Facebook Ad Engagement: A Cross-cultural Analysis

The paper analysed cultural differences to explain ad engagement (AE) among Facebook users in India and Tanzania. It uses Hofstede’s model and theory of planned behaviour to examine the differences in cultural values and AE between the two countries and to evaluate AE and its determinants. The paper used a cross-sectional descriptive design to collect data from 700 students from Indian and Tanzanian universities by using self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed by using an independent sample t-test, Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficient, Multi-group differences test, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) methods. These analyses were run in SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 24. The paper confirms cultural convergence for individualism and masculinity values, but significant differences in indulgence and uncertainty avoidance across India and Tanzania were observed. Also, significant differences in AE across the two countries were observed. Moreover, we found that attitude to Facebook advertising, subjective norms and perceived herd behaviour positively determines AE, while perceived intrusiveness determines AE negatively. Indulgence has an insignificant relationship with AE while other cultural values have a significant positive relationship. The paper adopted purposive sampling and limited the scope to Facebook, thus, the findings may lack generalisability to other social media platforms. Hence, multiple-platform ad engagement research is encouraged. The marketing implications from this paper include the development of AE strategies, designing culturally relevant ad content and themes and ad targeting. This paper contributes to the understanding of the relationship between cultural values and users’ engagement with Facebook advertising.

Cross-Platform Analysis and Development of Online Catering Platform (Kunyahku)

Kunyahku is an online catering platform that provides catalogs of menus from local caterer near the user and become the distributor that will take the order and deliver them. In developing an application, the most important aspect for small start-up companies is to have a development stack that can deliver the app into multiple platform by using a single code base to reduce the cost of developers, improve efficiency and reduce the time to develop the application itself. To provide the necessity of building an application for Kunyahku, this paper is aimed to find the most suitable cross platform framework for developing the Kunyahku application. This research focuses on comparison between existing popular cross-platform and proving the suitable one to be used in development cycle in the case of Kunyahku requirements. Sets of test and comparison were conducted in order to compare the most suitable cross platform between React Native and Flutter such as render test and comparing each advantage coming out from using each of the cross-platform.After all the requirements are gathered and then the most suitable framework will be chosen which is Flutter. Performance analysis and the benefits of using Flutter framework are elaborated and thus proving it is the most suitable development stack to be used in Kunyahku case and the development time can be reduced since it is a cross-platform technology that output the application into three different platform rather than managing separate platform for each different one. Testing shows that flutter also met all the requirements thus proving flutter address the problems of scalability and faster development compared to developing each native platform one by one.

Section 230 and global content moderation: Uncertainty in the time of COVID-19

Content moderation was already a highly polarized policy topic before the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent onslaught of misinformation and disinformation on COVID-19 has also led to multiple platform policy responses by private US-based companies and beyond. Discussion of these policies has also contributed to a sense that this level of media attention to a formerly somewhat obscure US law – Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – could lead to a change in that law. This commentary provides a look into this small piece of legislation that has historically had a big impact on western internet governance. This is framed within a more global view of internet governance, and the impact this may have on the internet more broadly.

Curcumin to abrogate structural changes in the locus coeruleus following chronic sleep restriction in rats (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED This study examined the consequences of chronic sleep restriction (CSR) with or without curcumin treatment on quantitative histomorphological correlates of the locus coeruleus (LC) nucleus using stereological techniques. Male rats were assigned to five groups including: 1-control (C), 2- curcumin (CUR), 3- grid floor (GF), 4- CSR and 5- CSR+ curcumin (CUR) (100 mg/kg/day). Animals in the GF group were placed on wire-mesh grids while in the CSR box (modified multiple platform paradigm). After a period of 21 days, rats were sacrificed with their brains excised and assessed using stereological procedures. Our findings revealed a 22%, 45% and 47% reduction in the total volume, the total number of neurons and glial cells of LC in CSR group as compared to the control groups, respectively (p < 0.01). Such structural changes were abrogated in the CSR+CUR compared to the CSR group. The study outcome proposed potential neuroprotective effects of CUR in our sleep-restricted rat model. Further translational approaches would shed more light on the possible clinical significance of such finding in human subjects with chronic sleep loss including those with intensive shift-work schedules.

Multiple-Platform and Multiple-Doppler Radar Observations of a Supercell Thunderstorm in South America during RELAMPAGO

On 10 November 2018, during the RELAMPAGO field campaign in Argentina, South America, a thunderstorm with supercell characteristics was observed by an array of mobile observing instruments, including three Doppler on Wheels radars. In contrast to the archetypal supercell described in the Glossary of Meteorology, the updraft rotation in this storm was rather short lived (~25 min), causing some initial doubt as to whether this indeed was a supercell. However, retrieved 3D winds from dual-Doppler radar scans were used to document a high spatial correspondence between midlevel vertical velocity and vertical vorticity in this storm, thus providing evidence to support the supercell categorization. Additional data collected within the RELAMPAGO domain revealed other storms with this behavior, which appears to be attributable in part to effects of the local terrain. Specifically, the IOP4 supercell and other short-duration supercell cases presented had storm motions that were nearly perpendicular to the long axis of the Sierras de Córdoba Mountains; a long-duration supercell case, on the other hand, had a storm motion nearly parallel to these mountains. Sounding observations as well as model simulations indicate that a mountain-perpendicular storm motion results in a relatively short storm residence time within the narrow zone of terrain-enhanced vertical wind shear. Such a motion and short residence time would limit the upward tilting, by the left-moving supercell updraft, of the storm-relative, antistreamwise horizontal vorticity associated with anabatic flow near complex terrain.

Circadian rhythm protein Bmal1 modulates cartilage gene expression in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis via the MAPK/ERK pathway

Background: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role of the circadian gene Bmal1 in human cartilage and its crosstalk with the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA).Methods: We verified the periodical variation of the circadian gene Bmal1 and then established a modified multiple platform method (MMPM) to induce circadian rhythm disturbance leading to TMJ-OA. IL-6, p-ERK and Bmal1 mRNA and protein expression levels were assessed by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Chondrocytes were treated with an ERK inhibitor (U0126), siRNA and plasmid targeting Bmal1 under IL-6 simulation; then, the cells were subjected to Western blotting to analyze the relationship between Bmal1 and the MAPK/ERK pathway.Results: We found that sleep rhythm disturbance can downregulate the circadian gene BMAL-1 and improve phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) and IL-6 levels. Furthermore, Bmal1 siRNA transfection was sufficient to improve the p-ERK level and aggravate OA-like gene expression changes under IL-6 stimulation. Bmal1 overexpression relieved the alterations induced by IL-6, which was consistent with the effect of U0126 (an ERK inhibitor). However, we also found that BMAL1 upregulation can decrease ERK phosphorylation, whereas ERK downregulation did not change BMAL1 expression.Conclusions: Collectively, this study provides new insight into the regulatory mechanism that links chondrocyte BMAL1 to cartilage maintenance and repair in TMJ-OA via the MAPK/ERK pathway and suggests that circadian rhythm disruption is a risk factor for TMJ-OA.

Nanocomposites of ionic copolymer integrating Gd-containing polyoxometalate as a multiple platform for enhanced MRI and pH-response chemotherapy

Nanocomposites from the co-assemblies of block copolymers and a gadolinium-grafting inorganic cluster were constructed as a multifunctional platform for MRI enhancement, drug loading, and environment-response release at local positions.

PENURUNAN KANDUNGAN BESI (Fe) DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN UNIT AERASI PADA AIR

Kualitas air baku dapat mempengaruhi unit pengolahan yang akan digunakan dalam suatu penentuan rancangan bangunan pengolahan air minum, salah satunya penurunan kadar besi. Kualitas air harus berdasarkan Keputusan Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor 492/MENKES/PER/IV/2010 mengenai Persyaratan Air Minum dengan nilai baku mutu parameter besi sebear 0,3 mg/L. Penurunan kadar besi sulit dihilangkan dengan metode kimia tunggal sehingga perlu dilakukan juga dengan penambahan proses pengolahan air salah satunyaa yaitu unit aerasi. Unit aerasi memiliki beberapa sistem, diantaranya aerasi dengan metode multiple platform aerator, aerasi dengan sistem bubble aerator, aerasi dengan sistem gravitasi bertingkat, dan aerasi tipe cascade dengan berbagai efisiensi penyisihan. Studi lebih lanjut mengetahui besar penurunan kadar besi dengan menggunakan unit aerasi diperoleh rekomendasi dengan menggunakan sistem cascade untuk penggunaan yang lebih efisien. Kata Kunci: Aerasi; Besi; Efisiensi Penyisihan

PENURUNAN KANDUNGAN BESI (Fe) DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN UNIT AERASI PADA AIR

Kualitas air baku dapat mempengaruhi unit pengolahan yang akan digunakan dalam suatu penentuan rancangan bangunan pengolahan air minum, salah satunya penurunan kadar besi. Kualitas air harus berdasarkan Keputusan Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor 492/MENKES/PER/IV/2010 mengenai Persyaratan Air Minum dengan nilai baku mutu parameter besi sebear 0,3 mg/L. Penurunan kadar besi sulit dihilangkan dengan metode kimia tunggal sehingga perlu dilakukan juga dengan penambahan proses pengolahan air salah satunyaa yaitu unit aerasi. Unit aerasi memiliki beberapa sistem, diantaranya aerasi dengan metode multiple platform aerator, aerasi dengan sistem bubble aerator, aerasi dengan sistem gravitasi bertingkat, dan aerasi tipe cascade dengan berbagai efisiensi penyisihan. Studi lebih lanjut mengetahui besar penurunan kadar besi dengan menggunakan unit aerasi diperoleh rekomendasi dengan menggunakan sistem cascade untuk penggunaan yang lebih efisien. Kata Kunci: Aerasi; Besi; Efisiensi Penyisihan