Survey Targets Research Articles

The development and implementation of strategies for promoting cultural literacy Among university students in the digital environment

The research purposes to assess the impact of digital era on promoting cultural literacy among fine arts students in South Punjab universities. A structured questionnaire was formed that based on the published literature on culture literacy and the hypothetical foundation of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Proposed research model, which incorporates cultural literacy factors and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), is referred to as Modified Technology Acceptance Model for Cultural Literacy Promotion (MTAM-FCLP). This survey targets students from the universities, including Sadiq College Women University, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan. A pilot study was conducted upon completion of 20 questionnaires to assess the reliability and validity of the data collection tool. Census sampling method was used for data collection, out of 1355 we were able to collect the data from 950 fine arts undergraduate and postgraduate students across these institutions. The authors applied Smart PLS-SEM for data analysis that disclosed strong links between the constructs showing a significant impact on cultural literacy promotion. The validity and reliability of the model were established using metrics such as Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and average variance extracted, achieving values of 0.5, 0.7, and 0.8, respectively. The results of the research hypotheses show that the perceived ease and usefulness of digital technology positively influence students’ attitudes and skills, thereby enhancing cultural literacy.

Efficiency of Coach Training in Turkey and Its Assessment Specific to Shooting Sport

The primary aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of the coach training system in Turkey, with a specific focus on shooting coaches, and to gather the views of working, retired and volunteer coaches working in this field regarding this training. The research follows a correlational survey model and targets shooting coaches, encompassing both air and firearms disciplines, who possess coaching certificates and were actively engaged in coaching roles in Turkey during the year 2023, whether voluntarily or on a tenured or non-tenured basis. The research sample comprises 307 coaches, selected through simple random sampling from the larger population. Data for the study were collected through questionnaires. To this end, the researcher developed a questionnaire consisting of two parts, drawing on the existing literature and expert opinions. Quantitative methods, facilitated by the SPSS 25 program, were employed for data analysis. Results indicate that the overall sentiments of coaches in Turkey regarding the adequacy of coaching education in terms of content, duration, and facilities, as well as its impact on athletes’ skills and performance, and the coaches’ personal development through education, tended to be negative. Conversely, there were very strong (0.900.05).

Natural language processing in finance: A survey

Natural language processing in finance: A survey

Critical thinking, assessment, and educational policy in Palestinian universities

This study examines the relationship between critical thinking and grades at the tertiary level, focusing on their social, political, and ethical implications. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study combines survey data collection with in-depth interviews to generate comprehensive insights into the complex relationship between critical thinking and grades. The survey targets 173 faculty members, while the interviews focus on seven selected academic staff members from Palestinian universities, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the research objectives. Results showed that grades often hinder critical thinking skills and creativity, leading to rote memorization and limited creativity. The study also highlights the political implications of grades, as standardized testing influences education policies and curriculum decisions. Faculty members expressed criticism of the prioritization of grades, citing conventional evaluation methods, temporal limitations, and resource constraints. As critical thinking is crucial for comprehensive student development, contributing to problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, innovation, effective communication, and active citizenship, the study proposes diverse approaches to strike a balance between valuing grades and nurturing critical thinking abilities. By fostering critical thinking abilities, Palestinian students can enhance their preparedness for academic pursuits, personal growth, and societal contributions.

Advancements in Federated Learning: Models, Methods, and Privacy

Federated learning (FL) is a promising technique for resolving the rising privacy and security concerns. Its main ingredient is to cooperatively learn the model among the distributed clients without uploading any sensitive data. In this paper, we conducted a thorough review of the related works, following the development context and deeply mining the key technologies behind FL from the perspectives of theory and application. Specifically, we first classify the existing works in FL architecture based on the network topology of FL systems with detailed analysis and summarization. Next, we abstract the current application problems, summarize the general techniques and frame the application problems into the general paradigm of FL base models. Moreover, we provide our proposed solutions for model training via FL. We have summarized and analyzed the existing FedOpt algorithms, and deeply revealed the algorithmic development principles of many first-order algorithms in depth, proposing a more generalized algorithm design framework. With the instantiation of these frameworks, FedOpt algorithms can be simply developed. As privacy and security is the fundamental requirement in FL, we provide the existing attack scenarios and the defense methods. To the best of our knowledge, we are among the first tier to review the theoretical methodology and propose our strategies since there are very few works surveying the theoretical approaches. Our survey targets motivating the development of high-performance, privacy-preserving, and secure methods to integrate FL into real-world applications.

The critical success factors of smart port digitalization development in the post-COVID-19 era

The critical success factors of smart port digitalization development in the post-COVID-19 era

Research on the Impact of New Energy Vehicle Companies’ Marketing Strategies on Consumers’ Purchase Intention

With the rapid advancement of battery technology and the demand for environmental sustainability, new energy vehicles (NEVs) are becoming more and more popular. This research paper delves into the impact of marketing strategies employed by new energy vehicle companies on consumers’ purchase intentions. This paper begins by highlighting the unique benefits of NEVs, such as energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and improved driving experience. Then, this research identifies gaps in existing research, particularly the lack of micro-market demand data and systematic empirical analyses of consumer purchase intentions for NEVs. The paper employs a quantitative analysis approach grounded in marketing theory to address these gaps and examine the relationship between NEV companies’ marketing strategies and consumers’ purchase intentions. The research design involves a questionnaire survey based on the 4C marketing theory, focusing on consumer demand, cost, communication, and convenience. The survey targets potential NEV buyers and car owners, and 247 valid responses were analyzed. The results reveal that various factors, including the price and environmental performance of NEVs, non-fiscal policies, vehicle performance, and consumer attributes such as education level and environmental awareness, influence consumers’ willingness to purchase NEVs. This study also employs structural equation modeling to explore the correlations between different issues and identifies three main factors: basic car needs, new energy needs, and consumer subjective perception. Lastly, the study concludes that while NEV companies have made significant strides in marketing strategies, there is still room for improvement. We suggest that companies should offer competitive pricing, enhance vehicle performance, and address consumer concerns to boost purchase intentions.

Scenario-based Adaptations of Differential Privacy: A Technical Survey

Differential privacy has been a de facto privacy standard in defining privacy and handling privacy preservation. It has had great success in scenarios of local data privacy and statistical dataset privacy. As a primitive definition, standard differential privacy has been adapted to a wide range of practical scenarios. In this work, we summarize differential privacy adaptations in specific scenarios and analyze the correlations between data characteristics and differential privacy design. We mainly present them in two lines including differential privacy adaptations in local data privacy and differential privacy adaptations in statistical dataset privacy. With a focus on differential privacy design, this survey targets providing guiding rules in differential privacy design for scenarios, together with identifying potential opportunities to adaptively apply differential privacy in more emerging technologies and further improve differential privacy itself with the assistance of cryptographic primitives.

A systematic evaluation of links among corporate structure, knowledge management, and financial effectiveness in Vietnam’s banking sector

There have been a few studies that have examined the moderating importance of corporate structures in the model. Consequently, the key aim of the current research is to investigate the influences of corporate structures on financial effectiveness in banking and knowledge management, where it attempts to evaluate the moderating role of corporate structures on the relationship between knowledge management and financial effectiveness in banking. The current study is based on the population of banks and banking branches in Vietnam. It employs a survey research design and targets 500 banking institutions in Vietnam. However, only 328 appropriate institutions offered sufficiently required information for analyses. The procedures of multiple regressions are applied to statistically investigate causal associations, while the methods of hierarchical regressions were utilized to examine the moderation of corporate structure in the linkages. The research results indicate statistically significant influences of knowledge management and corporate structures on financial effectiveness in banking. More importantly, this study finds that the way corporate structures affect the relationship between knowledge management and how well banks do financially is statistically significant. The empirical findings help administrators make suitable corporate structures that better match the adoption of knowledge management in banking so that they can enjoy enhanced financial effectiveness in banking. This study adds to the literature by evaluating the moderating role of corporate structures in the association between management of knowledge and financial effectiveness in banking. These distinctions improve the field, setting it apart from other research projects.

The Impacts of Ethical Sales Behaviour on Customer Loyalty in the Life Insurance Industry in Pakistan

The life insurance industry in Pakistan is highly competitive, with customer loyalty playing a crucial role in long-term success. Ethical sales behaviour emerges as a key differentiator, potentially fostering trust and driving positive customer experiences. This research investigates the relationship among ethical sales behaviour, customer trust in company and trust in sales agent, which directly affect customer loyalty in the life insurance industry. The quantitative survey targets customers of five major life insurance companies, ensuring a representative sample across diverse demographics. The questionnaires were sent to all companies customer on a random basis. The questionnaires are distributed with the help of office employee of the companies.The finding of the study shows that there is a direct and positive relation between sales agent ethical sales behaviour and customer loyalty. Furthermore, the trust of the customer in the sales agent and trust of the customer in a company has direct positive mutual relation and customer trust both affect customer loyalty. By demonstrating the tangible benefits of ethical sales behaviour, the study can encourage companies to implement and prioritize ethical practices. The identified key drivers of customer loyalty can guide training programs and performance evaluations for insurance agents, ultimately fostering a culture of ethical conduct within the industry.

Fast Food Consumption Habits of University Students in Sri Lanka

This research investigates the factors influencing fast-food consumption among university students in Sri Lanka, considering the economic challenges and prevalence of this dietary trend. The study draws on established definitions of fast food, emphasizing the interchangeability of the terms "fast food" and "junk food," with a crucial distinction that not all fast foods are inherently unhealthy. Notably, the research explores the nutritional implications of fast food consumption, highlighting the findings and addressing the changing eating patterns identified by previous studies. The study is driven by the evolving trend among Sri Lankan university students, mainly during the economic crisis, where the younger population, determined by economic constraints, turns to inexpensive fast food options available within university canteens. The research aims to observe and analyze the factors influencing this consumption pattern. The materials and methods involve demographic analysis through an online questionnaire, encompassing both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The survey targets 265 undergraduates, revealing a significant preference for fast food, particularly during lunchtime. The study employs factor analysis techniques, with a focus on the principal components factor (PCF), to interpret the motivations behind students' fast food choices. The analysis identifies four key factors influencing fast food preferences: the relation between product quality and pricing, ease of convenience, offerings and customer service, and time constraints and limitations. The conclusion synthesizes the findings, emphasizing the nuanced understanding gained through factor analysis regarding the complex motivations behind university students' fast food consumption. The research contributes valuable insights for stakeholders in academia, the fast-food industry, and policymakers. Recommendations are personalized to the Sri Lankan context, proposing strategies such as local nutritional awareness campaigns, promoting local fast-food alternatives, incorporating cultural sensitivity in marketing, establishing university canteen guidelines, fostering community engagement, and supporting sustainable agriculture initiatives.

Epidemiology of Fontan-associated liver disease in Japan: Results from a nationwide survey in 2021.

Although the Fontan procedure has improved the survival of patients with single-ventricle heart disease, the long-term consequences of the procedure have been a concern. This study aimed to explore the patients' postoperative clinical characteristics, including a diagnosis of Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD). A nationwide Japanese epidemiological survey of post-Fontan patients was undertaken in 2021. The survey targets were selected from all departments of pediatrics, pediatric surgery, cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, and gastroenterology using stratified random sampling by the number of beds. Each department was asked to complete a mail-back questionnaire on the numbers of patients and their clinical characteristics. The diagnosis of FALD was made by each attending physician. The estimated number of post-Fontan patients was 7810 (95% confidence interval, 5430-10200) in 2020, with a period prevalence of 61.9 per million. During the follow-up of 13.8years after the Fontan procedure, 40% of patients were diagnosed with FALD. An elevated γ-glutamyl transpeptidase level was the most common finding leading to the FALD diagnosis (41%), and 45% of the patients also showed liver fibrosis. Compared with non-FALD patients, FALD patients were older, had longer duration since the Fontan procedure, and had more severe cardiac or liver conditions. However, more than half of the non-FALD patients had elevated liver enzyme levels, suggesting underestimation of the number of FALD patients. In 2020, approximately 40% of post-Fontan patients underwent follow-up with a diagnosis of FALD, although the lack of established diagnostic criteria for FALD could affect the reported prevalence of FALD.

관광콘텐츠의 특성이 대리만족, 관광태도, 관광지 이미지에 미치는 영향 연구

Purpose: This study proposed a theoretical review and practical implications on vicarious satisfaction, which is one of the psychological reactions of consumers different from empathy in tourism influencer marketing, which has recently been in the spotlight as a tourism marketing communication tool. To this end, what are the independent variables that cause vicarious satisfaction, and the impact of vicarious tourism satisfaction with the content created in this way on tourism attitudes and image of tourist destinations were examined through a structural equation model.
 Methods: This study was set as a poster for those who have watched tourism content. Online and paper surveys were conducted at the same time, and the survey period was analyzed from October 01 to November 15, 2023.
 Results: In conducting this study, the survey targets people with experience watching tourism content, and 312 out of 324 copies were recovered, of which 263 surveys were empirically analyzed. As a result of this analysis, timeliness, reliability, usefulness, and interactivity affected proxy satisfaction, and proxy satisfaction affected tourism attitude and tourist destination image.
 Conclusion: This study will contribute to the expansion of research on tourism content and proxy satisfaction, and provided practical implications for tourism content development. This suggests that in order for tourism content to highly interactive, and reliable content for consumers, and the fact that the interaction between tourism content and consumers played an important role has great implications for tourism industry workers.

Research on Fuzzy Evaluation of Village Officials Based on Triangular Multiplication Preference Relationship Theory

Our research objective is to establish a fuzzy evaluation mechanism for rural village officials in China using the theory of triangular multiplication preference relationships. Our survey targets villagers in rural areas of China where village autonomy is implemented. The research methods include a questionnaire survey, Delphi, and fuzzy evaluation methods. After research analysis and comparison of results, it is shown that for the evaluation index system of village officials constructed using the Delphi method, practical evaluation of village officials can be achieved through fuzzy comprehensive evaluation based on triangular multiplication preference relationships. Using the Delphi technique, this article first created a village official assessment index system. It then performed validity tests based on the Kaiser‐Meyer‐Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett index system, as well as reliability testing using the Cronbach coefficient. Then, the preference relationship of triangular multiplication and the root product square method were used to determine the weight of the questionnaire indicators, and consistency was judged. Then, based on the membership function, the fuzzy boundaries of various indicators are displayed to construct a fuzzy evaluation matrix. Finally, the evaluation matrix is subjected to the Zadeh operation to obtain a fuzzy, comprehensive evaluation result of the work performance of village officials. Our main contribution is establishing an evaluation index system for village officials through the Delphi method and achieving a practical evaluation of village officials using triangular multiplication preference relationships and fuzzy evaluation theory.

Optimization of Scientific Equipment Pointing at Survey Targets in the Uragan Experiment On Board the ISS

The aim of the Uragan space experiment on board the International Space Station (ISS) is to adjust the scientific equipment and improve the methods for monitoring various objects and phenomena on the Earth. Part of this scientific equipment is already operated on board the station, and the other part is planned to be delivered in the orbit soon. In contrast to the Russian orbital stations Salyut and Mir, the ISS was not designed for pointing the installed equipment at the survey targets, because the gyrodines used on the American segment for the ISS attitude control had a too small kinematic momentum. For this reason, special methods and devices had to be developed for pointing the Uragan scientific equipment at the survey targets. This paper considers the methods for pointing the scientific equipment, which would optimize the research program of the Uragan experiment on board the ISS.

The impact of adult children's support on the psychological health of rural older adult people in China.

Family old-age care is dominant in Chinese rural society, and children's support is an important force in family old-age care. However, the migration of a large number of young and middle-aged rural laborers has undermined the traditional arrangements for old-age care in rural areas and affected the psychological health of the older adult. 2014 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey targets Chinese citizens aged 60 or older and covers 28 provinces in mainland China. In this paper, the database of the CLASS was selected for empirical analysis to explore the impact of children's support on the depression level and loneliness of rural older adults through multiple linear regression, and was divided into two groups according to children's migration to analyze heterogeneity. Children's financial support facilitates the maintenance of mental health among rural older adults. Children's support promotes mental health among rural older adults, but this association does not exist among older adults without children's migration. Individual characteristics of older people have a greater impact on mental health. Our study firstly compares the differences of children's migration status between children's support and mental health among the older adult in rural China. In order to improve the mental health of the older adult, it is necessary to create a favorable atmosphere of love and respect for the older adult, improve the social security system in rural areas, and give full play to the strengths of the social forces, so as to ensure that the older adult have a sense of worthiness and enjoyment in their old age.

Predictive Geochemical Exploration: Inferential Generation of Modern Geochemical Data, Anomaly Detection and Application to Northern Manitoba

Geochemical surveys contain an implicit data lifecycle or pipeline that consists of data generation (e.g., sampling and analysis), data management (e.g., quality assurance and control, curation, provisioning and stewardship) and data usage (e.g., mapping, modeling and hypothesis testing). The current integration of predictive analytics (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, data modeling) into the geochemical survey data pipeline occurs almost entirely within the data usage stage. In this study, we predict elemental concentrations at the data generation stage and explore how predictive analytics can be integrated more thoroughly across the data lifecycle. Inferential data generation is used to modernize lake sediment geochemical data from northern Manitoba (Canada), with results and interpretations focused on elements that are included in the Canadian Critical Minerals list. The results are mapped, interpreted and used for downstream analysis through geochemical anomaly detection to locate further exploration targets. Our integration is novel because predictive modeling is integrated into the data generation and usage stages to increase the efficacy of geochemical surveys. The results further demonstrate how legacy geochemical data are a significant data asset that can be predictively modernized and used to support time-sensitive mineral exploration of critical minerals that were unanalyzed in original survey designs. In addition, this type of integration immediately creates the possibility of a new exploration framework, which we call predictive geochemical exploration. In effect, it eschews sequential, grid-based and fixed resolution sampling toward data-driven, multi-scale and more agile approaches. A key outcome is a natural categorization scheme of uncertainty associated with further survey or exploration targets, whether they are covered by existing training data in a spatial or multivariate sense or solely within the coverage of inferred secondary data. The uncertainty categorization creates an effective implementation pathway for future multi-scale exploration by focusing data generation activities to de-risk survey practices.

NIGHT: A compact, near-infrared, high-resolution spectrograph to survey helium in exoplanet systems

ABSTRACT Among highly irradiated exoplanets, some have been found to undergo significant hydrodynamic expansion traced by atmospheric escape. To better understand these processes in the context of planetary evolution, we propose NIGHT (the Near-Infrared Gatherer of Helium Transits). NIGHT is a high-resolution spectrograph dedicated to surveying and temporally monitoring He i triplet absorption at 1083 nm in stellar and planetary atmospheres. In this paper, we outline our scientific objectives, requirements, and cost-efficient design. Our simulations, based on previous detections and modelling using the current exoplanet population, determine our requirements and survey targets. With a spectral resolution of 70 000 on a 2-m telescope, NIGHT can accurately resolve the helium triplet and detect 1 per cent peak absorption in 118 known exoplanets in a single transit. Additionally, it can search for 3σ temporal variations of 0.4 per cent in 66 exoplanets in-between two transits. These are conservative estimates considering the ongoing detections of transiting planets amenable to atmospheric characterization. We find that instrumental stability at 40 m s−1, less stringent than for radial velocity monitoring, is sufficient for transmission spectroscopy in He i. As such, NIGHT can utilize mostly off-the-shelf components, ensuring cost-efficiency. A fibre-fed system allows for flexibility as a visitor instrument on a variety of telescopes, making it ideal for follow-up observations after JWST or ground-based detections. Over a few years of surveying, NIGHT could offer detailed insights into the mechanisms shaping the hot Neptune desert and close-in planet population by significantly expanding the statistical sample of planets with known evaporating atmospheres. First light is expected in 2024.

Stone artefacts on the seabed at a submerged freshwater spring confirm a drowned cultural landscape in Murujuga, Western Australia

Stone artefacts on the seabed at a submerged freshwater spring confirm a drowned cultural landscape in Murujuga, Western Australia

A Study of the Integrated Model with Norm Activation Model and Theory of Planned Behavior: Applying the Green Hotel’s Corporate Social Responsibilities

This study investigated the structural relationship between the green behavior of green hotel users by integrating and applying green corporate social responsibility (GCSR), the norm activation model (NAM), and theory of planned behavior (TPB). The survey targets were customers who have visited green hotels at least 1–2 times in the past two years and completed an online (mobile) self-written Google survey. In addition, to increase the validity of the research hypothesis of this study, the definition of green hotel CSR was simply explained for understanding before the survey began. Four hundred and fifty surveys were distributed for a month from 15 October 2022, and 386 samples were used for final analysis, excluding non-response, and SPSS and Amos programs were used for the analysis. The analysis results of the research hypothesis are as follows. In the process of GCSR on the green behavior of hotel users, the relationships between awareness of consequence (AC), ascription of responsibility (AR), and personal norm (PN) of NAM were all found to have a significant effect. Therefore, H1a–d are supported. Additionally, in the context of another theory, TPB, in the process of GCSR on the green behavior of hotel users, the study verified the relationship between attitude (AT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of TPB. However, GCSR has no significant effect on PBC, so H2c was rejected, and PBC has no significant effect on green behavioral intention (GBI), so H4c was rejected. Finally, subjective norm (SN) as a variable of TPB was found to have a significant positive effect on PN as a variable of NAM. Thus, H3 was supported. This study intends to present useful basic evidence by providing academic and practical implications for establishing the management strategy of hotel companies.