Unique Preferences Research Articles

E-health Literacy and Older Adults: Challenges, Opportunities, and Support Needs

This study aimed to explore the challenges, opportunities, and support needs related to e-health literacy among older adults. By identifying these key areas, the study seeks to inform the development of targeted interventions and resources to enhance e-health literacy within this demographic. A qualitative research design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 16 older adults who have interacted with e-health platforms in the past year. Participants were purposively selected to ensure a diverse range of experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify major and minor themes related to e-health literacy challenges, opportunities, and support needs. The analysis revealed three major themes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Support Needs. Under Challenges, participants identified Technological Barriers, Health Literacy Issues, Accessibility Concerns, and Privacy and Security Fears. Opportunities highlighted were Enhanced Access to Health Information, Improved Patient-Provider Communication, and Personal Health Management. For Support Needs, the study found a demand for Educational Programs, Technical Assistance, and Customizable E-Health Tools. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of e-health literacy among older adults and the need for comprehensive support mechanisms. Older adults face significant barriers to fully leveraging e-health resources, yet there exist substantial opportunities to enhance their e-health literacy through targeted support and interventions. Addressing the identified challenges and support needs can lead to improved health outcomes for older adults by facilitating more effective use of digital health platforms. The study underscores the importance of developing tailored e-health literacy resources that consider the unique circumstances and preferences of older adults.

Destabilization mechanism of R3-R4 tau protofilament by purpurin: a molecular dynamics study.

The accumulation of tau protein aggregates is a common feature observed in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, the structural characteristics of tau aggregates can vary among different tauopathies. It has been established that the structure of the tau protofilament in Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is similar to that of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, a previous study found that purpurin, an anthraquinone, could inhibit and disassemble the pre-formed 306VQIVYK311 isoform of AD-tau protofilament. Herein, we used all-atom molecular dynamic (MD) simulation to investigate the distinctive features between CTE-tau and AD-tau protofilament and the influence of purpurin on CTE-tau protofilament. Our findings revealed notable differences at the atomic level between CTE-tau and AD-tau protofilaments, particularly in the β6-β7 angle and the solvent-accessible surface area (SASA) of the β4-β6 region. These structural disparities contributed to the distinct characteristics observed in the two types of tau protofilaments. Our simulations substantiated that purpurin could destabilize the CTE-tau protofilament and decrease β-sheet content. Purpurin molecules could insert the β4-β6 region and weaken the hydrophobic packing between β1 and β8 through π-π stacking. Interestingly, each of the three rings in purpurin exhibited unique binding preferences with the CTE-tau protofilament. Overall, our study sheds light on the structural distinctions between CTE-tau and AD-tau protofilaments, as well as the destabilizing mechanism of purpurin on CTE-tau protofilament, which may be helpful to the development of drugs to prevent CTE.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIG DATA ANALYTICS IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BANGLADESH

This study aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities associated with the integration of Big Data Analytics (BDA) within Management Information Systems (MIS) in the context of Bangladesh, a developing economy with distinct characteristics. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining survey data from 40 organizations and in-depth interviews with key informants to explore BDA implementation challenges and opportunities unique to Bangladesh. The findings reveal that organizations in Bangladesh encounter challenges related to limited technological infrastructure, data security and privacy concerns, skill shortages, and regulatory complexities. Despite these challenges, BDA offers significant opportunities, including economic and business growth, government support, local market understanding, and increased competitiveness. This study is limited by its focus on the Bangladeshi context and may not fully capture the diversity of challenges and opportunities in other developing economies. Future research should consider cross-cultural comparisons and sector-specific analyses. The insights generated by this research provide organizations in Bangladesh with a roadmap for navigating BDA implementation challenges while harnessing its potential for economic growth and market competitiveness. Policymakers and government bodies can use these findings to formulate policies that support BDA adoption and economic development. As organizations leverage BDA to understand local market dynamics and enhance customer experiences, there is potential for improved products and services that cater to the unique preferences of Bangladeshi consumers. This has implications for broader society in terms of enhanced consumer satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by enriching our understanding of the complexities of BDA integration in developing economies. It highlights the need for tailored strategies, fosters innovation, and positions BDA as a catalyst for economic growth and competitiveness in Bangladesh. The research is limited to a sample of 40 organizations in Bangladesh, and the findings may not be fully generalizable to all industries and contexts within the country.

Parents/Caregivers' perceptions towards use of analgesic suppositories in paediatric elective surgery.

Despite the benefits of analgesic suppositories, there remains controversy around their administration. The perceptions of the parents and caregivers regarding this are unknown in our population. We investigated the perceptions of parents/caregivers towards the use of analgesic suppositories in elective paediatric surgery. We also explored whether parents/caregivers perceived a need for additional consent for the administration of suppositories. This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, South Africa. The primary outcome was to describe perceptions of parents/caregivers towards analgesic suppositories. Questionnaire-guided interviews were conducted with parents/caregivers of children presenting for elective paediatric surgery. Three hundred and one parents/caregivers were enrolled in the study. Two hundred and sixty-two (87%) were female and 174 (13%) were male. Two hundred and seventy-six (92%) were parents and 24 (9%) were caregivers. There was a high level of acceptability of suppository use in 243 (81%) parents/caregivers. Majority (235, 78%) felt that they should be asked for permission before their child was given a suppository, and more than half (134, 57%) expressed that it should be in a written consent format. The parents/caregivers did not believe that suppositories would cause pain (unadjusted odds ratio [uOR]: 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-4.79; P = 0.006) but were unsure whether they would relieve post-operative pain (uOR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11-0.57; P = 0.001). Those who had previously used a suppository themselves were significantly more likely to accept the use of suppositories in children (uOR: 4.34; 95% CI: 1.56-12.07; P = 0.005). There was a high level of acceptability of the use of analgesic suppositories. Our population showed a unique preference for written consent over verbal consent. There was a strong positive association between previous use of suppositories by parents/caregivers and acceptance for use in children.

Spectrum of food diversity of megapolis' inhabitants obtained by the analysis of buying activity

The food diversity is a significant indicator of a healthy diet. The aim of the study was to assess the indicators of food diversity in the metropolis (Moscow) based on the analysis of consumer activity in a large retail chain. Material and methods. 201 904 holders of loyalty cards of the retail network were selected from the depersonalized purchase data for 2016-2018 according to the following selection criteria: the presence of a dense segment of purchases (more than 4 weeks, where there was at least 1 purchase in 2 weeks), where the total cost of purchases was at least 4700 rubles and at least 4 different products were purchased. From of these, 111 136 buyers have data available by gender, 43 046 by age. The classification of a set of purchased products and dishes by food groups was carried out, and complex dishes were transformed into a set of their ingredients and the distribution of the unique values of the corresponding food groups was carried out. Counting the number of unique preferences (count base diversity) by the number of positions in each of the 6 food groups (cereals, fish and meat, fat products, dairy products, vegetables, fruits and berries) allowed us to estimate the amount of food diversity. The total number of food categories in all subgroups was also calculated. Results. The low value of food diversity in the category of cereals and cereals was found in 2/3 of buyers, in the category of vegetables and fruits in 60% of buyers, in the category of meat and fish products in half of buyers, in the category of fat-and-oil products in 63.7% and in 44.2% of buyers of dairy products. An acceptable total number of categories of purchased products (more than 20 per week) was achieved only in 14.5% of men and 16.7% of women from our sample. In general, lower indicators of dietary diversity are typical for men and young people (up to 45 years old). Conclusion. Thus, it can be concluded that the importance of food diversity as a factor of health protection is underestimated by the population, especially by young people, which can lead to an increase in the burden on healthcare due to the earlier debut of a wide range of chronic diseases.

Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi Keputusan pembelian halal food di E-commerce di Kota Salatiga

This research is motivated by the public's interest in Islamic economics by introducing them to the halal food industry. Concerning the halal food industry, people have unique and distinctive consumption behaviors and preferences in consuming halal food. This study aimed to determine the effect of lifestyle, brand ambassador, product quality, halal label, and religiosity on purchasing decisions. The data used in this study are the people of Salatiga who have purchased halal food products on e-commerce sites. The analytical model used in this study is multiple regression and moderated regression analysis (MRA), with the number of respondents in this study being 100 Muslim consumers. The research output shows that the lifestyle variable does not affect purchasing decisions. A brand ambassador has no significant effect on purchasing decisions. Product quality has a significant positive effect on purchasing decisions. The halal label has a significant positive effect on purchasing decisions. Religion weakens the influence of lifestyle on purchasing decisions. Religiosity weakens the influence of brand ambassadors on purchasing decisions. Religiosity weakens the influence of product quality on purchasing decisions. Religiosity strengthens the influence of the halal label on purchasing decisions.

Modeling a New Supplier Preference Paradigm: A Business-to-Business and African Developing Economy Context

The recent COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has demonstrated to the world the volatile and fragile nature of global supply chains. Hence, this study is based on research gaps that propose new sustainable business-to-business (B2B) procurement/supplier models that consider different factors across industries and uses the triple bottom line (TBL) framework as the theoretical underpinning. The study used a quantitative methodological approach and convenience sampling to survey 445 organizations in a B2B procurement context in South Africa. The data were analyzed via structural equation modeling. The inquiry revealed that service quality was important to determine access to personnel and environmental sustainability, which had a favorable influence on personal relationships and gifts and, in turn, positively influenced relationships with salespeople and management. Culture, employment equity, and affirmative action positively affected Black Economic Empowerment status which had a favorable influence on the preference of suppliers’ salespeople. Several other positive associations were revealed, which resulted in a unique theoretical supplier preference contribution to the TBL framework. The study also provides organizations with a number of practical benefits stemming from the associations between the new sustainable B2B procurement/supplier constructs that are important as value-added business activities in an African developing economic context.

STYLISTIC-NARATOLOGY VERSES OF SULAIMAN'S STORY INHERITING THE KINGDOM OF DAUD

The story of Sulaiman inheriting the kingdom of Daud was presented in a distinctive language style. In addition to having unique preferences and deviations in pronunciation, it also contained the relevance of the story to the monotheistic da'wah of Muhammad. This study intended to analyze the secrets of the existing figurative language as well as the semiotic meaning of the story and its relevance to the prophet's monotheism mission. This research used qualitative research and descriptive research methods. The research data comes from the qaşaş verse which is the source of the material for this research. Data was collected by using the note-taking technique. The translational equivalent technique carried out the data analysis technique. The results of this study from the stylistic aspect found that the selection of letters, the selection of pronunciation, the selection of sentences, accentuation of the dialogue in the story verse. This research contributed to the development of literary studies that combine stylistic analysis and narratology in one study of the story of Al-Qur'an.

The moderating effect of generations on the relationship between work values and affective commitment

Purpose –This study compared Generation X and Y's work values and affective commitment and explored if generation moderates the relationship. This research is needed to elucidate generational disparities in work values, affective commitment, and work values' impact on affective commitment. Validating the global generation theory requires research involving Indonesians from different industries. Design/methodology/approach – Data was acquired from 630 self-administered questionnaires from various businesses. The instruments used to measure variables have a track record of validity and reliability and were adapted from that work. The Chow Method was used to calculate the generational influence on affective commitment. Findings – The results demonstrated that Generation X and Generation Y in Indonesia had similar work values but differing affective commitment. Generation moderates the association between work values and affective commitment. This research reveals individuals with various life circumstances may still exhibit distinct character traits and value systems. Research limitation/implications – The data may not capture the traits of all generations. Generalizations must be done with caution. Generation X and Y participants were not distributed proportionally. Prior research showed that the proportion of participants didn't alter the results, but future research may take distribution into account. Practical implications – Job sector classifications and job characteristics that are suitable for Generation X and Generation Y can be developed by considering the generations' unique preferences for various value components of employment. Originality/value – This study added to our understanding of how different generations approach and value work in different ways. The implications of this study's findings for confirming the global theory of generation regarding work values and affective commitment are substantial. The results of this research demonstrated the importance of taking cultural factors into account while dealing with employees of varying ages.

Nutrient metabolism of the nucleus pulposus: A literature review

Cells take in, consume, and synthesize nutrients for numerous physiological functions. This includes not only energy production but also macromolecule biosynthesis, which will further influence cellular signaling, redox homeostasis, and cell fate commitment. Therefore, alteration in cellular nutrient metabolism is associated with pathological conditions.Intervertebral discs, particularly the nucleus pulposus (NP), are avascular and exhibit unique metabolic preferences. Clinical and preclinical studies have indicated a correlation between intervertebral degeneration (IDD) and systemic metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. However, a lack of understanding of the nutrient metabolism of NP cells is masking the underlying mechanism. Indeed, although previous studies indicated that glucose metabolism is essential for NP cells, the downstream metabolic pathways remain unknown, and the potential role of other nutrients, like amino acids and lipids, is understudied.In this literature review, we summarize the current understanding of nutrient metabolism in NP cells and discuss other potential metabolic pathways by referring to a human NP transcriptomic dataset deposited to the Gene Expression Omnibus, which can provide us hints for future studies of nutrient metabolism in NP cells and novel therapies for IDD.

“Tip of the Tongue”: Experimental Reconstruction of Handaxes at the Baise Basin (South China) and Implications for Lithic Standardization

ABSTRACT Geometric morphometric studies in the Baise Basin in South China have documented unique tongue-like tip morphologies in handaxes sampled from the fourth terrace of the Youjiang River Valley. With this study, we report on a new handaxe assemblage found at the Natang site and present data that further document the prevalence of these rounded tip morphologies in the region. We use experimental replications to recreate the unique morphology of the handaxes, and demonstrate that a specific tip rounding strategy was employed by hominins as an economic and effective way to produce wider, more rounded and thinner distal tips. We suggest that these tongue-like tips indicate a predetermined design, and consequently, reflect a level of shape standardization that is heightened in functional tool portions. Moreover, this study provides further documentation of the regionally unique tool-making preferences that Pleistocene hominins employed when flexibly adapting to local environmental conditions and resource availabilities.

Phone and Self: How Smartphone Use Increases Preference for Uniqueness

One of the most dramatic shifts in recent years has been consumers’ increased use of smartphones for making purchases and choices—but does using a smartphone influence what consumers choose? This article shows that, compared with using a personal computer (PC), making choices using a personal smartphone leads consumers to prefer more unique options. The authors theorize that because smartphones are considerably more personal and private than PCs, using them activates intimate self-knowledge and increases private self-focus, shifting attention toward individuating personal preferences, feelings, and inner states. Consequently, making choices using a personal smartphone, compared with a PC, tends to increase the preference for unique and self-expressive options. Six experiments and several replications examine the effects of personal smartphone use on the preference for unique options and test the underlying role of private self-focus. The findings have important implications for theories of self-focus, uniqueness seeking, and technology’s impact on consumers, as well as tangible implications for many online vendors, brands, and researchers who use mobile devices to interact with their respective audiences.

A large scale group decision making system based on sentiment analysis cluster

Nowadays, group decision making is an everyday occurrence in different scenarios, such as marketing or social networks. These social networks have facilitated communication between experts because they do not need to meet in person. However, communication between experts through the internet generates three problems: the management of large amounts of information, the fact that experts often provide their information using natural language, and the lack of analysis of experts’ intentions. In this paper, we propose a novel large scale group decision making method to manage the information generated by a large number of experts, using the natural language processing approach, specifically sentiment analysis. This approach makes it possible to detect the degree of positivity and aggressiveness of each expert and thus proceed to a classification. Once the behaviours are detected, the experts are grouped according to them and, for each group, a weight and a unique preference relation is obtained. In addition, we propose an optimised consensus analysis process, in which it is not necessary to compare all experts with each other, but only groups of experts.

THOR: A Hybrid Recommender System for the Personalized Travel Experience

One of the travelers’ main challenges is that they have to spend a great effort to find and choose the most desired travel offer(s) among a vast list of non-categorized and non-personalized items. Recommendation systems provide an effective way to solve the problem of information overload. In this work, we design and implement “The Hybrid Offer Ranker” (THOR), a hybrid, personalized recommender system for the transportation domain. THOR assigns every traveler a unique contextual preference model built using solely their personal data, which makes the model sensitive to the user’s choices. This model is used to rank travel offers presented to each user according to their personal preferences. We reduce the recommendation problem to one of binary classification that predicts the probability with which the traveler will buy each available travel offer. Travel offers are ranked according to the computed probabilities, hence to the user’s personal preference model. Moreover, to tackle the cold start problem for new users, we apply clustering algorithms to identify groups of travelers with similar profiles and build a preference model for each group. To test the system’s performance, we generate a dataset according to some carefully designed rules. The results of the experiments show that the THOR tool is capable of learning the contextual preferences of each traveler and ranks offers starting from those that have the higher probability of being selected.

Identification and investigation of a novel NADP+-dependent secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase from Isatis indigotica.

Cofactors are crucial for the biosynthesis of natural compounds, and cofactor engineering is a useful strategy for enzyme optimization due to its potential to enhance enzyme efficiency. Secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase (SIRD) was reported to convert secoisolariciresinol into matairesinol in an NAD+-dependent reaction. Here, a SIRD designated as IiSIRD2 identified from Isatis indigotica was found to utilize NADP+ as the cofactor. To explore the structural basis for this unique cofactor preference, model-based structural analysis was carried out, and it was postulated that a variation at the GXGGXG glycine-rich motif of IiSIRD2 alters its cofactor preference. This study paves way for future investigations on SIRD cofactor specificity and cofactor engineering to improve SIRD's catalytic efficiency.

Social frailty as social aspects of frailty: Research, practical activities, and prospects.

With the topical focus on the prevention of and countermeasures for frailty, scattered studies have subdivided its social elements and aspects as "social frailty." While the concepts and definition of "social frailty" are yet to be established, the purpose of using the term is to capture the attention of professionals using the social aspects of frailty to support older adults. The goal is to increase healthy life expectancy by recognizing that social factors are unlikely to pose a risk of functional decline in isolation, but may increase such a decline when combined with other factors. At feasible scopes of intervention, ways to address these factors should be pursued. Although social aspects are often expressed by frail people, or social factors with complex processes that can cause functional decline, there is no unified definition or indicator of social frailty. Further research and discussion are needed to clarify its academic significance and usefulness for disability prevention. Recognizing this, when the Japanese Socio-Gerontological Society's Study Committee on "Social Frailty" published its recommendations, it suggested that when using the term "social frailty" we should specify the significance of its use; consider the comprehensiveness of frailty; be mindful of the interrelationship of social activities and other social aspects; and consider environmental conditions such as a person's values, preferences and life course, social norms, systems, and government policies. High-risk individuals may need multidisciplinary approaches delivered by various professionals, including clinicians, in realizing a life in line with their unique values and preferences. In such cases, it is necessary to understand the background and process that led to frailty, from physical, psychological, and social perspectives, referring to the abovementioned four points. The introduction of social aspects as one of the assessment frameworks can significantly bridge the gap between medical care and the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 991-996.

Repurposing a Nitric Oxide Transport Hemoprotein Nitrophorin 2 for Olefin Cyclopropanation

A growing number of heme proteins have recently been repurposed for catalyzing abiological carbene transfer reactions. Herein, we rationally designed an engineered variant of nitrophorin 2 (NP2)─a nitric oxide transport hemoprotein─that catalyzes olefin cyclopropanation with high activity and stereoselectivity. Being a β-barrel protein, the engineered NP2 variant showed a unique substrate preference, in contrast to the mainstream α-helical carbene-transfer heme enzymes like cytochrome P450 enzymes and myoglobin. The catalytic reactions can be carried out on a preparative scale while maintaining the stereoselectivity. The stereoselectivity of the NP2-catalyzed styrene cyclopropanation was further supported by quantum chemical calculations, and the significance of key residues was elucidated. As such, this work establishes NP2 as a robust lipocalin scaffold amenable for carbene-transferase development, complementing the current biocatalytic toolbox.

Clinical Relevance and Implementation Considerations of Physical Activity in Young Adult Cancer Survivorship: An Expert Consensus Study.

Significance: Elevated survival rates in young adult cancer survivors (YACS) are accompanied by high morbidity levels resulting in an array of unmet needs limiting full life potential. Physical activity (PA) improves physical, psychological, and social aspects of health after a cancer diagnosis. There are no standardized PA guidelines tailored to YACS. Therefore, there is a critical need to understand areas of clinical relevance/agreement on PA use and implementation in young adult (YA) survivorship care. Aim: To identify expert consensus areas on the assessment, prescription, and implementation of PA in YA survivorship care; identify areas of clinical relevance and endorsement of PA as a health optimization strategy in YA survivorship care. Methods: A four-round modified Delphi study of international multidisciplinary experts (Round I/II n = 18; Round III n = 57, Round IV n = 45) in exercise oncology, symptom management, survivorship care, youth cancer care was conducted. Qualitative content analysis, descriptive statistics (% agreement, standard deviation, mean), and inter-rater reliability (Kappa) were calculated. Results: Experts reached a consensus on clinical providers needed to assess, refer, and provide PA interventions, the need for guidelines, and essential care delivery system components to foster the integration of PA integration in YA survivorship care as a health optimization activity. Conclusions/Implications: Cancer care integration models should optimize the unique preferences, strengths, and developmental stage of YA affected by cancer. The study adds to the existing literature on multidisciplinary teams needed to provide clinical expertise and organizational support to foster PA integration into YA survivorship care.

Development of an Abalone 3D Food Printing Ink for the Personalized Senior-Friendly Foods

Notably for seniors, 3D food printing is an appropriate processing method for creating customized meals that meet their unique nutritional requirements and textural preferences. This study attempted to develop an ink for food 3D printers containing abalone powder and several nutrition properties that meet the criteria for senior-friendly foods. The texture of the products was adjusted using gelatin. The ink consisted of abalone powder (10%), soybean protein (4.5%), polydextrose (2.5%), vitamin C (0.0098%), and gellan gum (1%). To examine the physicochemical properties of the ink, texture, water holding capacity, and rheological properties were measured. In addition, the suitability of the 3D printing was examined. As a result, 3% gelatin 3D food printing ink demonstrated optimal printability and could be converted into foods that could be consumed in one step (teeth intake), depending on the types of food for seniors.

Preferable and limiting conditions of trans-Palearctic <em>Orthocephalus</em> species (Heteroptera: Miridae)

The environmental conditions limiting the distribution of trans-Palearctic species from various groups remain poorly studied. This work addresses the topic from three perspectives: (1) analysis of climatic variables, biomes and climate zones corresponding to the actual records; (2) assessment of environmental niches and contribution of biomes to those niches; (3) comparison of the distributional limits of trans-Palearctic and more local species. The genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae) is used as a model taxon. The results have demonstrated that all trans-Palearctic species of this genus are known from numerous biomes and climate zones, but each of them has unique preferences. Biomes significantly contribute to the environmental niches of some of those species. None of the trans-Palearctic species were recorded from the hot steppe and desert climate zones, which occupy large areas in the Palearctic, although certain rare and local species inhabit those regions. This means that the trans-Palearctic species cannot easily adapt to those conditions.