Independent Variables Research Articles

Coaches’ Migration: Decisions and Perceived Importance of International Experience

The migration of coaches is a topic that has seen increasing research interest in recent years. Discussions are evolving around the factors driving coaches' migration, their experiences, and perceptions held by other sports stakeholders. This study aimed to explore the decision-making processes of coaches regarding migration and their views on the phenomenon. A total of 68 coaches, both with and without international experience, participated in the study. Data collection involved an online survey comprising closed-ended questions. For data analysis, we employed a One-Way ANOVA to draw comparisons across independent variables. Interestingly, coaches with international experience have been more frequently approached with offers than their counterparts without such experience. Nevertheless, the majority of the coaches did not perceive foreign coaches as essential to sports development. Coaches with international backgrounds expressed a belief that native coaches should exclusively coach their national teams. Overall, coaches did not highly value international placements or experience. These unexpected findings have significant implications for coach training programs globally. The results are further explored in the context of the expertise required to work in a globalised sports setting and interact with stakeholders from diverse cultural backgrounds.

A note on the geometry of hypermultiplets in the field theory of intersecting D3-branes

We study the Kähler geometry of the hypermultiplet moduli space in the effective field theory of two intersecting D3-branes from the viewpoint of the classical RG flow equation governing the running of the Kähler potential defining the theory. We analyze this equation as a nonlinear PDE of first order and construct a general class of its solutions compatible with the symmetries in the problem. These solutions involve an arbitrary function of two independent variables and generically break the N=2 supersymmetry of the system to N=1 in 4 dimensions. Restricting this general class by the constraints of N=2 supersymmetry and periodicity for magnetic charge quantization, we recover the Gibbons-Hawking geometry previously proposed for this system in ref. [5]. This provides a systematic derivation and a uniqueness proof for the geometry of the moduli space in this problem. We also give an independent proof of the preservation of the N=2 supersymmetry by the RG flow and a reinterpretation of the periodicity in terms of a symmetry of the RG flow equation in appendices.

Traditional Health Services Utilization in Disadvantage Areas in Indonesia

The low availability of health services in disadvantaged areas raises conventional medicine as an alternative. The study aims to analyze the factors related to traditional health services (THS) utilization in disadvantaged areas in Indonesia, based on Presidential Regulation Number 63 of 2020 concerning the Determination of Underdeveloped Regions for 2020–2024. The research employed data from the 2018 Indonesian Basic Health Survey. This cross-sectional survey analyzed 16,346 respondents. The study looked at THS use as a dependent variable and six independent variables (age group, gender, marital status, education level, occupation type, and wealth status). We employed binary logistic regression to analyze the data. The results showed that Indonesia's average THS utilization in a disadvantaged area in 2018 was 17.6%. Meanwhile, the study found that age group, marital status, occupation type, and wealth status were related to THS utilization in a disadvantaged area in Indonesia. The older a person is, the more likely he is to utilize THS. Those who are married were more likely to use THS than unmarried. The study also found that work type and wealth status were related to THS utilization. The study concluded four factors associated with THS utilization in a disadvantaged area in Indonesia: age, marital, occupation, and wealth. We need further qualitative studies about the reasons why people choose THS. This follow-up study is vital for policymakers to develop THS according to the needs of their consumers.

Mental health literacy and its associated factors among traditional healers toward mental illness in Northeast, Ethiopia: A mixed approach study.

Currently, the biggest issue facing the entire world is mental health. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, nearly one-fourth of the community is experiencing any of the mental illness categories. Most of the cases were treated in religious and traditional institutions, which the community most liked to be treated. However, there were very limited studies conducted to show the level of mental health literacy among traditional healers. The study aimed to assess the level of mental health literacy and its associated factors among traditional healers toward mental illness found in Northeast, Ethiopia from September 1-30/2022. A mixed approach cross-sectional study design was carried out on September 130, 2022, using simple random sampling with a total sample of 343. Pretested, structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were utilized for data collection. The level of Mental Health Literacy (MHL) was assessed using the 35 mental health literacy (35-MHLQ) scale. The semi-structured checklist was used for the in-depth interview and the FGD for the qualitative part. Data was entered using Epi-data version 4.6 and, then exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. The association between outcome and independent variables was analyzed with bivariate and multivariable linear regression. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and the findings were then referenced with the findings of the quantitative data. The findings of this study showed that the sample of traditional healers found in Dessie City scored a total mean of mental health literacy of 91.81 ± 10:53. Age (β = -0.215, 95% CI (-0.233, -0.05), p = 0.003, informal educational status (β = -5.378, 95% CI (-6.505, -0.350), p = 0.029, presence of relative with a mental disorder (β = 6.030, 95% CI (0.073, 7.428),p = 0.046, getting information on mental illness (β = 6.565, 95% CI (3.432, 8.680), p = <0.001, and mental health training (β = 4.889, 95% CI (0.379, 6.455), p = 0.028 were variables significantly associated with mental health literacy. Traditional healers provide a variety of explanations for the causes of mental illness, including biological, psychological, and supernatural ones. The mean score of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) is lower among traditional healers compared with other studies. Age, informal educational status, family history of mental illness, getting information on mental illness, and mental health training were significantly associated with mental health literacy. Therefore, different works to improve the levels of mental health literacy among traditional healers are essential.

Experimental Design of the Interaction Effect of Independent Variables on Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Fruit Bromelain Activity

Background: Certain factors are known to influence the rate of enzyme activity. It is paramount to study such independent factors to obtain the ideal conditions required to maximize enzyme activity. The time-consuming traditional one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach of evaluating the effect of independent variables on enzyme activity does not consider the interaction effects of the independent variables on dependent responses. Methods: The impact of four independent variables on fruit bromelain activity was evaluated using the complete factorial design of the experiment approach. Results: The highest actual fruit bromelain activity (76.83 U/ml) and predicted activity (74.81 U/ml) were recorded at an optimum pH of 7.5, temperature of 50oC, and incubation period of 10 minutes using azocasein substrate. All tested variables except temperature; the interaction between substrate type and incubation time significantly affected fruit bromelain activity (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The design model analysed the main and interaction effect of the variables on bromelain activity. Therefore, complete factorial design is a better approach than OFAT to determine the effect of independent variables on fruit bromelain activity.

Headspace – Solid phase microextraction vs liquid injection GC-MS analysis of essential oils: Prediction of linear retention indices by multiple linear regression

AbstractDue to the relative independence from the operational parameters, the linear retention indices (LRIs) are useful tool in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) qualitative analysis. The aim of the current study was to develop a multiple linear regression (MLR) model for the prediction of LRIs as a function of selected molecular descriptors. Liquid injection GC-MS was used for the analysis of Essential oils (Rose, Lavender and Peppermint) separating the ingredients by a semi-standard non-polar stationary phase. As a result, a sum of 103 compounds were identified and their experimental LRIs were derived relying on reference measurements of a standard mixture of n-alkanes (from C8 to C20). As a next step, a set of molecular descriptors was generated for the distinguished chemical structures. Further, a stepwise MLR was applied for the selection of the significant descriptors (variables) which can be used to predict the LRIs. From an exploit set of over 2000 molecular descriptors, it was found that only 16 can be regarded as significant and independent variables. At this point split validation was applied: the identified compounds were randomly divided into training (85%) and validation (15%) sets. The training set (87 compounds) was used to derive two MLR models by applying i) the ‘enter’ algorithm (R2 = 0.9960, RMSЕ = 17) and ii) the ‘stepwise’ one (R2 = 0.9958, RMSЕ = 17). The predictive power was assessed by the validation set (16 compounds) as follows i) q2F1 = 0.9896, RMSE = 25 and ii) q2F1 = 0.9886, RMSE = 26, respectively. The adequateness of both regression approaches was further evaluated. Newly developed headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedures in combination with GC-MS were used for an alternative analysis of the studied Essential oils. Twelve additional compounds, not previously detected by the liquid sample introduction mode of analysis, were identified for which the values of the significant descriptors were within the working range of the developed MLRs. For the last compounds, the LRIs were calculated and the experimental data was used as an external set for assessment of the regression models. The predictive power for both regression approaches was assessed as follows: Enter RMSE = 41, q2F2 = 0.9503 and Stepwise RMSE = 40, q2F2 = 0.9521.

Body Image dengan Penyesuaian Diri pada Ibu Primigravida

The first pregnancy is experience of life that makes the big social and psychological change. The purpose of this study is to see whether body image has relationship with self adjustment in the primigravida. Design of this study is a cross-sectional analytical study, it has two variables, independent variables (body image) and the dependent variable (self adjustment). The subject of this study is 30 primigravida using simple random sampling technique, and data used are primary data with instruments such as questionnaires and the data analyzed with the Fisher exact test. It had been done in PMB F at Desa Gayaman Mojoanyar sub-district Mojokerto regency on September. The results show that most primigravida whose body image have positively get 22 people (73.3%) and self adjustment do well consist of 19 people (63, 3%). The data analyzed by Fisher exact with significant level of 5% (0.05) are taken by value p(0.001) &lt;α (0.05) means that body image has relationship with self adjustment in primigravida. The pregnancy should be faced by the best self adjustment in order to keep either psychological or physical in pregnant women and their fetus well.

Shrinkage priors for isotonic probability vectors and binary data modeling, with applications to dose-response modeling.

Motivated by the need to model dose-response or dose-toxicity curves in clinical trials, we develop a new horseshoe-based prior for Bayesian isotonic regression modeling a binary outcome against an ordered categorical predictor, where the probability of the outcome is assumed to be monotonically non-decreasing with the predictor. The set of differences between outcome probabilities in consecutive categories of the predictor is equipped with a multivariate prior having support over simplex. The Dirichlet distribution, which can be derived from a normalized sum of independent gamma-distributed random variables, is a natural choice of prior, but using mathematical and simulation-based arguments, we show that the resulting posterior is prone to underflow and other numerical instabilities, even under simple data configurations. We propose an alternative prior based on horseshoe-type shrinkage that is numerically more stable. We show that this horseshoe-based prior is not subject to the numerical instability seen in the Dirichlet/gamma-based prior and that the horseshoe-based posterior can estimate the underlying true curve more efficiently than the Dirichlet-based one. We demonstrate the use of this prior in a model predicting the occurrence of radiation-induced lung toxicity in lung cancer patients as a function of dose delivered to normal lung tissue. Our methodology is implemented in the R package isotonicBayes and therefore suitable for use in the design of dose-finding studies or other dose-response modeling contexts.

Prognostic factors and clinical survival outcome in patients with primary mediastinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in rituximab era: A population-based study.

The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, prognostic variables, and survival of patients with primary mediastinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PMBCL) in the rituximab era. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify PMBCL patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) technique and log-rank test were used to assess overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The independent prognostic variables for OS and DSS were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Nomograms were created to predict survival prospects according to identified prognostic indicators. Totally, 841 patients were enrolled with PMBCL. One-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS rates were 93.99%, 85.04%, and 81.76%, and the corresponding DSS rates were 95.27%, 87.37%, and 85.98%. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that age, years of diagnosis, Ann arbor staging, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for survival. Nomograms designed exclusively for PMBCL were created to forecast the likelihood of 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS and DSS, respectively. The Harrell concordance index (C-index) for the nomograms predictions of OS and DSS were 0.704 and 0.733, respectively, which showed the established model harboring powerful and accurate performance. The present study revealed that incidence of PMBCL has been consistently rising over the last 20 years. Simultaneously, survival rates have improved tremendously. Rituximab based immunochemotherapy has emerged as an effective treatment option, leading to enhanced OS and DSS outcomes. Furthermore, the nomograms specifically developed for PMBCL have demonstrated robustness and accuracy in forecasting OS and DSS rates at 1, 5, and 10 years. These predictive tools can be valuable for clinicians in accurately estimating prognosis and establishing personalized treatment plans and follow-up protocols.

Machine Learning Deciphered Molecular Mechanistics with Accurate Kinetic and Thermodynamic Prediction.

Time-lagged independent component analysis (tICA) and the Markov state model (MSM) have been extensively employed for extracting conformational dynamics and kinetic community networks from unbiased trajectory ensembles. However, these techniques may not be the optimal choice for elucidating transition mechanisms within low-dimensional representations, especially for intricate biosystems. Unraveling the association mechanism in such complex systems always necessitates permutations of several essential independent components or collective variables, a process that is inherently obscure and may require empirical knowledge for selection. To address these challenges, we have implemented an integrated unsupervised dimension reduction model: uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) with hierarchy density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (HDBSCAN). This approach effectively generates low-dimensional configurational embeddings. The hierarchical application of this architecture, in conjunction with MSM, reveals global kinetic connectivity while identifying local conformational states. Consequently, our methodology establishes a multiscale mechanistic elucidation framework. Leveraging the benefits of the uniform sample distribution and a denoising approach, our model demonstrates robustness in preserving global and local data structures compared to traditional dimension reduction methods in the field of MD analysis area. The interpretability of hyperparameter selection and compatibility with downstream tasks are cross-validated across various simulation data sets, utilizing both computational evaluation metrics and experimental kinetic observables. Furthermore, the predicted Mcl1-BH3 association kinetics (0.76 s-1) is in close agreement with surface plasmon resonance experiments (0.12 s-1), affirming the plausibility of the identified pathway composed of representative conformations. We anticipate that the devised workflow will serve as a foundational framework for studying recognition patterns in complex biological systems. Its contributions extend to the exploration of protein functional dynamics and rational drug design, offering a potent avenue for advancing research in these domains.

Asymptotic Duration for Optimal Multiple Stopping Problems

We study the asymptotic duration of optimal stopping problems involving a sequence of independent random variables that are drawn from a known continuous distribution. These variables are observed as a sequence, where no recall of previous observations is permitted, and the objective is to form an optimal strategy to maximise the expected reward. In our previous work, we presented a methodology, borrowing techniques from applied mathematics, for obtaining asymptotic expressions for the expectation duration of the optimal stopping time where one stop is permitted. In this study, we generalise further to the case where more than one stop is permitted, with an updated objective function of maximising the expected sum of the variables chosen. We formulate a complete generalisation for an exponential family as well as the uniform distribution by utilising an inductive approach in the formulation of the stopping rule. Explicit examples are shown for common probability functions as well as simulations to verify the asymptotic calculations.

The Effects of Government Borrowing to Investment Growth of the Country

Government borrowing has emerged as one significant method that helps in mobilization of resources for economic growth especially in emerging economics. Most governments in developing economies resort to borrowing as a way of financing budget deficit. This paper identifies the effects of government borrowing to investment growth in the Philippines. Specifically, it presented the trend of gross domestic product, internal debt, and external debt from 1990-2020. The study used Johansen Co-integration, Granger Causality, and Vector Autoregression (VAR) models to analyze this study. Johansen’s Co-integration analysis revealed that the gross domestic product (GDP), internal debt (ID), and external debt (ED) are rejected at a 5% significant level and showing that all relevant variables have a long-term relationship and the data are co-integrated. On the other hand, unrestricted VAR model, there exist a relationship between gross domestic product (GDP), internal debt (ID), and external debt (ED). The Granger Causality test result revealed the direction of the causal relationship between independent and dependent variables; gross domestic product, internal debt, and external debt at the 5% significant level.

Investigating the Relationship between Organizational Culture, Compensation, Spiritual Leadership, and Teacher Performance in Private Islamic Elementary Schools

This research aims to analyze the influence of Organizational Culture (OC) on teacher performance (TP), the influence of compensation (C) on TP, and the influence of spiritual leadership (SL) on TP, as well as the combined influence of OC, C, and SL of the on TP. Data analysis was conducted at a significance level of 0.5%. The results are as follows: There is a significant influence of OC on TP, as evidenced by the t-test result showing that t-value 22.458 &gt; t-table 1.966 and Sig 0.000 &lt; 0.05; thus, hypothesis H1 is accepted. There is a significant influence of C on TP, as evidenced by the t-test result showing that t-value 2.420 &gt; t-table 1.966 and sig 0.016 &lt; 0.05; thus, hypothesis H2 is accepted. There is a significant influence of the SL on TP, as evidenced by the t-test result showing that t-value 2.379 &gt; t-table 1.966 and sig 0.18 &lt; 0.05; thus, hypothesis H3 is accepted. Based on the F-test, the calculated F-value is 578.741; because the calculated F-value 578.741 &gt; F-table 2.395, it means that hypothesis H4 is accepted, or in other words, OC, C, and SL collectively influence TP. The coefficient of determination test yields a Coefficient of Determination (R-Square) for TP of 0.819, exceeding the value of 0.67, indicating that the independent variables collectively have a strong influence, accounting for 81.9% of TP. In conclusion, there is a significant combined influence of (X1), (X2), and (X3) on TP. This influence is direct and accounts for 81.9%, while the remaining 18.1% is influenced by other variables not tested in this research. These findings have an impact on TP in private madrasah ibtidaiyah. Therefore, the research findings recommend that the performance of private madrasah ibtidaiyah teachers can be improved through OC, C, and SL.

Quality by Design and Characterization of Nimodipine Novel Carriers for the Treatment of Hypertension: Assessment of the Pharmacokinetic Profile

Background: Nimodipine is a highly lipophilic anti-hypertensive drug having 13% oral bioavailability (log P 3.41). Nimodipine is a prominent calcium channel blocker that must be given intravenously for an extended period of time (1-2 weeks) in order to treat cerebral vasospasm. It might be possible to substitute a sustained-release biodegradable formulation for the ongoing intravenous infusion used in this traditional therapy. Objectives: The primary goal of this study was to formulate and evaluate the potentiality of ethosomes to deliver nimodipine, a potent water-insoluble anti-hypertensive drug, through the deeper layers of the skin. The greatest challenge for drug formulation is its poor oral bioavailability and solubility. Methods: Nimodipine-loaded ethosomal gel was developed for transdermal drug delivery to increase solubility and skin penetration and to promote oral bioavailability. Central composite design employing a thin-film hydration method was used to prepare and optimize ethosomes. A better dispersion medium for nimodipine's preparation in ethosomes was selected based on the effect. The design consisted of independent variables as lipid (X1), ethanol (X2), and sonication time (X3). Concentrations were manipulated to examine the effects on three responses, namely the %entrapment efficiency (Y1), vesicle size (Y2), and %cumulative drug release (Y3). Surface morphology and other in vitro tests were used to identify ethosomes containing nimodipine. The preparation of ethosomal gel formulations began with incorporating a single ethosomal formulation (F4) into various concentrations of gelling agents. These studies performed physicochemical characterization, compatibility testing, and in vitro drug release tests on ethosomal gels. In vivo studies involving hypertensive rats were conducted after skin permeation, and ex vivo studies were performed. In order to assess the drug's permeability and deposition, we employed the abdomen skin of rats. Results: The optimal process parameters resulted in ethosomes with 89.9 ± 0.19 percent entrapment efficiency, a vesicle size of 102.37 ± 5.84 nm, and a cumulative drug release of 98.3 ± 0.13%. pH and drug content measurements were consistent with the homogeneous ethosomal gels. Viscosity was found to increase with the spreadability. The ethosomal gel formulation (G2) met the regulatory standards regarding appearance, spreadability, viscosity, and in vitro release studies. Compared to pure nimodipine, ethosomal suspension (F4) and ethosomal gel (G2) formulations had higher ex vivo permeation, steady-state flux, and drug retention. Rats' mean arterial pressure (146.11 ± 0.84 mmHg) was significantly lower (p &lt; 0.01) after after two hours of the experiment than it had been (p &lt; 0.001) (98.88 ± 0.63 mmHg) after six hours. Conclusion: To summarize, ethosomal gels have been found to be lipid carriers that enhance skin permeation and extend the anti-hypertensive effect of nimodipine. Compared to plain gel, ex vivo drug permeation through rat abdominal skin in ethosomal gel was enhanced. Gel-based ethosomal transdermal drug delivery formulations of nimodipine can be used to achieve a faster rate and extend the duration of drug delivery by more than 24 hours.

The impact of collaborative ePortfolios on academic learning in a university setting

This study is focused on promoting self-reflection and self-regulation of learning through the use of digital tools to improve the academic performance of university students. Specifically, the main objective is to evaluate the impact of the use of collaborative ePortfolios on facilitating the comprehension of the concepts being studied. During the 2021/2022 academic term, a voluntary survey was administered to 60 students in the Adaptation Course of the Primary Education Degree Program. Through a structural equation analysis, a theoretical model was analyzed in which the intensity of participation in the ePortfolio appears as a mediating variable between the different independent variables and the improvement in academic learning. The results of the study confirm this mediating function for some variables, while at the same time they show a direct positive relationship between the intensity of participation in the ePortfolio and comprehension of the course concepts. The findings of this study can have important implications for the promotion of digital tools, such as ePortfolios, to improve learning in the university context. In addition, the work offers methodological alternatives to the recurring problem of analyzing complex relationships (both direct and indirect effects) with small samples.

Analisis Faktor Yang Memengaruhi Kepuasan Kerja Tenaga Medis Di RSU Sinar Husni Deli Serdang

Human resources are a very important factor in an organization. Medical personnel are human resources to achieve hospital goals. In order for hospital goals to be achieved effectively and efficiently, management is required to be able to provide job satisfaction to its medical personnel. The aim of the research is to determine and analyze the factors that influence the job satisfaction of medical personnel at RSU Sinar Husni Deli Serdang in 2023. The research design used in this research is an analytical survey with a cross sectional design. The population in this study was all medical personnel at RSU Sinar Husni Deli Serdang, totaling 138 people, the number of samples to be studied was 102 people, the sampling technique used was purposive sampling, data analysis was carried out using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. . The statistical tests used are the chi square test and logistic regression. The results of the chi square test research show that the independent variables, namely salary p= 0.001, coworkers p= 0.001, supervision p= 0.002, promotion p= 0.003 and job characteristics p= 0.008 have a p-value of 0.001 &lt; α 0.05, meaning salary , colleagues, supervision, promotions and job characteristics influence job satisfaction of medical personnel at RSU Sinar Husni Deli Serdang and the results of the multiple logistic regression test show that the salary variable has an odds ratio (OR) of 3.188. The conclusion is that salary, co-workers, supervision, promotion and job characteristics influence medical personnel at RSU Sinar Husni Deli Serdang. It is recommended that efforts that need to be made by hospital management are to increase the provision of incentives and rewards for those who are better so that they can motivate them to provide maximum service to patients.&#x0D; &#x0D;

End-user perspectives on fintech services adoption in the Bangladesh insurance industry: the moderating role of trust

AbstractThis study focuses on understanding the factors that influence end-users’ (customers’) acceptance of fintech services in the insurance industry. The study employed a modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model, incorporating perceived security and personal innovativeness as independent variables, and trust as a moderating variable. A total of 391 responses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS software. The study’s findings indicate that factors such as effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived, and personal innovativeness positively affect users’ behavioral intention (BI) to use fintech services in the insurance industry. Moreover, BI positively influences the actual use (AU) of fintech services. Additionally, trust plays a positive moderating role between BI and AU. The results of this study have practical implications for academicians, researchers, insurance companies, and insurance regulatory bodies. Academicians and researchers can further explore the acceptance of fintech in developing countries based on these findings. Insurance companies and regulatory bodies can take necessary steps and formulate strategies to promote the adoption of fintech services in the insurance industry, considering the identified factors and the role of trust.

Impact of customer satisfaction and service quality on membership renewal: A study on Malaysian credit card holders

With the aim of finding out the antecedents of credit card renewal among the customers of the private banks in Malaysia. This study is specifically targeted to sort out the impact of five mostly practiced dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction on credit card renewals. With a deductive approach, 384 observations as primary data were collected through an online survey by utilizing a self-administered, fully structured questionnaire, and the data has been analyzed with the help of SPSS and SmartPLS. There is a well-rounded and productive connection between the satisfaction of the customer and the tangible dimension. The link between customer satisfaction and empathy shows a positive connection and relationship between variables, for example, empathy and customer satisfaction. A significant relationship between satisfaction and renewal of credit card membership has been observed when independent variables are service quality, empathy, reliability, tangible assurance, and responsiveness. The area and premises of customer satisfaction are extremely diverse, and even when much research could be done, all the aspects of psychology, sociology, or behaviors have been covered and are beneficial for both authors and practitioners. Limitations can be highlighted as the gaps, restraints, and occurrences that could emerge while doing the research work, and they partially affect the end result and outcomes of the research.

Social Adaptation of University Students Migrating from Rural to Urban Areas

This research focuses on examining the social adaptation of university students migrating from rural to urban areas in Kyrgyzstan. The reason for this is the rapid increase in rural-urban migration in Kyrgyzstan in recent years and this increase has caused some social adaptation problems in the cities. The sample group consisted of 220 university students determined by simple random technique. In the study, a questionnaire developed by the researcher was used to determine the social cohesion levels of university students. As a result, it was determined that the social adjustment levels of university students who migrated from rural to urban areas were at a medium level. It was determined that the social adaptation levels of the students did not differ significantly according to the variables of gender, family marital status, employment status and language of education. Among the independent variables, a significant difference was determined in the variable of whether the students experienced a negative event in a social field. It was observed that the social adjustment levels of students who experienced a negative situation in a social field were lower than those who did not.

The effects of higher-order human values and conspiracy beliefs on COVID-19-related behavior in Germany

Abstract Aim This article simultaneously examines the influence of Schwartz’ higher-order human values (self-transcendence, openness to change, self-enhancement, and conservation) and conspiracy beliefs on four COVID-19-related dependent variables. Subject and methods Using path analysis with large-scale panel data from Germany (N = 4382), we tested if the correlational effects of higher-order values as independent variables on the perceived threat of the infection event, evaluation of government measures, number of self-initiated measures, and trust toward individuals and institutions involved as dependent variables could be mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Results We found evidence of a significant influence of all four higher-order values on the strength of conspiracy beliefs. In addition, we detected effects of higher-order values and conspiracy beliefs on all four COVID-19-related measures. Self-transcendence with consistently positive and openness to change with consistently negative total, direct, and indirect effects provided the most evident results. The respondents’ country of origin and residence in East or West Germany affected all four COVID-19-related variables. Conclusion This article has shown that belief in conspiracy narratives reveals associations of higher-order values with all four COVID-19-related measures that would not have been apparent without this mediator. In doing so, it contributes to the understanding of how pandemic mitigation measures are implemented differently. The results of this study can improve the ability to develop and enforce policies to increase the acceptance of scientifically accepted efforts in better governance.