Purpose: Breast cancer survivors(BCS) have memory, attention, processing speed, and/or executive function impairment affecting their quality of life(QOL) and function. Study aims were: (1) compare computer-assisted cognitive training with visual exercises to one with audio+ visual exercises, and (2) gain insight into the relationship between engagement in meaningful activities, cognitive deficits and QOL. Methods: This pilot study used an experimental design with 24 women. Pre and post measures assessed working memory, perceived cognition, QOL and engagement in meaningful activities. Results: Treatment effects were not significant for working memory or engagement in meaningful activities. Visual group participants scored significantly better on perceived cognitive function posttest test(M = 91.62, SD = 21.75) than pretest(M = 74.48, SD = 29.00), p = .010 and significantly higher on QOL posttest(M = 6.42, SD = 1.27) than pretest(M = 5.60, SD = 1.76), p = .004. Pretest perceived cognitive function was significantly associated with pretest(ρ = .617, p < .001) and posttest(ρ = .436, p < .05) QOL. Conclusion: Computer-assisted cognitive training with visual exercises appears to improve perceived cognitive function and QOL for BCS. A positive relationship exists between perceived cognitive function and QOL.

The IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) has been established purposely to enhance the greater safety of vessel’s navigation by standardizing the language used among seafarers. However, accidents are still occurred due to communication failures among onboard merchant vessels’ crews. It is worth mentioning that the major cause of marine accidents is human error (80%) where one-third from it was due to communication failures. Ineffective communication, different culture and language among seafarers onboard are some instigators of human error that lead to accidents in marine operations. Therefore, the primary aim of this paper is to investigate and evaluate the causal factors that contributes to communication failures onboard merchant vessels. Then, this paper recommends possible solutions for minimizing the communication failures among seafarers. To achieve this research objectives, two decision-making tools which are the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Evidential Reasoning (ER) was applied. Data and judgments are obtained from domains experts from four marine training providers and eight shipowners in Malaysia. The result has shown that lack of SMCP knowledge, prejudice and dialect varieties are the most significant factors that contribute to the communication failures onboard merchant vessels. Few suggestions and opinions from the experts are proposed in this paper. This research can assist marine training providers and shipowners to identify and evaluate the causal factors of communication failures thus corrective action can be taken.

Forward osmosis (FO) has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for seawater desalination. Despite the progress in membrane technology, draw solutions are still limited in terms of its reusability thereby hampering its economic viability. Hydrophilic ILs can be easily dissolved in water to constitute a DS. ILs are environmentally benign due to their high thermal stability and negligible vapor pressure. Hydrophilic ILs can be easily dissolved in water to constitute a DS. ILs are environmentally benign due to their high thermal stability and negligible vapor pressure. This work was supported by NRF funded by the Korea government funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2016R1A2B1009221 and 2017R1A2B2002109) and Ministry of Education (2009-0093816 and 22A20130012051(BK21Plus)).

Sex preselection has always generated great interest among livestock producers due to an increase in the profitability of the cattle industry through the production of offspring with desired sex, such as females for dairy or males for meat production. Among the prevalent sorting methods, the embryo developmental potential is still very low as expected, and there is distinguished evidence that sex sorting has a negative effect on sperm quality with an altered pattern of sperm motility, ultimately reducing lifespan. The consequence is a very low embryo development rate using sex-sorted semen, and its negative impact influences the progress of the dairy industry. Here, we established a new approach with reduced stress by using WholeMom® and observed no significant differences (P < 0.05) in early cleaving embryos between sorted X sperm and the control group, although there was a remarkable significant difference in embryos of the Y sperm group, 81.82 ± 2.71% vs. 87.44 ± 3.02% vs. 54.21 ± 2.21%, respectively. The percentage of embryos that developed into blastocysts (Day 7) was also significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the control and X Sperm group compared to the Y sperm group, 35.53 ± 1.92% and 29.76 ± 2.38% vs. 21.90 ± 1.54%. Moreover, B-SRY F2 and B-SRY R2 gene expression data exhibited 81.03% accuracy for the female embryos and 72.54% for the male embryos produced in vitro. And also the field trials for the heifer production using WholeMom by Artificial Insemination technique demonstrated 76% female and 24% male in vivo. In conclusion, the combination of pre-selected sex semen and OPU derived elite cattle embryo production is highly recommended to apply to the mass production in the dairy industry with rapid genetic up-gradation.

The popularity of succulents as ornamental plants has increased in recent years. This is primarily because of their unique geometric shapes, which form a rosette, coupled with their ability to retain high levels of moisture. These features make ornamental succulents suitable as landscape plants as they can withstand extreme conditions and as potted plants for indoor spaces as they require minimal watering. Appropriate propagation techniques are important to increase production rates and plant quality in the shortest time possible. These ornamental plants may be propagated in various ways, both sexually, via seeds, and vegetatively, through a number of methods, such as stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and micropropagation. In this review, methods for the propagation of ornamental succulents are described, including post-propagation care and management. Propagation aspects on which limited information is available are also highlighted. Potential areas for research required to produce data to further improve techniques, conservation, and rapid propagation efforts are discussed.

With the introduction of virtual reality (VR) devices for private consumers in 2013, the industry experience great attention and notable progresses have been made in relation to hardware components (Papagiannidis et al. 2013). This enables better experiences of virtual environments and reduces the awareness of the consumer to be exposed to virtual stimuli, so that the virtual environment is perceived as (almost) real – the so-called immersion effect (Grau 2003). Even though VR is already in place, little research in service marketing literature exists about it (Bigné, Llinares, and Torrecilla 2016), so that this technique represents one of the most important topics to investigate from service perspective (Kannan and Li 2017). We assume that the immersion-effect might influence the perception of the service encounter and thus influence consumer evaluation in a new way. Thereby, we contribute to service marketing literature by exploring the value and barriers for VR usage in so-called virtually-extended service encounters from a customer perspective. Thereby, we further examine for which kind of services VR is useful, how consumer perceive VR technology in service environments and how the extension of the traditional service encounter by VR technology influences consumers’ service quality evaluations. VR represents a promising technology to promote high-involvement products or services like travel, furniture, or cars. Companies offering these kind of products and services can provide simple devices to customers, who can experience the product in a realistic setting upfront their purchase decisions. Especially novelty and innovation characteristics of VR-technology may have positive spillover effects on company brand, the product as well as the final purchase decision. To proceed with this research, we plan lab experiments with well-developed VR-devices.

Researchers have yet to investigate whether it is beneficial for exporters to engage in greater levels of product adaptation in their export operations, or whether there is some limit to the amount of adaptation exporters should engage in. We posit that customer value creation, a central marketing concept and a mechanism to achieving market and financial goals in business to business markets, is a core outcome of export product adaptation activities. In order to explore the routes by which adaptation may shape export customer value creation, we adopt a multi-faceted conceptualization of firm-level product adaptation, comprising export product adaptation (i) quantity, (ii) intensity and (iii) novelty. Drawing on survey data from 249 Finnish exporters involved in business-to-business activities, we find evidence to support the claim that the impact of export product adaptation on export customer value creation is contingent on various factors, and we identify instances where greater adaptation is beneficial for export customer value creation, and instances where greater export product adaptation is potentially harmful for export customer value creation.

Despite growing research interest in consumer health, well-being and beauty, little is known about factors influencing consumer purchase decisions for female fitness devices. This study focuses on Kegel exercises – exercise routines developed by Dr. Kegel to strengthen pelvic floor muscles – that are recommended by health professionals for patients experiencing health ailments such as urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and dissatisfaction. Despite the benefits, women are not well aware of the role of pelvic floor muscles. The diffusion and acceptance of Kegel exercise and devices among women are likely determined by how comfortable women are about obtaining such benefits. For this reason, feminism should play an important role in shaping women’s desire to engage in Kegel exercises. Thus, this research investigates how feminism is related to Millennial women’s engagement with fitness products, particularly Kegel devices. Drawing on the literatures about sexuality, health, and marketing, we propose that feminism positively influences women’s health-related attitudes (i.e., attitudes towards fitness, fitness opinion leadership, attitude toward core strength, and desire to control sex life), which in turn positively impacts women’s fitness engagement. Fitness engagement, in turn, is expected to predict attitudes towards Kegel exercise and Kegel device purchase intentions. On the other hand, women’s attitudes toward core strength and desire to control sex life are proposed to have a direct, positive impact on attitude towards Kegel exercise. Analysis of PLS-SEM shows general support for the hypotheses. We discuss how interest in Kegel devices could, in turn, lead to positive effects on overall physical and psychological health and provide implications for marketing practitioners.

This research was conducted with the aim to reveal the influence of online travel communities on tourism destinations choice, with the focus on the Russian tourism market. The preliminary results indicated that social media has significant influence on consumer behaviour and decision-making process of Russian travellers. Still, there is additional activity of Russian tourist market actors is needed to more fully use the opportunities of online travel communities.

Two experimental studies examine the effect of morality metaphors in advertising on consumer indulgence. The results of Experiment 1 provide evidence to suggest that consumer rebelliousness mediates the effect of morality metaphors on indulgent consumption, with Experiment 2 providing further evidence of the rebelliousness process underlying the immorality-indulgence effect.

An offshore installation is built or installed for the purposes of exploration and exploitation in any part of the sea. The offshore installations that are presently in existence reflect great scientific progress in the field of marine resources. However, they become a source of concern when they are no longer in use. Due to the potential to disrupt activities conducted around their location, they interfere with navigational safety. Therefore, it is important to remove such installations. Their removal should be based on the provisions of the IMO Guidelines and Standards. Indonesia is a coastal State and should adhere to the above mentioned guidelines and standard in designing policies and regulations.