Specific Segments Research Articles

The biomethane potential for public transport decarbonization in Italian cities

Abstract The transport sector remains heavily reliant on oil products, and it is among those that are considered harder to decarbonize, especially in some specific segments. Considering public transport, there is currently a significant interest in electrifying urban buses, especially for some routes that are well suited for the current characteristics of battery electric buses. However, for some applications, including long-distance buses, biomethane could play an important role in contributing to the decarbonisation of the sector, especially considering the important part of the current fleet in Italy that is already operating on fossil natural gas. This analysis presents a comparison of the potential role of biomethane to support public transport decarbonization in Italy, by estimating CO2 equivalent emissions savings considering the current biogas plants and natural gas buses in Italian cities. An additional evaluation is performed considering the future expected evolution of biomethane production in line with the new Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima, that aims to a total production of 5.7 bcm by 2030, as well as the expected 1.5 bcm of biomethane allocated to the transport sector. Within these maximum potential levels, the results of the analysis demonstrate the important savings that can be achieved with biomethane, especially when exploiting specific feedstocks that have a very low impact in terms of well-to-wheels emissions. Biomethane can represent an interesting complement to electric buses, as it can exploit the already existing fleet based on natural gas, and it also shows a number of advantages on routes that are not suitable for electric buses.

Topology-mediated organization of Escherichia coli chromosome in fast-growth conditions.

The mechanism underlying the spatiotemporal chromosome organization in Escherichia coli cells remains an open question, though experiments have been able to visually see the evolving chromosome organization in fast- and slow-growing cells. We had proposed [D. Mitra et al., Soft Matter 18, 5615 (2022)1744-683X10.1039/D2SM00734G] that the DNA ring polymer adopts a specific polymer topology as it goes through its cell cycle, which in turn self-organizes the chromosome by entropic forces during slow growth. The fast-growing E. coli cells have four (or more) copies of the replicating DNA, with overlapping rounds of replication going on simultaneously. This makes the spatial segregation and the subsequent organization of the multiple generations of DNA a complex task. Here, we establish that the same simple principles of entropic repulsion between polymer segments which provided an understanding of self-organization of DNA in slow-growth conditions also explains the organization of chromosomes in the much more complex scenario of fast-growth conditions. Repulsion between DNA-polymer segments through entropic mechanisms is harnessed by modifying polymer topology. The ring-polymer topology is modified by introducing crosslinks (emulating the effects of linker proteins) between specific segments. Our simulation reproduces the emergent evolution of the organization of chromosomes as seen in vivo in fluorescent in situhybridization experiments. Furthermore, we reconcile the mechanism of longitudinal organization of the chromosomes arms in fast-growth conditions by a suitable adaptation of the model. Thus, polymer physics principles, previously used to understand chromosome organization in slow-growing E. coli cells also resolve DNA organization in more complex scenarios with multiple rounds of replication occurring in parallel.

EXTENSION OF STICHOLYSINS N-TERMINAL α-HELIX SIGNALS MEMBRANE LIPIDS TO ACQUIRE CURVATURE FOR TOROIDAL PORE FORMATION

Sticholysin I and II (St I/II) belong to the actinoporins family; these proteins form pores in host cell membranes by binding their N-terminal segment to the membrane, leading to protein-lipid (toroidal) pores. Peptides derived from actinoporins pore-forming domains replicate their folding properties and permeabilizing effects. Despite the advances in understanding how these proteins and peptides mediate pore formation, the role of different N-terminal segments in inducing membrane curvature is still unclear. Here we combine circular dichroism, electron paramagnetic resonance, and small-angle X-ray scattering to investigate how synthetic peptides encompassing the N-terminal segments of St I and II (StI1-31, StII1-30, StI12-31, and StII11-30) interact with lipid bilayers and micelles as mimics of the topography of the initial membrane binding and of the subsequently formed positively curved pore. We investigate both the conformational changes and peptides' effects on membrane organization resulting from these interactions. According to the toroidal pore model, our results support that the actinoporins amphipathic α-helices rest at the membrane interface, forming pore walls with lipid head groups, while the 1-10 segment of St II penetrates the bilayer, acting as an anchor. We relate this ability to the higher hydrophobicity of this segment in St II, compared to St I. This unique feature of St II would contribute to enhanced pore formation, explaining St II's increased activity when compared to other actinoporins. Our results reinforce the notion that pore formation by actinoporins is a highly cooperative process where specific protein segments and the lipid bilayer mutually modulate their conformation and organization.

Surveillance in the Advertising Landscape: Application of the DEAL Framework to Investigate Online Behavioral Advertising, Surveillance, and Users’ Responses on Instagram

Technology has allowed the creation of granular-level data that can provide detailed insights and analysis on consumers. This level of data allows marketers and advertisers to make better-informed decisions about their target consumers and tailor their strategies to specific customer segments. With an online experiment (N = 236), we examined how increased personalization of advertisements—more precisely the case of online behavioral ads (OBA) based on the brand match (vs. mismatch) and product match (vs. mismatch) with a previous web search—impacts consumers’ responses, avoidance, and attitudes mediated by perceived surveillance. The study found that perceived surveillance increases with brand match, leading to increased advertising avoidance and less positive attitudes toward the ad, product, and brand, but no relationship was found between product match and perceived surveillance, nor did it reveal an interaction effect between brand and product mismatch on perceived surveillance. This research contributes to theory by considering perceived surveillance as an antecedent to users’ responses and presents a framework to understand people’s perceptions of increased specificity of OBA ads based on previous web searches. Additionally, this study amplifies both the need to understand consumers’ responses to increased personalization and the need to balance consumers’ privacy with effective advertising strategies.

Improved bidirectional attention flow (BIDAF) model for Arabic machine reading comprehension

Abstract Machine reading comprehension (MRC) refers to the process of instructing machines to comprehend and respond to inquiries based on a provided text. There are two primary methodologies for achieving this: extracting answers directly from the text or predicting them. Extracting answers involves anticipating the specific segment of text containing the answer, pinpointed by its starting and ending indices within the paragraph. Despite the increasing interest in MRC, exploration within the framework of the Arabic language faces limitations due to various challenges. A significant impediment arises from the inadequacy of resources available for Arabic textual content, which impedes the development of effective models. Furthermore, the inherent intricacies of Arabic, manifesting in its diverse linguistic forms including classical, modern standard, and colloquial, present distinctive hurdles for tasks involving language comprehension. This paper proposes an enhanced version of the bidirectional attention flow (BIDAF) model for Arabic MRC, constructed upon the Arabic Span-Extraction-based Reading Comprehension Benchmark (ASER). ASER comprises 10,000 sets of questions, answers, and passages, partitioned into a training set constituting 90% of the data and a testing set making up the remaining 10%. By introducing a new input feature based on parts-of-speech (POS) word embeddings and replacing Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (bi-LSTM) with bidirectional gated recurrent unit, significant improvements were observed. Eight different POS word embeddings were generated using both Continuous Bag of Words (CBOW) and Skip-gram methods, with varying dimensionalities. Evaluation metrics, including exact match (EM) and F1-measure, were utilized to assess model performance, with emphasis on the latter for its accuracy. The proposed enhanced BIDAF model achieved a remarkable accuracy of 75.22% on the ASER dataset, demonstrating its efficacy in Arabic MRC tasks. Additionally, rigorous statistical evaluation using a two-tailed paired samples t-test further validated the findings, highlighting the significance of the proposed enhancements in advancing Arabic language processing capabilities.

Characterization of a rapid avoidance behavior in Manduca sexta larvae in response to noxious stimuli.

This study focuses on the nociceptive responses observed in the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). While prior investigations have described the sensory neurons and muscle activation patterns associated with the 'strike' behavior, there remains a gap in our understanding of the alternative 'withdrawal' movement, wherein the animal bends its head and thorax away from the stimulus. Our results show that stimulus location determines which nocifensive behavior is elicited. Interestingly, stimulation of specific mid-body segments could result in either withdrawal or strike, indicating a decision process rather than a hard-wired circuit. The withdrawal behavior was characterized using high-speed videography and electromyography. The results show that withdrawal in Manduca is driven by contralateral ventral muscles, followed by an increase in ipsilateral muscle activation just before the bending stops. Dorsal muscles are co-activated throughout the movement. Although both withdrawal and strike behaviors involve sequential activation of lateral muscles, these behaviors involve different muscle groups. This discovery provides a novel model system to investigate the context-dependence and decision-making processes triggered by stressful or noxious stimuli.

Peran Travel Consultant dalam Penjualan Tiket Perjalanan dalam Negeri di Anta Express

The tourism industry in Indonesia has experienced significant growth, particularly following the post-COVID-19 recovery and the rise of the creative economy. As the sector rebounds, travel agencies play a crucial role in facilitating domestic ticket sales and travel packages. Traditional travel agencies, such as PT Anta Express Tour & Travel, face competition from online booking platforms, which calls for a study on the unique value offered by travel consultants in enhancing customer experiences and the sales process. This study aims to explore the role of travel consultants at PT Anta Express Tour & Travel in domestic travel ticket sales. Using a qualitative research approach, data was gathered through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, and a review of relevant literature. The findings highlight four key roles played by travel consultants: providing personalized advice and recommendations, managing bookings, resolving issues, and delivering customer service. Additionally, three main reasons were identified for why customers still prefer using travel consultants: convenience, access to exclusive offers, and ongoing support during the trip. The study concludes that travel agencies can maintain their competitiveness by focusing on personalized services that appeal to specific customer segments, particularly those who value professional advice and human interaction in their travel planning. Therefore, traditional and online booking channels can coexist in the future, serving different market needs.

Protein degradation of antizyme depends on the N-terminal degrons.

Antizyme (AZ) is a regulatory protein that plays a crucial role in modulating the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), which is the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in the complex pathway of polyamine biosynthesis. AZ facilitates the swift degradation of ODC, thereby modulating the levels of cellular polyamines. This study unveils a new ubiquitin-independent mechanism for AZ degradation, emphasizing the essential role of N-terminal degrons. Contrary to traditional ubiquitin-dependent degradation, our findings reveal that AZ degradation is significantly influenced by its N-terminal region. By conducting a series of experiments, including in vitro degradation assays, cycloheximide chase experiments, differential scanning calorimetry, and measurement of cellular concentrations of polyamines, we demonstrate that N-terminal truncation significantly enhances AZ's stability and facilitates the reduction of polyamine levels by accelerating ODC degradation. The removal of the N-terminal portion of AZ results in a reduced degradation rate and enhanced thermal stability of the protein, leading to a more efficient inhibition of polyamine synthesis. These findings are corroborated by the analysis of AZ isoforms, AZ1, AZ2, and AZ3, which display differential degradation patterns based on the specific N-terminal segments. This substantiates a degradation mechanism driven by an intrinsically disordered N-terminal region acting as a degron, independent of lysine ubiquitination. These results underscore the significant regulatory function of the N-terminal domain in the activity of AZ and the maintenance of polyamine homeostasis.

Policy Information Communication in Shanghai’s 15-Minute Community Living Circle--Taking Jing’an District as an Example

This paper examines the communication strategies of the “15-minute community life circles” policy in Shanghai Jing’an District. The study highlights the critical role of effective information dissemination in fostering public understanding and engagement with the policy. Analyzing current communication channels, including online platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, the paper identifies key challenges such as inadequate coverage, low public awareness, and insufficient interaction between policy content and residents’ daily lives. The paper also critiques the reliance on traditional media, which may not effectively reach younger demographics. Recommendations are provided to enhance the policy’s communication, including diversifying media channels, tailoring content to specific audience segments, and integrating more interactive and relatable narratives. By improving these aspects, the policy can better achieve its goal of creating sustainable, well-connected communities that meet the needs of all residents. This study underscores the importance of adaptive and responsive communication strategies in the successful implementation of public policies.

Validation and development of a scoring system for comprehensively evaluating arterial damage in the elderly chinese

Abstract Background and aims Existing assessments on arterial damage focus on specific segments of arterial system (e.g., carotid artery), lacking a comprehensive index to evaluate overall arterial health. We aimed to integrate existing assessments for arterial damage and develop a new score, named Arterial Damage Index (ADI), to comprehensively evaluate arterial health status of the whole-body arterial system. Methods A total of 3075 community-dwelling elderly Chinese (age ≥65 years) from the North Shanghai Study (2014–2022) were included. Assessments on arteries including ankle-brachial index (ABI), pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaques, pulse pressure (PP), and inter-arm (IASBPD) and -leg (ILSBPD) systolic blood pressure difference were included for screening. Cox proportional hazards regressions of MACEs (non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and all-cause mortality) were conducted to acquire the ADI algorithm. Internal and external validation on ADI were also performed. Results Over a median follow-up period of 6.4 years, 316 individuals (10.3%) experienced an incident of MACE. After screening, PWV, ABI, PP, CIMT, and carotid plaque were included for ADI scoring system. Survival analysis revealed a significant difference in the rates of composite events across different ADI stratifications (p for trend < .05). ADI showed superior discriminative performance (C-index 0.65±0.02) compared to any individual arterial-related indicator. Calibration curve shows the predictive model showed that the predicted and actual probabilities were broadly consistent. Additionally, ADI provided better incremental value when added to the base model (net reclassification improvement, 36.2% [95% CI, 15.3%-52.1%]; p < .05, integrated discrimination improvement, 7.9% [95% CI, 4.9%-11.0%]; p < .05) compared to any individual arterial-related indicator. These findings were confirmed in internal validation sets (p for DeLong tests >0.05), and was externally validated in 2155 participants from a community-based cardiovascular disease cohort among residents in Beijing, China. Conclusion ADI can comprehensively assess arterial damage and provide a valuable tool for further assessment of future cardiovascular risk.central illustration

Portfolio Evolution Analysis for SPL Scoping: Unveiling the dynamics with dedicated time-series dashboards

Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is a recognized methodology for systematically developing reusable software components and tailored software products for specific market segments. A critical activity within domain engineering is SPL Scoping, aimed at profiling the SPL boundaries and fitting this market segment. Yet, this market is a moving target, which requires SPLs to be proactive in anticipating and addressing future challenges and opportunities. In this setting, rather than all the possible products potentially derived from the SPL’s Feature Model (i.e., the potential portfolio), the subset of products actually deployed is a better indicator of market adoption and customer preferences, and ultimately, of the SPL’s fitness to the market. This study characterizes the phenomenon of ‘deployed portfolio evolution’ in terms of the size and frequency of portfolio changes. We then elaborate on the advantages of utilizing this data source and the necessity for dedicated tools for Portfolio Evolution Analysis integrated within variability managers. To achieve this, we introduce the functional requirements, implementation, and architecture of PortfolioScan, a dashboard for Portfolio Evolution Analysis built on top of pure::variants. The dashboard enables the evaluation of feature usage through time-series charts such as temporal heat maps, line charts, and also a scoping-criteria comparison matrix. Evaluation results (n=13) indicate a positive perception. Practitioners also recognize the benefits of Portfolio Evolution Analysis for Testing Resource Optimization and Configuration Assistance. The ultimate goal of the study is to establish a basis for more responsive and market-oriented decision-making in SPL tasks.

Design method of transverse gradient coils based on nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curves.

To propose a hybrid transverse gradient coil design method that leverages current density-based methods and nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curves to optimize the performance and manufacturability of gradient coils. Our method begins by generating an initial wire configuration using a density-based method. Then, we fit NURBS curves to the configuration, and adjust the control parameters of these curves to meet performance requirements. To ensure adequate spacing and even distribution of wires, an objective function utilizing the sigmoid function to modulate the distances between adjacent wires is constructed. Critical factors including gradient efficacy, linearity, eddy current, and torque, are incorporated as constraints. The piecewise nature of the curves provides the flexibility to independently control specific segments without impacting others. We validated our method by designing three shielded transverse gradient coils: a whole-body coil, an ultra-short whole-body coil, and an ultra-short asymmetric head coil. The primary design objectives were to improve linearity and maintain gradient efficiency. All optimized coils demonstrated significant linearity across large diameters of spherical volumes (DSVs), while gradient efficiency, eddy currents, and torque were well-balanced. The objective function effectively managed the wire concentrations required for high linearity, ensuring even wire arrangement and adequate spacing. We leveraged the flexibility of the curves to individually tailor wire paths for specific objectives, such as preventing interference between coils and passive shimming and accommodating wire connections and cooling circuits. This method provides a versatile and effective approach for designing high-performance and manufacturable gradient coils.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on right ventricular dysfunction and ventricular interdependence in hypertensive patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction assessed via 3.0 T cardiac MRI

BackgroundHypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two common comorbidities of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), each of which can cause right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of DM on RV dysfunction and ventricular interdependence in hypertensive HFrEF patients via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feature tracking.MethodsThis study included 249 patients with HFrEF: 77 HFrEF controls, 97 with hypertensive HFrEF (HTN-HFrEF [DM-]) and 75 with hypertensive HFrEF and comorbid DM (HTN-HFrEF [DM+]). The cardiac MRI-derived biventricular global radial (GRS), circumferential (GCS) and longitudinal (GLS) peak strains were obtained and compared among the groups. Multivariable linear regression and mediation analyses were used to evaluate the effects of DM and left ventricular (LV) strain on RV strain.ResultsThe biventricular GLS and GLS of segments 8, 9 and 14 of the interventricular septum (IVS) decreased gradually from the HFrEF control group to the HTN-HFrEF (DM−) group to the HTN-HFrEF (DM+) group (all P < 0.05). Patients with DM had even lower biventricular GCS and IVS strains in all directions in specific segments than did those without DM and the HFrEF controls (all P < 0.05). DM was independently associated with impaired RVGLS and RVGCS (both P < 0.05) in hypertensive HFrEF patients. The difference in RVGLS between the hypertensive HFrEF subgroups was partly mediated by LVGLS [β = 0.80, 95% CI (0.39–1.31)], and that of RVGCS was partly mediated by LVGCS [β = 0.28, 95% CI (0.01–0.62)].ConclusionsIn hypertensive HFrEF patients, comorbid DM may have aggravated RV dysfunction and was an independent determinant of impaired RV strain. RV dysfunction might be directly affected by DM and partially mediated by LV strain through unfavorable ventricular independence.

User characteristics and preferences for micromobility use in first- and last-mile journeys in Dublin, Ireland

Micromobility and public transport integration is an area of urban mobility that has been increasingly gaining attention and importance. The necessity to provide improvements to public transport services and their spatial reach in order to reduce the number and volume of car trips in cities is irrefutable. The integration of micromobility and public transport is often presented as a valuable strategy to improve door-to-door connectivity and coverage of existing public transport services, via provision of key first- and last-mile or access-egress connections. The aim of this study was to understand and model the propensity of commuters in County Dublin to use micromobility (private and shared) in the first- and last-miles of their public transport journeys. A stated preference experiment was conducted with a focus on these specific segments of the journey and a mixed logit model was estimated to identify user characteristics and preferences based on socio-economic factors, mobility patterns and attitudes towards and previous experience of shared mobility. The results show that, in this particular case study, respondents with a strong walking preference were less likely to be interested in private micromobility and sharing services for the first- and last-mile. A common assumption that walking is a last resort, and only chosen when there are no other options available was not confirmed by the findings of this study. Moreover, competition between the modes showed that private bicycles are the preferred mode after walking, followed by private e-scooters, while shared modes were less likely to be chosen over walking, and shared e-scooters less so than shared bicycles. Overall, the findings suggest that a small percentage of the sample – mainly young (<35 years old) and male respondents with interest in and experience of e-scooters – were interested in using private and shared e-scooters for the first- and last-mile, but that the majority of the respondents were likely to choose walking, albeit with longer travel times overall.

Data Visualization of Bike Store Sales in Europe

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of bike sales and customer demographics in Europe based on a dataset obtained from Kaggle.com. The dataset covers the period from 2011 to 2016 and includes information on customer age, gender, product categories, order quantities, unit costs, unit prices, profit, and revenue. The analysis utilizes data visualization techniques to identify key trends, including the top-selling products, customer purchasing power across different age groups and customer genders, and product profit margins. The findings suggest opportunities for retailers to target specific customer segments and product categories to maximize profits. Additionally, the report highlights the growing popularity of cycling as a sport and a healthy lifestyle choice, indicating a potential for increased demand in the bike retail market. Overall, the insights provided in this report aim to assist retailer chains in developing effective strategies to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the European bike sales market.

Novel Electrochemical Sensor Based on One-Step Encapsulation of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) for Simultaneous Detection of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.

This study investigates three metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with distinct Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas and pore sizes: MOFZr (1274 m2/g, <0.7 nm), MOFAl (371 m2/g, 1.5 nm), and MOFCr (1917 m2/g, 2 nm). Methylene blue (MB, 1.4 × 0.7 × 0.2 nm3) and triferrocene (tri-FC, 1.2 × 0.9 × 0.3 nm3) were adsorbed onto these MOFs. Specific DNA segments targeting SARS-CoV-2 (PR and PO) were employed to block the pores of the MOFs, leading to the formation of DNA-gated MOFs: MOFX/MB/PR and MOFX/tri-FC/PO. These constructs were subsequently integrated with four-arm poly(ethylene glycol) amine (4-arm-PEG-NH2)-modified gold electrodes to create the corresponding sensors (MOFX/MB/PR+MOFX/tri-FC/PO@4-arm-PEG-NH2@Au NPs@GCE). The DNA-gated MOFAl system exhibited the highest loading capacity and a 3-fold increase in sensing efficiency following the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 target DNA, surpassing the performance of the other systems. This study highlights the enhancement of the DNA-gated MOFs when the three-dimensional structures of the guest molecules closely align with the pore sizes of the MOFs. It emphasizes a critical aspect of the traditional design approach for electrochemical sensors based on MOF encapsulation, which often prioritizes BET surface areas while neglecting the compatibility between the sizes of guest molecules and MOF pore diameters. Moreover, the sensor effectively discriminated between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV by precisely aligning the SARS-CoV-2 target DNA with PR and PO. In contrast, the specific genetic targets (SR) from SARS-CoV showed complete mismatches with PO and a three-base deviation with PR. This differentiation was achieved in a simple one-step assay, even in 5% serum, across a linear concentration range of 10-9 to 10-14 M. This range signifies an expansion of 2 to 3 orders of magnitude compared to sensors that inaccurately selected MOFs.

The biogeography of the mucosa-associated microbiome in health and disease.

Little is known about the biogeography of the mucosa associated microbiome (MAM) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) versus controls in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the links between the MAM, gastrointestinal symptoms, and use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI). We recruited 59 controls (without structural abnormalities and gastrointestinal symptoms), 44 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 31 with Crohn's disease (CD). Biopsies from various segments of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract were collected. Microbial composition was assessed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis and the bacterial load of the mucosal biopsies were assessed via qPCR. The MAM was examined in the context of disease status, PPI usage, the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms, and the symptom response to a standardised nutrient challenge (SNC). Microbial communities of the MAM in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract differed. IBD patients were characterised by relative and absolute depletion of numerous genera known to produce butyrate and/or propionate, with the largest differentiation being the depletion of Faecalibacterium in the lower gastrointestinal tract of CD patients. Notably, PPI users exhibited an enrichment of Faecalibacterium in the lower gastrointestinal tract. The severity of gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as the symptom response to the SNC, were significantly associated with MAM composition in the gastrointestinal tract. The absolute and relative composition of the MAM is variable across different segments of the gastrointestinal tract. These quantitative changes indicates that MAM can be targeted in specific segments of the GI tract to improve patient outcomes.

Assessment of inbreeding coefficients and inbreeding depression on complex traits from genomic and pedigree data in Nelore cattle.

Nelore cattle play a key role in tropical production systems due to their resilience to harsh conditions, such as heat stress and seasonally poor nutrition. Monitoring their genetic diversity is essential to manage the negative impacts of inbreeding. Traditionally, inbreeding and inbreeding depression are assessed by pedigree-based coefficients (F), but recently, genetic markers have been preferred for their precision in capturing the inbreeding level and identifying animals at risk of reduced productive and reproductive performance. Hence, we compared the inbreeding and inbreeding depression for productive and reproductive performance traits in Nelore cattle using different inbreeding coefficient estimation methods from pedigree information (FPed), the genomic relationship matrix (FGRM), runs of homozygosity (FROH) of different lengths (> 1Mb (genome), between 1 and 2Mb - FROH 1-2; 2-4 Mb FROH 2-4 or > 8 Mb FROH >8) and excess homozygosity (FSNP). The correlation between FPed and FROH was lower when the latter was based on shorter segments (r = 0.15 with FROH 1-2, r = 0.20 with FROH 2-4 and r = 0.28 with FROH 4-8). Meanwhile, the FPed had a moderate correlation withFSNP (r = 0.47) and high correlation withFROH >8 (r = 0.58)and FROH-genome (r = 0.60). The FROH-genome was highly correlated with inbreeding based on FROH>8 (r = 0.93) and FSNP (r = 0.88). The FGRM exhibited a high correlation with FROH-genome (r = 0.55)and FROH >8 (r = 0.51) and a lower correlation with other inbreeding estimators varying from 0.30 for FROH 2-4 to 0.37 for FROH 1-2. Increased levels of inbreeding had a negative impact on the productive and reproductive performance of Nelore cattle. The unfavorable inbreeding effect on productive and reproductive traitsranged from 0.12 to 0.51 for FPed, 0.19-0.59 for FGRM, 0.21-0.58 for FROH-genome, and 0.19-0.54 for FSNP per 1% of inbreeding scaled on the percentage of the mean. When scaling the linear regression coefficients on the standard deviation, the unfavorable inbreeding effect varied from 0.43 to 1.56% for FPed, 0.49-1.97% for FGRM, 0.34-2.2% for FROH-genome, and 0.50-1.62% for FSNP per 1% of inbreeding.The impact of the homozygous segments on reproductive and performance traits varied based on the chromosomes. This shows that specific homozygous chromosome segments can be signs of positive selection due to their beneficial effects on the traits. The low correlation observed between FPed and genomic-based inbreeding estimates suggests that the presence of animals with one unknown parent (sire or dam) in the pedigree does not account for ancient inbreeding. The ROH hotspots surround genes related to reproduction, growth, meat quality, and adaptation to environmental stress. Inbreeding depression has adverse effects on productive and reproductive traits in Nelore cattle, particularly on age at puberty in young bulls and heifer calving at 30 months, as well as on scrotal circumference and body weight when scaled on the standard deviation of the trait.

ФОРМУВАННЯ НА СУЧАСНОМУ ЕТАПІ РИНКУ ФІНАНСОВИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ В СВІТОВІЙ ЕКОНОМІЦІ

The current stage of development of the world economy is characterized by the process of increasing the role of the financial sector, as well as the transition to a new phase of development - innovation. Globalization in financial innovations is critical in international innovative development in today's conditions. The rapid spread of financial innovations under the conditions of financial globalization has become the main driver of the formation of the world economic system, contributing to the deepening of financial globalization. The formation of the financial services market is uneven because various factors influence it, including the level of development of information and communication technologies, the stability of the financial sector, and others. These factors have been studied by researchers, but the development of specific segments of the fintech market has its peculiarities. Fintech is a complex system that unites the sectors of new technologies and financial services, startups, and the relevant infrastructure. The financial services sector is increasingly actively using new technologies and tools to perform its functions and implement fundamentally new solutions in which consumers of services are interested. New technologies inherently changed not only the historically formed landscape of providing financial services, giving it freshness and dynamics, but also changed the attitude to such a concept as "money", realizing the transition from cash to virtual money in a reasonably short period. The industry provides subjects of financial relations with a wide range of innovative technologies, among which robotics, biometrics, remote banking, P2P lending, and many others have become vital. The fintech industry is expected to grow due to increased market penetration rates for existing services and their international expansion. The transition from the traditional financial services system to a digital one provides excellent opportunities for large financial companies and FinTech startups to work with banks or financial organizations. As more critical financial infrastructure projects come into production, more players will be interested in implementing digital financial technologies.

Modelling the Predictors of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Buying Behavior in Malaysia

Despite the rapid increase in internet and mobile users in Malaysia, the growth of online purchases through social media platforms has not kept pace with this broader digital trend. This study investigates the key predictors that influence consumer buying behavior through social media marketing, with a specific focus on the roles of Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) of these platforms. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional research design, data were collected from 115 respondents in Malaysia who have experience making online purchases via mobile applications. The study also examines variations in consumer experiences based on demographic factors, including age, gender, education level, and geographic region. The findings indicate that both PEOU and PU are significant predictors that shape consumer buying behavior on social media platforms. This research provides valuable insights for marketers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their social media marketing strategies. By better understanding the factors driving consumer behavior in the Malaysian market, businesses can design more targeted and personalized campaigns for specific consumer segments, ultimately improving their competitive advantage in this digital landscape.