary natural chemical removed biofilm in minutes and stated: "Nothing else known can do this at non-toxic doses." (2) Specialty chemicals. 25 of these structural analogs are already approved under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxic Substances Control Act, certified as "green" and available for immediate sale. These have been validated for the following agro-industrial verticals: (a) Surface cleaners: The U.S. Department of Agriculture validated that low concentrations of Aequor's formulations provide deep cleaning of inert, nano and organic surfaces and materials; (b) Water treatments: NASA validated that one dose of Aequor's treatment in the International Space Station's water reuse/recycling system lasted 15 months without replenishment. DOE validated that our treatments lower energy consumption by over 10% in buildings and industrial processes. Future validations include pilot projects with the EPA to test efficacy in hospital plumbing systems. (c) Algae cultivation and yeast fermentation: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) validated that Aequor's treatment boosted biomass of renewable feedstocks by 40% in half the time -- increasing the profitability of biofuels and biobased co-products. DOE also validated increased yields and crop protection of algae under cultivation in open ponds. A private oil and gas company validated decontamination of oilfield water. (3) New structural analogs. These kill Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi alone, in combinations with each other, and in combination with low doses of existing, ineffective antibiotics (including Penicillin), "potentiating" them to kill AMR pathogens at doses too low to trigger resistance. Both the U.S. National Institutes for Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD) has executed contracts with Aequor to provide the pre-clinical trials needed for these new drug candidates to enter the regulatory approval pipelines. Aequor seeks partners/licensees to commercialize its specialty chemicals and support to evaluate the optimal methods to scale-up of several new structural analogs via activity-guided fractionation and/or biosynthesis in order to initiate the NIH and DOD pre-clinical trials.

Keywords: biofilm, potentiation, prevention, removal

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Authors: Wipanee Maen-In

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This research aims to study the tourism marketing and the trip behaviors profile of international tourists who visited Phuket in Thailand and study the influence of their selected demographic characters on their selected trip behaviors. The study was conducted through survey by using questionnaires asking 400 sample respondents from international tourists who visited Phuket. The result found out that type of group travel is the key variable that indicates higher and lower daily spending tourists, tourists spend more when they visit with their family. Trip arrangement is the key variables that indicate shorter and longer stay tourists. From these findings, it is recommended that both private and public sectors should make marketing to potential tourists in order to increase tourism revenue and to be a sustainable tourism, all of agencies that involves in Phuket tourism industry should coordinate to satisfy tourists to revisit and recommend Phuket to friends and relatives.

Keywords: consumer behavior, international tourists, Phuket province, tourism marketing

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Authors: Wen-Hsien Huang, Hsu-Ting Hsu

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While advertisers often use animal metaphors to promote product performance, representing through the use of a product image together with an animal-like messenger to imply the undesirable health states of not using the product, the effect of such metaphors on persuasion remains unclear. The current research addresses this issue by investigating how consumers perceive and react to animal metaphor advertising in the context of product promotion. Three studies are carried out using field and experimental data. The findings demonstrate that animal metaphor ads are less persuasive than non-metaphor ads and that ads with animal-like messengers (as opposed to human messengers) activate stronger dehumanization perceptions, which in turn lead to lower product choice, product evaluation and purchase intention, regardless of whether the animal metaphors are presented visually in the picture or verbally in the headline. Furthermore, when the metaphorical pairing includes a more disliked animal, consumer reaction was less favorable. The implications of the findings for advertisers considering the use of animalized messengers are discussed.

Keywords: animal metaphor, dehumanization, product evaluation, health communication

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Authors: T. A. Khan, A. B. Khan, M. Babar, T. A. Taj, Imran Ijaz Imran

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Smart Meter is a key element in the evolving concept of Smart Grid, which plays an important role in interaction between the consumer and the supplier. In general, the smart meter is an intelligent digital energy meter that measures the consumption of electrical energy and provides other additional services as compared to the conventional energy meters. One of the important element that makes a meter smart and different is its communication module. Smart meters usually have two way and real-time communication between the consumer and the supplier through which its transfer data and information. In this paper, Ultra Wide Band (UWB) is recommended as communication platform because of its high data-rate and presents the physical layer, which could be easily incorporated in existing Smart Meters. The physical layer is simulated in MATLAB Simulink and the results are provided.

Keywords: Ultra Wide Band (UWB), Smart Meter, MATLAB, transfer data

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Authors: Andrew Gray, Zhibing Zhang

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The ability for consumer products to deliver a sustained perfume response can be a key driver for a variety of applications. Many compounds in perfume oils are highly volatile, meaning they readily evaporate once the product is applied, and the longevity of the scent is poor. Perfume capsules have been introduced as a means of abating this evaporation once the product has been delivered. The impermeable capsules are aimed to be stable within the formulation, and remain intact during delivery to the desired substrate, only rupturing to release the core perfume oil through application of mechanical force applied by the consumer. This opens up the possibility of obtaining an olfactive response hours, weeks or even months after delivery, depending on the nature of the desired application. Tailoring the properties of the polymeric capsules to better address the needs of the application is not a trivial challenge and currently design of capsules is largely done by trial and error. The aim of this work is to have more predictive methods for capsule design depending on the consumer application. This means refining formulations such that they rupture at the right time for the specific consumer application, not too early, not too late. Finding the right balance between these extremes is essential if a benefit is sought with respect to neat addition of perfume to formulations. It is important to understand the forces that influence capsule rupture, first, by quantifying the magnitude of these different forces, and then by assessing bulk rupture in real-world applications to understand how capsules actually respond. Samples were provided by an industrial partner and the mechanical properties of individual capsules within the samples were characterized via a micromanipulation technique, developed by Professor Zhang at the University of Birmingham. The capsules were synthesized such as to change one particular physicochemical property at a time, such as core: wall material ratio, and the average size of capsules. Analysis of shell thickness via Transmission Electron Microscopy, size distribution via the use of a Mastersizer, as well as a variety of other techniques confirmed that only one particular physicochemical property was altered for each sample. The mechanical analysis was subsequently undertaken, showing the effect that changing certain capsule properties had on the response under compression. It was, however, important to link this fundamental mechanical response to capsule performance in real-world applications. As such, the capsule samples were introduced to a formulation and exposed to full scale stresses. GC-MS headspace analysis of the perfume oil released from broken capsules enabled quantification of what the relative strengths of capsules truly means for product performance. Correlations have been found between the mechanical strength of capsule samples and performance in terms of perfume release in consumer applications. Having a better understanding of the key parameters that drive performance benefits the design of future formulations by offering better guidelines on the parameters that can be adjusted without worrying about the performance effects, and singles out those parameters that are essential in finding the sweet spot for capsule performance.

Keywords: consumer products, mechanical and physicochemical properties, perfume capsules, rupture behaviour

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Authors: Tewelde Gebresslase Haile, S. P. Singh

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To bridge the existing knowledge gap on public intervention implementations, this study estimates the impact of social protection intervention (SPI) on alleviating social vulnerability. Following a multi-stage sampling, primary information was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire, FGD, and interviews from the target households located at four systematically selected districts of Tigrai, Ethiopia. Factor analysis and Propensity Score Matching are applied to construct Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and measuring the counterfactual impact of selected intervention. As a multidimensional challenge, social vulnerability is found as an important concept used to guide policy evaluation. Accessibility of basic services of Social Affairs, Agriculture, Health and Education sectors, and Food Security Program are commonly used as SPIs. Finally, this study discovers that the households who had access to SPI have scored 9.65% lower SVI than in the absence of the intervention. Finally, this study suggests the provision of integrated, proactive, productive, and evidence-based SPIs to alleviate social vulnerability.

Keywords: social protection, livelihood assets, social vulnerability, public policy SVI

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Authors: Maria Viktoria Melgo

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This study aimed to determine the possible association between calcium intake and wealth indices of selected female adults. Specifically, it aimed to: a) determine the calcium intake adequacy of the respondents. b) determine the relationship, if any, between calcium intake adequacy, area and wealth indices. The study used the survey design and employed convenience sampling in selecting participants. Two hundred females aged 20 – 64 years old were covered in the study from depressed and non-depressed areas. Data collected were calcium intake taken from two 24-hour food recall and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and wealth indices using housing characteristics, household assets and access to utilities and infrastructure. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used to determine the frequency distribution and association between the given variables, respectively, using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and OpenEpi software. The results showed that there were 86% of respondents in the depressed area with an inadequate calcium intake while there were 78% of respondents in the non-depressed area with an adequate calcium intake. No significant relationship was obtained in most wealth indices with calcium intake adequacy and area but appliance and ownership of main material of the house showed a significant relationship to calcium intake adequacy by area. The study recommends that the Local Government Unit (LGU) should provide seminars or nutrition education that will further enhance the knowledge of the people in the community. The study also recommends to conduct a similar study but with different, larger sample size, different location nonetheless if it is in urban or rural and include the anthropometry measurement of the respondents.

Keywords: association, calcium intake adequacy, metro Manila, Philippines, wealth indices

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Authors: Tshegofatso Galekgathege

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Poor water quality is of great concern to human health as it can cause disease outbreaks. A standard practice today, in developed countries, is that people should be provided with safe-reliable drinking water, as safe drinking water is recognized as a basic human right and a cost effective measure of reducing diseases. Over 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to a safe water supply and as a result, the majority are forced to use polluted surface or groundwater. It is widely accepted that our water supply systems are susceptible to the intentional or accidental contamination .Water quality degradation may occur anywhere in the path that water takes from the water source to the consumer. Chlorine is believed to be an effective tool in disinfecting water, but its concentration may decrease with time due to consumption by chemical reactions. This shows that we are at the risk of being infected by waterborne diseases if chlorine in water falls below the required level of 0.2-1mg/liter which should be maintained in water and some contaminants enter into the water distribution system. It is believed that the lack of adequate sanitation also contributes to the contamination of water globally. This study therefore, assesses drinking water contamination from the source to the consumer by identifying the point vulnerable to contamination from the source to the consumer in the study area .To identify the point vulnerable to contamination, water was sampled monthly from boreholes, water treatment plant, water distribution system (WDS), service reservoirs and consumer taps from all the twenty (20) villages of Palapye region. Sampled water was then taken to the laboratory for testing and analysis of microbiological and chemical parameters. Water quality analysis were then compared with Botswana drinking water quality standards (BOS32:2009) to see if they comply. Major sources of water contamination identified during site visits were the livestock which were found drinking stagnant water from leaking pipes in 90 percent of the villages. Soils structure around the area was negatively affected because of livestock movement even vegetation in the area. In conclusion microbiological parameters of water in the study area do not comply with drinking water standards, some microbiological parameters in water indicated that livestock do not only affect land degradation but also the quality of water. Chlorine has been applied to water over some years but it is not effective enough thus preventative measures have to be developed, to prevent contaminants from reaching water. Remember: Prevention is better than cure.

Keywords: land degradation, leaking systems, livestock, water contamination

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Authors: Cytha Nilam Chairani, Ditha Noviantika, Hidayati Amir, Nurul Khairiyah, Siti Rahmadita, Fadila Khairani

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Background: Dental caries is one of the most common diseases with high prevalence in children. The first permanent molar (FPM) has an essential role in establishing the occlusion. Nevertheless, FPM is very prone to caries because of various factors, such as their anatomical structure and early emergence in oral cavity. It is due to the little knowledge from parents and children regarding the timing of emergence of FPM in oral cavity which is still considered as primary teeth. Furthermore, the lack of knowledge from parents and children may affect their oral hygiene practice resulting to carious process. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the status of FPM caries and its association with children’s oral hygiene practice in 9-12-year-old school children in Lubuk Kilangan Community Health Centre, Padang City. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 50 school children (9-12 years old) using random sampling technique from two randomly selected schools in Lubuk Kilangan Community Health Centre, Padang City. A questionnaire was developed from other studies consisting of four closed ended questions regarding oral health practice. The data obtained were analyzed statistically using Mann-Whitney Test to assess the status of FPM caries and its association with children’s oral hygiene practice. Results: The results showed that 32% of children had FPMs sound and the remaining 68% had FPMs carious which were grouped into 1-2 FPMs carious (60%) and 3-4 FPMs carious (8%). The caries status of mandibular FPM (64%) was higher compared to maxillary FPM (10%). Conclusion: There was significant association in subject who did not visit dentist in the last 6 months which had more carious FPMs compared to subject who visited dentist (p < 0.05). There was no significant association between the status of FPM caries and knowledge of the timing eruption of FPM, oral hygiene instruction from parents and tooth brushing (p > 0.05).

Keywords: dental caries, children, first permanent molar, oral hygiene practice

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Authors: Seini G. Kaufusi

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Background. Physician-assisted death (PAD) has and continues to be a controversial issue in the U.S. Dying with dignity statutes exists in 9 U.S. jurisdictions that permit competent adults diagnosed with a terminal illness and given a prognosis of 6 month or less to live to request medication to hasten death. Robust advocacy for and against PAD influences policy, and opinions vary. Aim. This study aims to explore the association between race and the attitudes toward physician-assisted death in the U.S. Methods. Data for this study derives from the General Social Survey (GSS) dataset, a national survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) that focuses on the opinions and values of American’s. A cross-sectional design and probability sample from the 2018 data set was used to randomly select respondents. Results. The results indicated that race is significantly associated with attitudes towards physician-assisted death. The level of significance suggests a strong positive association, and the direction indicated that Black and Other racial groups have higher rates of positive decision about PAD. Conclusion. Although attitudes towards PAD varied, Black and other racial groups had favorable decisions for PAD. Further research is crucial in the continuous debate on PAD and understanding the influences of predictors for or against PAD.

Keywords: attitudes, euthanasia, physician-assisted death, race

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Authors: Raja Irfan Sabir, Nargis Dewan

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This study examines the role of SMS marketing on perception of young consumers and its impact on society by keeping in mind the culture, values and communication norms of Pakistan. The study focused on the consumer’s perception towards SMS Marketing of Entertainment, Informativeness, Credibility and Irritation factor which can have influence on the perception of young consumer positively or negatively. It’s also observed that some of the message contents do have good or bad impact on the society’s norm. The result derived from a sample of 200 consumers indicate that communication medium ‘SMS marketing’ positively influence the consumers perception but the messages that consumers receive from these companies are against the social norms and have bad impact. So Pakistani entrepreneurs of cellular industries should be more aware that there is need to somehow modify their message content strategies according to culture, norms and values of our society and environmental situation.

Keywords: SMS marketing, messages content, consumers’ perception, cultural values and norms

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Authors: Faezah Shekh Abdullah, Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Yussof, Komathy Thiagarajan, Hasnoorina Husin, Noor Azreena Abd Aziz

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Polycystic ovary syndrome has been associated with multiple disorders such as endocrine disorder, metabolic syndrome, infertility, and endometrial cancer. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are anticipated to develop three times more chances for endometrial cancer than women without PCOS. This study, therefore, was conducted to determine the association between polycystic ovary syndrome and endometrial cancer and to determine the cervical cytology features of PCOS. Patients attending the Subfertility Clinic of the National Population and Family Development Board were recruited and examined physically by medical practitioners. They were categorized into two groups; i) the PCOS group if they met Rotterdam Criteria 2004 and ii) the control group if they did not meet Rotterdam Criteria 2004. Cervical sampling was done on all patients via the Liquid-Based Cytology (LBC) method in the pre-and post-subfertility treatment. A total of 167 patients participated in the study, of which 79 belonged to the PCOS group and 88 to the control group. The findings showed no cervical and endometrial cancer cases in both groups. The Liquid-Based Cytology results in the PCOS group displayed more cases with cellular changes, i.e., benign inflammation, atrophic smear and Candida sp. infection. To conclude, no association was found between polycystic ovary syndrome and endometrial cancer. A more holistic study with a higher number of participants can further determine the association between endometrial cancer and PCOS. Furthermore, a longer duration between LBC pre- and post-subfertility treatment should be implied to observe changes in the cervical cells.

Keywords: endometrial cancer, liquid-based cytology, PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome

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Authors: Sempiga Olivier, Dominika Latusek-Jurczak

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Climate change has allegedly been attributed to a high consumption of fossil fuels, leading to severe environmental problems. The energy sector has been among the most polluting sectors for many decades. Consequently, there is a lack of trust in several energy firms, especially those in fossil fuels and nuclear energy. A robust regulatory framework is needed, and more investment in renewable energy sources is paramount for a better environmental outcome. Given the significant environmental impact of energy production and consumption in the energy sector, sustainable marketing practices have become increasingly important. Although the latter has had the lion’s share in polluting the environment, much effort has been made recently to move away from fossil fuels and privilege renewable energy sources. How this shift would help rebuild trust in the energy industry is unclear. For the shift to have lasting effects, it may be essential that regulatory agencies examine how energy firms engage in sustainable investment. There is little empirical evidence on whether adopting regulating marketing practices and investment initiatives can help different organizations reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable development. Little is known about how and whether the environmental value in firms goes beyond rhetoric, greenwashing and publicity to translate into economic gains and environmental performance. The study investigates how regulatory agencies can help energy firms invest sustainably and take sustainable initiatives even amid the energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and how these sustainable practices relate to renewed consumer trust. Using data from Corporate Knights, the study, through time series, analyses the relationship between sustainable regulation, sustainable practices of energy firms from around the world and their relation to consumer trust and environmental performance over the past 20 years. It examines how their sustainable investment, energy, and carbon productivity relate to environmental sustainability and consumer trust. This longitudinal study provides empirical evidence of the interplay between regulation, trust and environmental performance. The research is grounded in institutional trust theory, which emphasizes the role of regulatory frameworks and organizational practices in shaping public perceptions of fairness, transparency, and legitimacy. Results show that organizations in the energy sector, supported by robust regulatory tools, can overcome the negative image of polluters and compete with other companies in the fight against climate change and global warming. However, to do so, energy firms should consider investing more in renewable energy sources and implementing sustainable strategies and practices that go beyond greenwashing to improve their environmental performance, thereby rebuilding consumer trust in the energy sector. Results allow regulatory regimes and organizations to learn why it is crucial for energy firms to invest in renewable energy sources and engage in various sustainable initiatives and practices to contribute to better environmental outcomes and higher levels of trust.

Keywords: consumer trust, energy, environmental performance, regulation, renewable energy sources, sustainable practices

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Authors: Shakila N. Senarath, Dinesh Asanka, Janaka Wijayanayake

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The necessity of cosmetic products is arising to fulfill consumer needs of personality appearance and hygiene. A cosmetic product consists of various chemical ingredients which may help to keep the skin healthy or may lead to damages. Every chemical ingredient in a cosmetic product does not perform on every human. The most appropriate way to select a healthy cosmetic product is to identify the texture of the body first and select the most suitable product with safe ingredients. Therefore, the selection process of cosmetic products is complicated. Consumer surveys have shown most of the time, the selection process of cosmetic products is done in an improper way by consumers. From this study, a content-based system is suggested that recommends cosmetic products for the human factors. To such an extent, the skin type, gender and price range will be considered as human factors. The proposed system will be implemented by using Machine Learning. Consumer skin type, gender and price range will be taken as inputs to the system. The skin type of consumer will be derived by using the Baumann Skin Type Questionnaire, which is a value-based approach that includes several numbers of questions to derive the user’s skin type to one of the 16 skin types according to the Bauman Skin Type indicator (BSTI). Two datasets are collected for further research proceedings. The user data set was collected using a questionnaire given to the public. Those are the user dataset and the cosmetic dataset. Product details are included in the cosmetic dataset, which belongs to 5 different kinds of product categories (Moisturizer, Cleanser, Sun protector, Face Mask, Eye Cream). An alternate approach of TF-IDF (Term Frequency – Inverse Document Frequency) is applied to vectorize cosmetic ingredients in the generic cosmetic products dataset and user-preferred dataset. Using the IF-IPF vectors, each user-preferred products dataset and generic cosmetic products dataset can be represented as sparse vectors. The similarity between each user-preferred product and generic cosmetic product will be calculated using the cosine similarity method. For the recommendation process, a similarity matrix can be used. Higher the similarity, higher the match for consumer. Sorting a user column from similarity matrix in a descending order, the recommended products can be retrieved in ascending order. Even though results return a list of similar products, and since the user information has been gathered, such as gender and the price ranges for product purchasing, further optimization can be done by considering and giving weights for those parameters once after a set of recommended products for a user has been retrieved.

Keywords: content-based filtering, cosmetics, machine learning, recommendation system

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Authors: Marie-Claude Richard, Amelie Bolduc-Mokhtar, Mathieu Parent

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People who have experienced maltreatment in childhood subsequently face many parenting issues of their own, in particular when it comes to distancing themselves from the abusive behaviors they were exposed and had access to positive role models. Few studies have explored the factors explaining the ability to break the generational cycle of child maltreatment. However, deeper knowledge of the factors associated with intergenerational discontinuity could facilitate the development of innovative interventions and increase the preventive potential of existing programs. This poster presentation will be about a better understanding of the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment (IGTM) from the perspective of both youth protection workers and parents receiving child protection services. The data used to meet this goal were collected from a group interview with eight youth protection workers whose caseloads involved IGTM situations and through semi-structured interviews with four parents with a history of child protection services and who were currently receiving such services for at least one of their children. In the view of the youth protection workers, the IGTM refers to everything that is transmitted and not transmitted from one generation to the next within a family. The study participants painted quite a bleak portrait of the families affected by IGTM. However, three main avenues of intervention were mentioned by the participants: working within the network, favoring long-term interventions and being empathic. The results also show that the mothers were in a trajectory of intergenerational discontinuity in child maltreatment. Support from their families and friends as well as from formal support services brought out some possible explanatory factors for intergenerational discontinuity in child maltreatment. From a prevention perspective, developing meaningful and trusting relationships seems a source of resilience for parents who were placed in the care of the child protection system as children. The small number of participants limits the generalizability of these results. The difficulty of recruiting parents is a substantial challenge regarding gaining knowledge on the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Future studies should examine this question and seek to develop effective strategies to help recruit study participants.

Keywords: child maltreatment, intergenerational transmission, prevention, qualitative data

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Authors: Preeti Nakhat

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Background: Values are essential part of one's life. They are inculcated since the early years of life and shape the personality of the individual. They play a tremendous role in decision making. Teenagers are seen perplexed about the values of their life. The challenge faced by majority of the teenage population in choosing between a positive and negative value is high. The values they adopt remain throughout their life and in every decision, hence it is a crucial topic of research. Research Methodology: This research aimed at finding out the value conflict of teenagers in relations. Hypothesis of the study are: H₀- There is no significant association between the life values and value conflict of higher secondary students; H₁– There is a significant association between the life values and value conflict of higher secondary students. For the same, the standardized tool, value conflict scale by R. L. Bhardwaj has been used. The tool consists 24 questions of different life situations with multiple choice options. Findings: There is 96% variation in value conflict due to evasion vs. fortitude, dependence vs. self-reliance, selfishness vs. probity, hate vs. love, fear vs. assertion and pragmatism vs. idealism life values. There is a positive association between all the life values and value conflict of higher secondary school students. Percentages of association are: 0.17% between value conflict and evasion vs. fortitude value, 0.16% between value conflict and dependence vs. self-reliance value, 0.17% between value conflict and selfishness vs. probity value, 0.16% between value conflict and hate vs. love value, 0.17% between value conflict and fear vs. assertion, 0.17% between value conflict and pragmatism vs. idealism value. Discussions: The dilemma faced by the students regarding value conflict is high. Bewilderment of being honest or lying, of loving or hating family and friends, being pragmatic or idealistic in life decision, being selfish or selfless is seen among the students. It is the challenge for the future. Teaching of values with a practical aspect should be added in the school curriculum.

Keywords: dilemma, conflict, school, values

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Authors: Febi Eka Putri, Prabowo Anggorono

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Human Trafficking has become a threat in the global phenomenon, including Indonesia as a country adopting democracy to uphold the human rights value. Indonesia is classified as a source of trafficking in persons which dominate by women and children for sexual exploitation and forced labor purposes. In this case, Indonesia has committed to combat trafficking in persons by enacted domestic law to criminalize all types of human trafficking in domestic and international level. Tracing to the efforts, we cannot just simplify it, however, in 2016 Indonesia has placed as a tier 2 country because the government does not fully achieve the minimum standard by U. S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act due to only making efforts as progress. While as a part of ASEAN member, Indonesia has signed ASEAN Human Rights Declaration but when it comes to Human Trafficking issue, there is only few ASEAN member who has ratified ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons, in particular Women and Children such as Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand. This brings the evidence to structuring the role of Indonesia to combat human trafficking.

Keywords: Indonesia, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), human trafficking, Tier 2 country

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