Competitive Situation Research Articles

Obtaining New Candidate Peptides for Biological Anticancer Drugs from Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Human and Bovine Hemoglobin.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of bovine and human hemoglobin generates a diversity of bioactive peptides, mainly recognized for their antimicrobial properties. However, antimicrobial peptides stand out for their ability to specifically target cancer cells while preserving rapidly proliferating healthy cells. This study focuses on the production of bioactive peptides from hemoglobin and evaluates their anticancer potential using two distinct approaches. The first approach is based on the use of a rapid screening method aimed at blocking host cell protein synthesis to evaluate candidate anticancer peptides, using Lepidium sativum seed germination as an indicator. The results show that: (1) The degree of hydrolysis (DH) significantly influences the production of bioactive peptides. DH levels of 3 to 10% produce a considerably stronger inhibition of radicle growth than DH 0 (the native form of hemoglobin), with an intensity three to four times greater. (2) Certain peptide fractions of bovine hemoglobin have a higher activity than those of human hemoglobin. (3) The structural characteristics of peptides (random coil or alpha helix) play a crucial role in the biological effects observed. (4) The α137-141 peptide, the target of the study, was the most active of the fractions obtained from bovine hemoglobin (IC50 = 29 ± 1 µg/mL) and human hemoglobin (IC50 = 48 ± 2 µg/mL), proving to be 10 to 15 times more potent than the other hemoglobin fractions, attributed to its strong antimicrobial potential. The second approach to assessing anticancer activity is based on the preliminary in vitro analysis of hydrolysates and their peptide fractions, with a focus on the eL42 protein. This protein is of major interest due to its overexpression in all cancer cells, making it an attractive potential target for the development of anticancer molecules. With this in mind, astudy was undertaken using a method for labeling formylase (formyl-methionyl-tRNA transformylase (FMTS)) with oxidized tRNA. This approach was chosen because of the similarities in the interaction between formylase and the eL42 protein with oxidized tRNA. The results obtained not only confirmed the previous conclusions but also reinforced the hypothesis that the inhibition of protein synthesis plays a key role in the anticancer mechanism of these peptides. Indeed, the data suggest that samples containing α137-141 peptide (NKT) and total hydrolysates may have modulatory effects on the interaction between FMTS and oxidized tRNA. This observation highlights the possibility that the latter could influence molecular binding mechanisms, potentially resulting in a competitive situation where the ability of substrate tRNA to bind efficiently to ribosomal protein is compromised in their presence. Ultimately, these results suggest the feasibility of obtaining candidate peptides for biological anticancer drugs from both human and bovine hemoglobin sources. These scientific advances show new hope in the fight against cancer, which affects a large number of people around the world.

Common enemies? Coups, insurgent strength and intra-elite competition: evidence from Latin America

ABSTRACT What is the relation between coups d’etat and civil wars? While a wide set of studies have traced the determinants of internal armed conflicts and coup attempts, the interplay between these contentious processes remains unexplored. Building on different strands of research, this article seeks to explain why, and under what conditions, some regimes experience coup attempts in the midst of civil wars while others do not. Concretely, I posit that coup attempts during internal armed conflicts are more likely to occur when two conditions converge: when insurgents reach a medium-level of strength in situations of intra-elite competition. Key military forces, elite outsiders and coalition insiders interpret this situation as a unique opportunity for changes in the distribution of power and potentially coalesce through the formation of alternative regime coalitions. This argument is tested with a novel dataset on 90 Latin American revolutionary socialist insurgencies active since 1950 and a qualitative case study of the dynamics leading to the 1976 coup d’etat in Argentina, with results supporting the theoretical expectations. These findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of the relation between coups and civil wars, opening the way for further studies on this burgeoning area of research.

Digital Transformation of Agricultural Products Purchasing: From the Perspective of Short Videos Live-Streaming

In the current competitive market situation, live streaming has become an essential part of the digital transformation of agriculture. In this study, we empirically examine the influence of short video live streaming on the purchase of agricultural products. A regression model was developed using SPSS 23 software. The final results of this study show that short video live streaming has a significant effect on the sales of agricultural products. Consumer cognition and emotion show mediation in the impact between the Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) of charisma, content richness, and interactive evaluation on the purchase of agricultural products. This study explores the path of the impact of short video live streaming on the purchasing of agricultural products. It is beneficial to help agriculture-related practitioners develop new marketing paths, reduce the waste of agricultural products, and improve the economic income of related practitioners.

Competition or cooperation? Exploring the impact of dominant modes on the competitive relationship in CLSC

PurposeThe paper proposes a two-level closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) dynamic competitive model based on different competitive cooperation situations, and explores the impact of competitive cooperation methods on the pricing strategies, recycling and remanufacturing strategies and competitive model selection strategies of supply chain firms.Design/methodology/approachThis paper establishes a CLSC game consisting of a manufacturer and two retailers. Firstly, five CLSC models are established in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, each of which competes with one another. Secondly, the recycling and remanufacturing pricing strategies are analyzed under different competition or cooperation models. Finally, the results are verified through numerical analysis.FindingsThe overall profitability of the CLSC is highest when the manufacturer–retailer partnership alliance is in place. The relationship between retailers and manufacturers is also found to be the best way to achieve overall optimization of the CLSC.Originality/valueThe paper investigates the relationship between the competitive partnership and the total profit of the CLSC, taking into account how to optimize the overall benefit, and focusing on how to optimize the individual interests of each participating enterprise. The results can provide basis and guidance for managers' pricing decision and competition cooperation.

Cooperation and deception through stigmergic interactions in human groups

Stigmergy is a generic coordination mechanism widely used by animal societies, in which traces left by individuals in a medium guide and stimulate their subsequent actions. In humans, new forms of stigmergic processes have emerged through the development of online services that extensively use the digital traces left by their users. Here, we combine interactive experiments with faithful data-based modeling to investigate how groups of individuals exploit a simple rating system and the resulting traces in an information search task in competitive or noncompetitive conditions. We find that stigmergic interactions can help groups to collectively find the cells with the highest values in a table of hidden numbers. We show that individuals can be classified into three behavioral profiles that differ in their degree of cooperation. Moreover, the competitive situation prompts individuals to give deceptive ratings and reinforces the weight of private information versus social information in their decisions.

Differences in Technical and Tactical Efficiency between Winning and Defeated Water Polo Teams: A Comparative Analysis

Notation analysis is basically the gathering and analyzing of information that has been gained from observing performance in a competitive situation. The aim of this paper was to determine and explain the results and differences in technical and tactical efficiency in men’s water polo between winning and defeated teams. The sample of the entities included 31 matches from the men’s tournament held at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021. The sample of variables covered 18 defense and attack parameters of efficiency. Using a t-test for independent samples led to a result that the winning and losing teams differed significantly in four variables. Significant differences of winning teams in the realization with an equal number of players was probably stemmed from having better skills in achieving optimal conditions in preparation and performance. The reasons for the superiority of the winning teams in the part of defensive actions can probably be found in better and more coordinated actions of all defensive players in exclusions, blocking the ball and goalkeeper shot saves. These findings encourage coaches to improve players’ skills by providing optimal conditions for the part of the technical-tactical solutions in defense and attack.

Developing a game-theoretic interactive decision-making framework for urban land-use planning

Land-use changes are the result of individuals' interactive decisions and are directly affected by stakeholders' preferences. For a better understanding of land-use change processes and to support the development of an adequate land-use plan, simulating stakeholders' interactions is a key challenge. This study aims to develop a Game-Theoretic Interactive Decision Making (GTIDM) framework to simulate the interrelated behavior of stakeholders with imperfect information in a land-use change process. GTIDM considers consequences of the any possible decision taken by actors and support the best possible payoff for all decision-makers in conflicted and competitive situations. The proposed framework was implemented and analyzed using data from the 22nd municipal region of Tehran. We compared the results from GTIDM with Multi-Agent System (MAS) and Conventional Multi-Criteria Decision Making-based (CMCDM) frameworks to demonstrate the effects of considering or ignoring the interactive decision-making process. The results obtained indicate that the interactive decision-making situation can be efficiently simulated by GTIDM and the outputs are more similar to stakeholders’ decisions in the real world. The MAS- and CMCDM-based frameworks are less focused on interactive situations. Finally, GTIDM provides insight into interactive decision-making in land-use change process and can lead us toward a feasible solution in urban land-use planning.

Design and Innovation of Green Recycling System for Express Packaging Based on New Development Concept

The implementation of green recycling of express packaging is an inevitable requirement of sustainable economic development. Green recycling of express packaging conforms to the trend of social development and helps to alleviate the current problems such as waste of express packaging and high environmental pressure. Based on the background of implementing the new development concept, this paper analyzes the development status, problems and reasons of express packaging recycling at home and abroad. The questionnaire is designed for the green recycling system of express packaging and its development, the questionnaire results are counted and analyzed by SPSS 20.0, and the logistics systems and system design architectures of express packaging are put forward, hoping to simplify the recycling process, improve the recycling rate, promote the recycling process of express packaging and reduce environmental pollution to improve the ability of sustainable development.

From Strain to Serenity: The Role of Deliberate Communication in Mitigating Stress Among School Children; A Review

Stress amongst children is prevailing and is a huge problem in the present times. Trying to adapt, maintaining good grades, planning for the future, and managing many things (extra co-curricular activities, sports, etc) often cause stress for many children. Students typically experience the stress of syllabus, high levels of competitive situations, and their failure to manage with the high expectations. Miscommunication and non-communication of parents often add to and create more burden on the already stressed-out children. The present paper reviews already existing research on the effect of communication strategies on reducing stress in school children.

Impact of Anti-Doping Checks and Training on the Violations and Penalties Imposed on Bulgarian Athletes

The competition and the desire to win a medal nowadays leads to more and more disregard for the principle of “fair play”. The activity of the Anti-doping Center is aimed not only at inspections and punishments but also at prevention. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the influence of anti-doping controls and education on the number of violations and sanctions imposed on Bulgarian athletes. Methods. The study was carried out in the period 2014 – 2022 and includes official data from the Bulgarian Anti-Doping Center. In-competition and out-of-competition samples (urine and blood) conducted training for athletes and sports technicians, violations, and imposed sanctions for the research period will be analyzed. Mathematical-statistical methods: descriptive statistics and dynamic series analysis. Results. During the considered period, 1130±92 samples were taken, of which 66.5±12.7 were blood samples. Whereabouts failure by athletes and sports technicians are 5.6±2.8. The number of educated athletes, coaches, officials, and employees of the Anti-Doping Center in 2014 was 273 and will grow to 1,816 people in 2022. Conclusion: There is an increase in the number of tests performed in competitive and non-competitive situations. The prevention program has convincingly expanded the scope and number of trained athletes, officials, and staff over the years.

Comparative Study on the Socioeconomic and Political Conditions of Indian and Chinese Communities in Malaysia

The present study examined the socioeconomic and political status of the Indian and Chinese populations residing in Malaysia. The focus of this investigation has been limited to specifically analyse three domains: education, employment, and political representation. The variation in criteria employed for analysing the given circumstance might be attributed to the distinct perspectives of each group. According to Darin-Mattsson, Fors, and Kåreholt (2017), various approaches have been utilised to operationalize the concept of socioeconomic position. Education, social class, and income have been identified as the key determinants among these several factors. Hence, this study investigates the conditions of Indian and Chinese communities, taking into consideration the specific criteria outlined earlier. The analysis suggests that the Indian and Chinese groups are engaged in a situation of competition with the Malay majority. The Chinese community exhibits a significant presence and prominence in the realm of commerce and wealth accumulation, surpassing that of the Malay and Indian groups. The Indian community exhibits a higher prevalence of poverty in comparison to the Chinese community. Nevertheless, despite the implementation of the Malay reservation policy, both communities have demonstrated commendable progress in the areas of education, employment, and political engagement. Additionally, the government has shown a proactive approach in addressing the challenges and disadvantages faced by these communities.

Relationships between Service Quality, Brand Image, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty of UC Makassar

Economic development in recent years has been driven among others by the service industry. The fierce competitive situation has driven competing businesses to continually develop themselves to provide superior quality services and an excellent brand image to gain customer satisfaction and loyalty. This study aims to examine the relationships between service quality, brand image, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty of UC Makassar. We collect research data from 68 students using a convenient sampling technique. We adopted the conceptual model from prior studies. PLS-SEM was conducted to test the relationships in the conceptual models. The outcomes indicate that customer satisfaction has a positive impact on customer loyalty. The findings also found that service quality positively affects brand image and customer satisfaction but not loyalty. Likewise, brand image has a positive effect on customer satisfaction but not on loyalty. The implications of this research, limitations, and directions for further research can be found below.

"Standing against a State Requires the State"

This article explores “revolutionary etatization,” defined as the process of revolutionary organizations evolving into embryonic proto-states even before they have seized power. The article focuses on the period between the end of World War I and the present day. While the situation of inescapable violent competition (Tilly) represents the Darwinian driver of the process, we need the ideologicaland strategic dimensions to account for the variety of revolutionary proto-states. Embryonic revolutionary states come in two main types: the multi-department civil-administration apparatus, and the agglomerate of organs of popular representation, corresponding, respectively, to “constructive” and “co-optive” modes of state formation. Revolutionary etatization is a universal experience holding true not only for rural guerrillas controlling “liberated territories” but also for urban guerrillas and urban insurrectionists.

ANALISIS KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP PRESTASI KERJA KARYAWAN PADA LAYANAN (KUKM) KOPERASI DAN USAHA KECIL DAN MENENGAH

Service quality is a very important thing to be considered by companies in facing a very competitive situation. Maximum work performance because work performance in a company is very important and must always be improved. The purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of the influence of the Service Quality variable on Employee Work Performance in Cooperative Services (KUKM) and Small and Medium Enterprises.The sampling technique used in this study the author uses the Random Sampling technique (randomly) using the Suharsimi Arikunto formula (2014). Where each member of the population has the same opportunity to be selected as a sample as a whole obtained 169 employees or 25%, from the entire population so the sample is 42 employees.Based on the results of regression analysis that it turns out that the service quality variable can improve employee performance, the equation value is Y = 8.135 + 0.769 X, there is a positive influence on employee performance, it is necessary to prove by testing the hypothesis that the tcount value = 11,694 ttable value at (40) of = 1.682, then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted which means it has evidence that Service Quality on Employee Work Performance has a very significant influence. Based on the results of the analysis, there is a positive influence of Service Quality on Employee Work Performance obtained a value of 0.880 so it can be concluded that the influence is very strong or the value of the coefficient of determination (KD) is 77.4%. So the level of influence is 77.4% and the remaining 22.6% is influenced by other factors not observed by the author as a whole. Keywords: Service Quality and Employee Performance

AR SINAPS: AUGMENTED REALITY LEARNING MEDIA TO ENHANCE CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY

The competitive world situation caused by globalization requires students in the 21st century to have the ability to think critically. Critical thinking ability is a thinking process that has a purpose and focuses on producing an idea to solve a problem. However, several studies show that students' critical thinking skills in biology are still in the low to medium category. Thus, several efforts are needed to improve critical thinking skills, one of which can be through the use of technology-based learning media. This study aims to improve students' critical thinking ability using Augmented Reality learning media. This research was carried out from January to July 2022 at State Senior High School 31 Jakarta (henceforth called SMAN 31 Jakarta). The research used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group design. The experimental class used AR SINAPS learning media to assist the learning process. The control class, on the other hand, used picture media. The research involved 44 students selected by simple random sampling. The participants were divided into experimental and control classes, each of which amounted to 22 students. The data analysis technique used was a t-test with a significant level (α) = 0.05. Based on the calculations on the average gain score for the experimental and control classes, a significance value of 0.01 was obtained, meaning that using AR SINAPS learning media might enhance high school students' critical thinking ability better than using the picture media.

Acceding to the Moon Agreement to acquire legal certainty: An optional solution for China in the new era of lunar exploration and exploitation

Lunar exploration and exploitation have thrived in recent years due to advancements in space technology and the increasing demand for better utilization of the moon. These activities fall within the realm of outer space activities, mainly governed by international space treaties. However, lunar exploration, especially resource exploitation, is challenging to conduct at the moment under a definitive and generally acknowledged space treaty. The Moon Agreement, as the specific international space treaty addressing these activities, is not currently functioning well. Inspired by the US, several nations opposed to the Moon Agreement have chosen to enact national legislation to address the legal uncertainty. The US has initiated international accords unilaterally in an attempt to establish standards for rules on lunar exploration and exploitation, which has generated significant influence. As one of the major players in this arena, China must face this competitive situation and assume responsibility for establishing a harmonious environment for lunar exploration and exploitation. Instead of emulating the US approach and getting entangled in the competition of rule-making, China should consider accession to the Moon Agreement as a means to attain legal certainty, not only for its own requirements but also to contribute to the realization of international cooperation through space treaties adopted by the United Nations to the fullest extent.

Praising among preschoolers

This study probed praising among preschoolers in natural settings and investigated their developmental changes. In study 1, teachers in preprimary educational facilities answered queries about the frequency and described episodes of praising among preschoolers. The results indicated that children approximately 3-year-old commonly praised friends, primarily in situations of playing. In study 2, teachers responded to questions on the aspects and circumstances of praising among preschoolers. The findings revealed the developmental trend that 5-year- old preschoolers praised the processes used by their friends more than 3-year-old children. Five-year-old preschoolers also praised their friends more than 3-year-old children in competitive team game situations.

Semi-waves and spreading speeds of stage-structured diffusive competition model with a free boundary

A stage-structured diffusive competition model with a free boundary is considered. The main aim of this paper is to study the evolutions of mature invasive species with competitive ability and determine whether it disrupts the stable ecosystem provided by native species. According to the long-time behaviors under the case of weak-strong competition, strong-weak competition, and weak competition, we obtain respectively the exact asymptotic spreading speed by delay-induced semi-wave problems if the spreading of invasive species occurs. And we demonstrate that, as the moving coefficient goes to infinite, the corresponding Cauchy problem can be viewed as the limiting profile of the model, and the asymptotic spreading speed approaches the minimal speed of the corresponding traveling wavefront solutions. Moreover, under the strong-weak competition situation, the asymptotic spreading speed of invasive species will decrease when the maturation time is longer.

Competitive Firms’ Optimal Decisions on Entering Accessory Market

The smartphone is now a widespread trend that causes phone accessory markets to rise. The high penetration rate of smartphones has led to a saturated market. The accessory market not only has tremendous business opportunities but also high potential. In practice, the decision of whether to join the accessory market differentiates by each smartphone firm. This study analyzed and discussed the main product firms’ optimal decisions of whether to enter the accessory market by using game theory as a construct model. Considering the different competition situations, the decision of whether the main product firm invests in the accessory market affected the market demand, pricing, and profit of all firms. Furthermore, we analyzed the differences in the external environment to determine what the best decision for the main product firm was. The results of the research show that complementary effects do not always have a positive influence on firms’ willingness to join the accessory market. When weak main product firms have different market forces in the main product market, the dominant main product firms are not necessarily more willing to join the accessory market than weak firms.

Business Model, Market Competition and Marketing Strategy of Internet + Community Shared Elderly Care

Currently, young people in China are lacking in skills in taking care of the elderly, and there is an urgent need for social institutions to take care of the elderly. The market demand for taking care of the elderly is constantly increasing. In response to this situation, we propose the Internet + Community Shared Elderly Care Model. This paper first introduces the core mechanism, platform deployment, main business, monitoring system, etc. of Internet + Community Shared Elderly Care Model. Secondly, the business model of this project was analyzed from aspects such as customer segmentation and key business. Finally, the market competition situation of this project was analyzed and marketing strategies were proposed.