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Impact of social commerce constructs on consumer buying intention
Get PDFPurpose: The current paper aims to measure the impact of impact of social
commerce constructs on consumer buying intention.
Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was executed to assess the
impact of SCCs on buying intentions among consumers. The constructs of SCCs
include three constructs, i.e., Recommendation and Referrals, Forums and
communities, and Ratings and reviews. The other two constructs are trust and
buying intentions. The data was collected through a survey conducted in
Bangaluru city. The targeted populations were the consumers using social
networking sites. 1000 consumers were identified from various sources for the
main survey. The questionnaire was distributed through the Google forms. The
questionnaire, which WhatsApp sent, and email, requested consumers to
participate in the survey. Out of 1000 consumers, 900 consumers were filled and
returned it. Out of 900 responses, 29 responses were discarded, and the remaining
871 responses were used for the final study, this will be considered as sample size
for the study.
Findings: The study found that Web 2.0 applications attract individuals to
interact and generate content on the internet. Consumers begin with it well and
become customers by its trust and deluge of information on products. The study
findings, inferences, limitations, and further deep research scope are work.
Practical implications: This study provides valuable insights to retailers to
formulate their social commerce strategies as per decision factors results to have
maximum engagement of consumers in social commerce. The consumers begin
with it well and become customers by its trust and deluge of information on
products.Research limitations: The study responses were accumulated from the
consumers who were engaged in social commerce purchases in the study region.
Originality value: This research outcome proposes the exclusive model for
finding the social commerce intentions and use behavior of consumers using
social support theory, relationship marketing presumption and information
systems literature
Crank-Nicolson scheme to numerically solve time-dependent schrödinger equation
Get PDFThe Schrödinger equation is one of the fundamentals of quantum theory, which deals
with the study of microparticles. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE)
encodes the information of a non-relativistic quantum mechanical system. In this study,
we have investigated the numerical solution techniques to solve TDSE, which involve
partial differential equations (PDEs). The Crank-Nicolson scheme is the average of the
explicit scheme of forward time-centered space and the implicit scheme of backward
time-centered space of finite difference methods. This scheme is derived from the
Taylor series expansion of second-order accuracy and given a better approximation
with exact solutions. We have chosen this scheme in this study because it is
unconditionally stable and attractive for computing unsteady PDE problems. Also, the
accuracy of this scheme can be enhanced without losing the stability of the problem at
the same computational cost per time step. Further, the scheme converges faster than
other numerical methods for the solutions of PDEs. We have examined the complex
valued TDSE using the Crank-Nicolson method with different initial and boundary
condition testing examples. We have also used the simulation techniques of the
MATLAB software to get the numerical results and two-dimensional graphical
representations for the various parameters involving the initial and boundary conditions.
When comparing the numerical results obtained, we have observed a pattern that is
approximately converging by decreasing the time and space interval steps. Similarly,
there is a pattern of increasing the accuracy by increasing the total time values
A reliable method for assessing energy consumption in a leading plastic manufacturing factory in Sri Lanka
Get PDFEnergy management is an essential aspect of modern manufacturing operations, as it
can help organizations reduce costs, enhance efficiency, meet regulatory requirements,
and improve competitiveness. The current practice of monitoring the energy
consumption in many plastic manufacturing factories is through Specific Energy
Consumption (SEC). A finding in this study reveals that incorrect SEC values may lead
to invalid interpretations of energy efficiency, resulting in adverse effects on cost
optimization strategies. This study proposes a reliable method for assessing energy
consumption in a plastic manufacturing factory, highlighting the importance of
considering various metrics and indicators in addition to SEC for energy performance
evaluation. This study recommends further research to minimize energy waste and
emphasizes the importance of regularly reviewing and adjusting energy management
practices and targets to promote maximum energy savings. Moreover, the study
suggests regression analysis as a useful tool for predicting future energy consumption
and can serve as a better indicator than SEC values in certain cases
Review of measurement item of management students’ learning environment factors: framing EFA & CFA
Get PDFThis research is carried out to review the measurement items
of the present MBA students satisfying the expectation of the corporate
world. A total of 294 respondents’ data is collected for the research. The
variables used for the study are Quality education, Industry Institute
Collaboration, Skill-based education and Student behavior. The data is
used for the analysis descriptively for reliability, Confirmatory Factor
Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using AMOS
software. It is found from the results that Cronbach alpha is very high, and
CFA confirmed with four-factor analysis that the data fit with the model.
The study proposed a model for students to satisfy corporate
expectations
Analysing the measurement item of employee entrepreneurial behaviour (EEB) using EFA and CFA
Get PDFThis study is being conducted to analyse a measurement
item of Employee EntrepreneurialBehavior(EEB) in the IT industries using
a structured questionnaire .The variables used in this study are
innovativeness,proactiveness and risk taking. The data is collected from
410 respondents. Whilemost earlier studies focused on students as
respondents, the current study proposes to close thisresearch gap by
focusing specifically on IT employees. The data is used to analyze the
Reliability, Confirmatory Factor analysis(CFA), and Exploratory factor
analysis(EFA) using AMOS software. The result of Cronbach alpha
depicted to be very high for each variable, CFA and EFA resulted be
positive
Anthocyanin from red beetroots for sensing and removing nickel ions from water
Get PDFAnthocyanin is a natural colorant that is suspected to have chelation ability with metal
ions. In this study, anthocyanin was extracted from red beetroots (Beta vulgaris),
purified by chelating with basic lead acetate, reconverted, and used for qualitative
analysis with the addition of various heavy metal ions (Cd2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, Cr3+) that are
considered as environmental pollutants. The aim was to investigate whether
anthocyanin could be used as a sensing and chelating material for harmful heavy metal
ions from water. UV-visible spectra were recorded within the same wavelength range
(200 nm-900 nm) while adding micro drops of highly concentrated known aqueous
solutions of these metal ions (0.1 M) to the anthocyanin solutions prepared by
dissolving 0.100 g of precipitated anthocyanin in 3 mL of 5% HCl in methanol. Unlike
the other heavy metal ions studied, only Ni2+ showed some spectral changes with an
isosbestic point at λmax ~ 430 nm, in 5% HCl in methanol at pH 4.5, indicating Ni2+ to
anthocyanin interaction, probably through coordinating anthocyanin to Ni2+ center. The
spectral data also showed the appearance of a new band around 400 nm, upon adding
Ni2+. Hence, this study could be developed for using anthocyanin extracted from red
beetroot for detecting Ni2+ present in water
Production of agar extracts from red seaweed gracilaria lemaneiformis by means of simplified extraction protocols with prescreening of microplastics
Get PDFRed algae (Class Rhodophyceae) are seaweeds with a high economic trend in agar
production. As Sri Lanka is equipped with a high diversity and endemism of Gracilaria
species, we have a high potential for producing agar-based extracts in commercial scale
reaching sustainability. Therefore, this work reports on the production of agar extracts
from the seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis by means of selected simple protocols
based on hot water extraction, with a future direction on developing a useful agar-based
product with prescreening for plastic pollutants because macroalgae have a resilient
capacity to trap both mesoplastics (5–10 mm) and microplastics (less than 5 mm). The
collected plants from Trincomalee and Morawala, Negombo, Sri Lanka using random
quadrat sampling method in September, 2023 were screened for debris prior storage.
The agar production was performed in four different methods with and without
pretreatment of 2% sodium hydroxide as per the literature using simplified water
extraction protocols with slight modifications and prescreening for microplastics (MPs).
According to the results, extraction efficiency increases with the use of dry powder
form, rather than the direct extraction of thalli. A significantly higher percentage agar
extraction had recorded when extracting using the dry powder form regardless of
pretreatment with a percentage extraction of 19.46%. The selected species has been
contaminated with microplastics (0.417±0.188 items/5 g), among which the majority
are fibers of secondary MPs. It is highlighted that there is a significant difference
among the concentration of microplastics in filtrates of the washing steps. It is evident
that the mean MPs concentration present in the initial dried sample is decreasing with
the number of washing steps (DW3-0 items/5 g) starting from the sodium hydroxide
pretreated sample (NaOH—0.667±0.210 items/ 5 g) (p<0.05). Thus, more the washing
steps would ensure the decreased contamination of MPs entrusting reduced MPs
toxicity and enhancement of the good quality of the extracted product in commercial
process. A conclusion can be made that G. lemaneiformis has been significantly
contaminated with microplastics and the agar extraction protocol with pretreatment of
sodium hydroxide followed by thorough water washing could be recommended for
enhancing the quality of agar extracts. Further, this research should be developed to a
better way of extracting agar with higher efficiency and producing a useful agar-based
product
Solving first order ODE with initial conditions exactly using laplace transform On MATLAB
Get PDFThe solution method for first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with constant
coefficients and initial conditions is presented in this study and is based on MATLAB. The
suggested method depends on Laplace transforms to find exact results. The research introduces a
special MATLAB function that is intended to precisely compute the exact solutions of certain
ODEs while also offering other details like elapsed time and relevant figures. This method presents
a systematic approach to handle these kinds of ODEs, solving the difficulties brought on by
constant coefficients and initial conditions. It does this by using Laplace transformations. This
method is expected to be used in disciplines like engineering and physics where second-order ODEs
are frequent and exact solutions to them are important
The effect of different rearing methods on domestic poultry eggs qualities in Batticaloa district
Get PDFThe study was carried out to determine the effect
of Rearing systems on the egg qualities of
Domestic Chicken. Data was collected from
(n=200) Domestic Chicken Eggs under Intensive
and Semi-Intensive Rearing systems. All data
were collected on external egg quality
characteristics i,e.,(Egg Weight, Egg Length and
Width, Shape Index, Shell Weight, Shell
Thickness) and internal egg quality
characteristics (Weight of albumen, Weight of
yolk, Height of yolk, Height of albumen, The pH
of egg yolk and albumen, Haugh unit, Yolk Color)
and Nutritional Egg quality characteristic
i,e.,(albumen protein content, yolk protein
content, albumen fat content, yolk fat content,
albumen ash content, yolk ash content, albumen
moisture content, yolk moisture content). Data
were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The
results of the study revealed that external egg
quality parameters such as Egg Weight, Shell
Thickness and Shell Weight significantly (p <
0.05) affect by rearing system. Egg Nutritional
Qualities Parameters like Albumen and yolk
protein, albumen and yolk fat, significantly (p <
0.05) affected by the rearing system and egg
internal qualities Egg Yolk Color significantly (p
< 0.05) affected by the rearing system. However,
other qualities do not that much affect egg
qualities but in the case of egg, yolk color will be
highly affected by the rearing system. Typically,
consumers tend to favor eggs from semiintensively reared hens due to the appealing egg
size and yolk color. Consequently, farmers are
advised to opt for the semi-intensive rearing
system, as eggs from birds raised under this
method exhibit an enhanced yolk color, making
them more attractive to consumers. Conversely,
when it comes to raising a large number of birds,
the intensive rearing system is preferable over the
semi-intensive one
Assessment of red rot disease of saccharum officinarum L. (sugarcane) caused by Colletotrichum Falcatum using selected six medicinal plant extracts
Get PDFRed rot disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum falcatum Went. (Also,
known as Glomerella tucumanensis), poses a significant threat to global sugarcane
(Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivation. The conventional use of chemical fungicides
has been limited due to pathogen resistance and environmental concerns. This study
aimed to assess the efficacy of six medicinal plant extracts, namely Azadirachta indica
(Neem), Solanum torvum (Turkey Berry), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Persea
americana (Avocado), Curcuma longa (Turmeric), and Psidium guajava (Guava), for
managing red rot disease in sugarcane. Agar well method was used to evaluate the
antifungal properties of the selected plant extracts against C. falcatum. Concentration
gradient started from 100mg/ml to 225mg/ml of the plant extracts were tested to
determine their inhibitory effects on fungal growth and mycelial development. All data,
collected from agar well method, were rigorously analysed at a 5% confidence level
using Minitab 17.0 statistical software. The choice of a 5% confidence level was based
on established statistical practices to ensure robust results. This study observed the
initiation of fungal growth characterized by the development of white mycelia.
Subsequently, the formation of white cottony aerial mycelia ensued, undergoing a
transformation into a light, loose, and floccose texture within a period of five to seven
days. The colony's coloration transitions were to either white or grey during this period.
Conidia produced by the fungus exhibit a diverse range of shapes, including elongated,
fusiform, curved, and straight forms as their common shape. The preliminary
phytochemical analysis of six plant extracts exposed varying profiles of availability of
bioactive compounds. Notably, A. indica and S. torvum leaf extracts exhibited the
presence alkaloid, flavonoids, tannin, and saponin, while absence of steroids. Future
studies should delve into the specific mechanisms underlying the impact of alkaloid,
flavonoids, tannin, and saponin on the pathogen, considering factors such as
concentration, interaction dynamics, and potential synergistic effects. In general
conclusion, suggests that the plant extracts have distinct effects on the zone of
inhibition (ZOI). P. guajava leaves extract showed the highest ZOI (22.83mm) against
the C. falcatum at the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) 200mg/ml. Both Z.
officinale and A. indica exhibited similar effects on C. falcatum, with recorded
measurements of 16.68 mm and 16.66 mm, respectively. This finding highlighted the
potential use of plant extracts on C. falcatum as an environment friendly and
sustainable alternative for the management of red rot disease in sugarcane cultivation