This study investigated speaking anxiety among advanced Korean language learners in Korean Language Institution classrooms, and the strategies they used to overcome it. The study employed qualitative methodology using online interviews for data collection. The sampling technique involved purposive sampling by selecting 13 Korean learners who had completed an advanced Korean course at TOPIK Levels 5 or 6, with Level 6 being the highest. The interview questions addressed various aspects, including comparisons of speaking skills, anxiety in Korean classrooms, fear of making mistakes, concerns about classmates’ reactions, and anxiety induced by teachers. Thematic analysis was performed by generating initial codes, grouping related codes to uncover potential themes, and highlighting recurring patterns in the participants’ responses. The results revealed three factors that contribute to speaking anxiety: personal reasons, teachers’ classroom approaches, and teaching methods. Advanced learners manage anxiety through three coping strategies: preparation, positive thinking, and seeking support from peers. The study concludes with discussions on the pedagogical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research in advanced Korean language learning classrooms.

The dyeing process is a very important unit operation in the leather and textile industries; it produces significant amounts of waste effluent containing dyes and poses a substantial threat to the environment. Therefore, degradation of the industrial dye-waste liquid is necessary before its release into the environment. The current is focusing on the reduction of pollutant loads in industrial wastewater through remediating azo and thiazine dyes (synthetic solutions of textile dye consortium). The current research work is focused on the degradation of dye consortium through photo-electro-Fenton (PEF) processes via using dimensionally stable anode (Ti) and graphite cathode. The ideal conditions, which included a pH of 3, 0.1 (g/L) of textile dye consortium, 0.03 (g/L) of iron, 0.2 (g/L) of H2O2, and a 0.3 mAcm-2 of current density, were achieved to the removal of dye consortium over 40 min. The highest dye removal rate was discovered to be 96%. The transition of azo linkages into N2 or NH3 was confirmed by Fourier transforms infra-red spectroscopic analysis. PEF process reduced the 92% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of textile dye consortium solution, and it meets the kinetics study of the pseudo-first-order. The degradation of dye through the PEF process was evaluated by using the cyclic voltammetric method. The toxicity tests showed that with the treated dye solution, seedlings grew well.

Background: Reproductive management practices play crucial roles to maximize the reproductive performance of cows, and thus contribute to farm profitability. We aimed to assess the reproductive management of cows currently practiced in the dairy farms in an urban farming system. Methods: A total of 62 dairy farms were randomly selected considering all size of farms such as small (1-5 cattle), medium (6-20 cattle) and large farms (> 20 cattle) from selected areas of Dhaka city in Bangladesh. The reproductive managementrelated parameters viz. estrus detection, breeding method, pregnancy diagnosis, dry cow and parturition management, vaccination and treatment of reproductive problems etc. were obtained in a pre-defined questionnaire during the farm visit. Results: The visual observation method was only used (100.0%; 62/62) for estrus detection irrespective of size of the farms; while farmers observed cows for estrus 4-5 times a day, but only for 20-60 seconds each time. Regardless of farm size, 89.0% (55/62) farms used artificial insemination (AI) for breeding the cows. Intriguingly, all farms (100.0%) routinely checked the cows for pregnancy at 35-40 days post-breeding using rectal palpation technique by registered veterinarian. However, only 6.5% (4/62) farms practiced dry cow management. Notably, all farms (100.0%) provided nutritional supplements (Vit D, Ca and P) during late gestation. However, proper hygiene and cleanliness during parturition was not practiced in 77.4% (48/62) farms; even though 96.7% (60/62) farms treated cows by registered veterinarian for parturition-related problems. Conclusions: While farmers used AI service for breeding and timely check their cows for pregnancy; however, they need to increase observation time (30 minutes/ observation, twice in a day: early morning and early night) for estrus detection, consider dry cow management and ensure hygienic parturition for maximizing production.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the radiation protection measures deployed at the Centralized Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Ghana is pivotal to guaranteeing the safety of personnel, public and the environment, thus the need for this study. RadiagemTM 2000 was used in measuring the dose rate of the facility whilst the personal radiation exposure of the personnel from 2011 to 2022 was measured from the thermoluminescent dosimeter badges using Harshaw 6600 Plus Automated TLD Reader. The decay store containing scrap metals from dismantled disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS), and low-level wastes measured the highest dose rate of 1.06 ± 0.92 μSv·h−1. The range of the mean annual average personnel dose equivalent is 0.41–2.07 mSv. The annual effective doses are below the ICRP limit of 20 mSv. From the multivariate principal component analysis biplot, all the personal dose equivalent formed a cluster, and the cluster is mostly influenced by the radiological data from the outer wall surface of the facility where no DSRS are stored. The personal dose equivalents are not primarily due to the radiation exposures of staff during operations with DSRS at the facility but can be attributed to environmental radiation, thus the current radiation protection measures at the Facility can be deemed as effective.

Trust is well recognized as a critical component of effective health system processes, as patient trust is known to influence satisfaction and other health-related behaviors. The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly affected healthcare organizations, leading to the need for reorganizing services, practices, interactions. Particularly, because of COVID-19 pandemic, patient/doctor exchanges have increasingly been mediated by digital technologies, thus leading to potential devaluation of patients trust toward the healthcare system.

This research examines how voluntary simplicity lifestyle can mediate the tourists’ COVID-19 anxiety and the tourism motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrates how resilience can moderate the effect of the anxiety and pull motivations. The results show the effects of mediation and moderation on the relationship between anxiety and tourism motivations.

Consumers may not be fully aware of the level of personalization used in brand placements in digital advertising. Personalized brand placements use customer data to select and insert preferred brands into digital media content, such as having Coke appear in a YouTube video for someone who favors Coca-Cola. This personalization can enhance the consumer experience (Trifts & Aghakhani, 2018) but may also backfire if placements don't account for changes in brand preference or when personalized placements are co-consumed with a person whose preferences strongly diverge from one’s own (e.g., one’s romantic partner; Brick, Fitzsimons, Chartrand, & Fitzsimons, 2018). Brands have a significant impact on how people perceive each other. Brands convey social information and symbolic meaning (Keller, 1993; Levy, 1959) and can influence behavior (e.g., Fitzsimons, Chartrand, & Fitzsimons 2008) and provide a source of affiliation (Escalas & Bettman, 2003). However, less is known about how brands affect basic social connections like empathy. This notable gap is relevant to the evaluation of the impact of brand placements in digital advertising as brand logos are quite visible in brand placements and can be the first piece of information someone observes when forming an attitude towards another person. For example, imagine an Instagram post of a person wearing a Harley Davidson baseball cap. What kind of person did you imagine? Does your impression change if, instead, the brand was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or the Trump Organization? Moreover, how likely would you be to engage with media showcasing a person supporting this brand. In the current research, we propose that personally disliked brands create a negative bias in person perception and consumer judgment, a phenomenon we coin “brand negativity bias.” Our results show that disliking a brand can reduce empathy for others and substantially bias attitudes toward a digital product associated with but not created by the brand. Specifically, we show process evidence that suggests disliked brand placements reduce (1) empathy toward others through reductions in perceived similarity and (2) attitudes toward a digital product through perceived similarity and empathy, as serial processes. In addition, although we do not empirically test an overall mechanism that explains the negativity bias in its entirety, we speculate several reasons that underlie the broad influence of personally disliked brands (e.g., symbolic, ideological, or moral). From a societal point of view, our findings inform the public to be mindful of how simple consumption cues can bias people’s decision making, which holds implications beyond consumer judgment in domains involving first impressions.

Digitalization is a prevailing force in the marketplace and unquestionably a key topic on the strategic agenda of many firms (e.g., Balsmeier & Woerter, 2019). Alongside, research into managing digitalization has also strongly increased in recent years (Svahn, Matthiasen, & Lindgren, 2017; Ritter & Pedersen, 2020). Hofacker, Pillai, Golgeci & Gligor (2020, p. 1162) claim “Artificial intelligence, blockchain, data security/integrity, Internet of Things, and big data analytics are just some possible digital trends that can shape how B2B relationships are understood and managed”. Despite this increasing interest, the number of works within the scope of business-to-business (B2B) exchanges is still limited (Obal & Lancioni, 2013; Pagani & Pardo, 2017; Gomes et al., 2022; Matt, Pedrini, Bonfanti & Orzes, 2023) and there any many unexplored or underexplored phenomena.

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays user surroundings with computer-generated images (Baek et al., 2016). It provides users with an enhanced view of their environment with digital content such as text, pictures, videos, three-dimensional (3D) objects, and even tactile and olfactory experiences (Du et al., 2022). This technology has significant potential for use in advertising, enabling realistic product visualisations and virtual product try-ons via social media (Baek et al., 2016).

안면 부 MRI 검사는 주변 조직에 대한 높은 대조도 와 해상력으로 해부학적 구조 파악과 질환 진단에 이용되고 있다. 최근 검사 시간을 줄이는 동시에 영상의 질을 향상하는 딥러닝이 주목받고 있다. 본 연구는 안면 부 MRI 검사에서 딥러닝 의 유용성을 알아보기 위해 34명의 환자를 대상으로 딥러닝 T2 강조 영상과 고식적인 T2 강조 영상의 축상면, 관상면 영상을 각각 획득하여, 무참조 영상 품질평가 기법인 NIQE와 NIMA를 통하여 정량적 평가하였고, 리커트 4점 척도를 통해 정성적 평가하였다. NIQE 결과에서 딥러닝 T2 강조 영상은 고식적인 T2 강조 영상보다 영상 품질이 우수하였고, NIMA 결과에서는 딥러닝 T2 강조 영상의 축상면은 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 없었고, 딥러닝 T2 강조 영상의 관상면에서는 통계 적으로 유의한 차이가 있었다. 정성적 평가지표에서는 입 인두, 후두 인두에서 질적인 이득이 있었다. 연구 결과를 통해 안면 부 영역 중 무의식적인 움직임이 많은 영역에서 딥러닝을 적용함으로써 고식적인 T2 강조 영상보다 높은 영상의 품질 을 제공하고, 상대적으로 움직임이 덜한 구조물에서도 품질을 유지하며 검사 시간을 2분 이상 단축하여 움직임에 의한 인공 물을 감소시킴으로써 응급 환자 및 비협조 환자의 진단에 유용하게 활용될 것으로 사료 된다.

Here, we report the preparation of microporous-activated carbons from a Brazilian natural lignocellulosic agricultural waste, cupuassu shell, by pyrolysis at 500 ºC and KOH activation under different experimental conditions and their subsequent application as adsorbent for CO2 capture. The effect of the KOH:precursor ratio (wt/wt%) and the activation temperature on the porous texture of activated carbons have been studied. The values of specific surface area ranged from 1132 to 2486 m2/ g, and the overall micropore volume ranged from 0.73 to 1.02 cm3/ g. Carbons activated with 2:1 ratio of KOH and activation temperature of 700 ºC presented a CO2 adsorption at 1 bar of 7.8 and 4.4 mmol/g at 0 °C and 25 ºC, respectively. The isosteric heat of adsorption, Qst , was calculated for all samples by applying the Clausius–Clapeyron approach to CO2 adsorption isotherms at both temperatures. The values of CO2 adsorption capacities are among the highest reported in the literature, especially for activated carbons produced from biomass.

Combination of liquid-phase exfoliation and hydrothermal method has progressed in recent years mainly on production of 2D materials. In this study, graphene was successfully synthesized via combinatorial of liquid-phase exfoliation and hydrothermal method with the aid of various conductive surfactants perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylate (PTCA), lithium perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylate (LiPTCA) and sodium perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylate (NaPTCA). The effect of the lithium ( Li+) and sodium ( Na+) cations toward the efficiency of the graphene exfoliation process and its electrical properties was thoroughly investigated. Based on the characterization techniques, it is revealed that NaPTCA is the ideal conductive surfactant to exfoliate graphene sheets. X-ray diffraction spectra verified that the Na+ cation certainly can enhance the exfoliation process by expanding the interlayer spacing. The lateral size of the graphene sheets with Na-PTCA surfactant was the smallest (4.17 μm) as observed from SEM micrograph. The maximum concentration of the graphene yield was achieved up to 0.151 mgmL− 1 in NaPTCA surfactant alongside with excellent electrical conductivity of 746.27 Sm− 1 and relevant specific capacitance of 129 Fg− 1.

The ultrasonic method is an alternative to the conventional route to produce structured carbon materials, offering the advantages of synthesis in a short period of time under room temperature. The main objective of this work is to synthesize a sulfonated mesoporous carbon catalyst from a phenolic resin composed of phloroglucinol and formaldehyde. The synthesis was performed by the soft-template method in an ultrasonic processor and the product was subsequently carbonized and sulfonated for application in the esterification model reaction. Functionalization with sulfuric acid of MCS5-6 h sample brought about a decrease in porosity but simultaneously resulted in the generation of functional groups of an acidic nature. The MCS5-6 h catalyst with a sulfonic density of 1.6 mmol g− 1, surface area of 402 m2 g− 1 and pore diameter of 10.6 nm maintained in mesoporous even after acid treatment. MCS5-6 h showed excellent activity in the esterification reaction with 95% oleic acid conversion. The recyclability of MCS5-6 h was satisfactory during five reaction cycles. The present work addressed a promising alternative for the synthesis of carbon catalysts using ultrasound irradiation, thus providing an alternative with a lower cost of time and energy for large-scale production.

The impact of heat stress (HS) on reproductive performance and its problems in cows remains to be investigated in Bangladesh. The study was, therefore, aimed to evaluate the effect of HS on fertility and reproductive health problems of dairy cows in a selected area of Bangladesh. A total of 1,095 cows from 500 farms were included in this study. The climate-related data were recorded daily basis for every month in a year and temperature-humidity index (THI) values were calculated to determine the level of HS. Concurrently, data on fertility parameters [number of services per conception (NSC), conception rate (CR) and calving to the first service interval (CFSI)], and reproductive problems were collected through a pre-defined questionnaire. The results show that crossbred [Native x Holstein-Friesian, (HF)] cows were more vulnerable (p < 0.05) to a magnitude of HS effects considering physiological parameters of cows [age, body condition score (BCS), parity and milk yield]. Regarding fertility, HS had no effect on NSC, CR and CFSI in both native and crossbred cows (p > 0.05). The findings on the reproductive problems indicate that HS had significant influence on the prevalence of anestrus (χ2 = 21.814, p < 0.05) and retained placenta (χ2 = 24.632, p < 0.05) in cows. Of note, the prevalence of repeat breeding syndrome was 2.5 folds higher in stress condition than in no stress condition. Abortion and dystocia were not influenced by HS. In conclusion, HS does not influence the fertility parameters of cows studied; however, anestrus and retained placenta are likely to occur under HS conditions in cows.

Chronic fibroinflammatory pancreatitis causes irreparable damage to the pancreatic parenchyma. This frequently results in food restrictions, painkiller addiction, and serious quality of life impairment in children. We observed a 13-year-old girl who had previously been hospitalized multiple times and had undergone acute pancreatitis arrived with excruciating abdominal pain and recurrent hematemesis. A chronic intra-pseudocyst bleed and an ampulla of Vater hemorrhage were discovered during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. A 3×2×1 cm pancreatic head pseudocyst was discovered on the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, however the computed tomography scan revealed a pancreatic head pseudocyst, pancreatic duct stones, and substantial peripancreatic inflammation. The multidisciplinary team determined that Frey’s surgery was the most efficient method to minimize her suffering. No complications occurred during the healing phase following surgery, and two years later, neither recurrence bleeding nor abdominal pain appeared. In summary, Frey’s method is a secure and efficient intervention when applied by a multidisciplinary team.

Human intestinal flora is very diverse; with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) existing as part of the most vital gut microbes that improve host health. The application of LAB as a whole organism or its metabolite in the case of probiotic and bacteriocin respectively is extensive. Thus, the need to always bio-prospect for newer strains of LAB is essential. This study focused on isolating LAB from kunun-zaki and kindirmo, a fermented non-alcoholic beverage of non-dairy and dairy sources respectively, explored their physiological and biochemical properties, antibiotics sensitivity pattern and identified based on their 16S rRNA sequencing. A total of eighty isolates were selected sixty-six from kunun-zaki and fourteen from kindirmo in which 93.7% were bacilli and 6.3% were spherical in shape having 68.75% and 30% homofermentative and heterofermentative pathway respectively. All isolates have the ability to utilize glucose to produce lactic acid while their tolerance to pH 3 and salt concentration at 2%, 4% and 6.5% varied widely. Thirty-four isolates based on their physiological and biochemical properties were selected for molecular identification to ascertain their genera and species. Limosilactobacillus fermentum (68%); Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (6%) and Weissella confusa (3%) were confirmed species isolated. Thus, it was concluded that traditional fermented foods such as kunun-zaki and kindirmo are a good source to bio-prospect for LAB for product development, starter culture and probiotic study.