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Purpose The overall purpose of the study is to identify the gender differences in color preferences for different types of interior space in the residential built environment in Prishtina, Kosovo. Additionally, the purpose of the study is also to identify the gender differences in the emotions that various colors trigger in occupants of the mainly residential built environment. Design/methodology/approach The present study uses a quantitative study and χ2 test to analyze whether the variables formulated by study hypotheses are dependent on gender. The data are gathered by a questionnaire to measure the color preferences of the respondents. The study uses a questionnaire with eight questions that were distributed to 303 respondents using the stratified probability sampling, using gender as the main stratum for probability sampling. Findings The study finds that there are no gender differences in color preferences for home lighting, living room, bedroom, study room and children’s rooms in the residential built environment. The study also finds that there is a gender difference in color preferences that trigger emotions of tranquility, stability and security and warmth and pleasure in both male and female respondents. Practical implications The implications of this study are that real estate and facility management firms must conduct marketing research to identify the color preferences for both housing interior and exterior depending on the different local cultural backgrounds of clients. Firms must provide training for real estate agents on the color preferences of clients for various types of spaces and the differences that may exist based on gender but also other variables. Originality/value The present study is the first quantification of gender differences in color preferences of the residential built environment in the capital city of an understudied region such as Kosovo.

The main purpose of this study is to measure the impact of the capital structure on the financial performance of commercial companies in Kosovo. Specifically, it aims to measure the relationship between the ratio of total debt to capital and the ratio of return on capital employed (ROE), as well as the relationship between the total debt-to-equity ratio and the return on assets (ROA) ratio. Panel data were used to measure the impact of the capital structure on the financial performance of commercial companies in Kosovo for the period 2014-2019. The capital structure indicators included in the study were total debt and total equity, while performance indicators were represented by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). The results show that between the capital structure and the financial performance of commercial companies in Kosovo during the study period, there is a strong relationship between assets on the one hand and total capital and total liabilities on the other. The findings of this research are beneficial to investors, lenders, and corporations, and can help financial managers choose the best capital structure to increase the firm's worth.

BACKGROUND: This article aims to perform a psychometric assessment of the scale of organizational readiness for digital innovations in a transition economy and to examine the antecedents of organizational readiness for digital innovations. METHODOLOGY: The study employed a quantitative research method to analyze data collected from a sample of 1236 health professionals. The scale secondary confirmatory factor and linear regression analysis were employed to verify organizational readiness and test the respective hypotheses about organizational readiness for digital innovation, respectively. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The research findings show that the organizational readiness scale for digital innovations is valid and reliable in transition economies. Findings show that the relationship between variables such as adaptation of human resources (AHR), cognitive readiness (COR), planning for new telehealth and e-health (PNTH), IT readiness (ITR), resource readiness (RR), partnership readiness (PR), and cultural readiness (CUR) are correlated with the innovations implementation effectiveness (IIE), and organizational readiness for digital innovation is positive statistically significant. Findings also suggest that Integration of old technologies (IoT) and organizational readiness for digital innovation is statistically significant and have negative relationship.

Cytotoxic CD8+T lymphocytes (CTL) eliminate infected cells or transformed tumour cells by releasing perforin-containing cytotoxic granules at the immunological synapse. The secretion of such granules depends on Ca2+-influx through store operated Ca2+channels, formed by STIM-activated Orai proteins. Whereas molecular mechanisms of the secretion machinery are well understood, much less is known about the molecular machinery that regulates the efficiency of Ca2+-dependent target cell killing. Here, we isolated total RNA from natural killer (NK) cells, non-stimulated CD8+T-cells, and from Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin A (SEA) stimulated CD8+T-cells (SEA-CTL) and conducted whole genome expression profiling by microarray experiments. Based on differential expression analysis of the transcriptome data and analysis of master regulator genes, we identified 31 candidates which potentially regulate Ca2+-homeostasis in CTL. To investigate a putative function of these candidates in CTL cytotoxicity, we transfected either SEA-stimulated CTL (SEA-CTL) or antigen specific CD8+T-cell clones (CTL-MART-1) with siRNAs specific against the identified candidates and analyzed the killing capacity using a real-time killing assay. In addition, we complemented the analysis by studying the effect of inhibitory substances acting on the candidate proteins if available. Finally, to unmask their involvement in Ca2+dependent cytotoxicity, candidates were also analyzed under Ca2+-limiting conditions. Overall, this strategy led to the identification of KCNN4, RCAN3, CCR5 and BCL2 as potential candidates to regulate the efficiency of Ca2+-dependent target cell killing.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are transposable genomic elements generally repressed through DNA methylation. HERVs can be demethylated and expressed in response to environmental stimuli. Therefore, more research is needed to understand the influence of environmental exposures on HERV methylation. Air pollutants are commonly linked with global hypomethylation, and as HERVs comprise of nearly 8% of repetitive elements in the human genome, our objective was to examine the association between air pollutant exposure and HERV methylation. We investigated 180 students with asthma participating in the School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study, which evaluated the efficacy of classroom air filters and school-wide pest management on air pollutant/allergen exposure and asthma. Both air pollutants measured in classrooms and asthma outcomes assessed by surveys were collected pre- and post-intervention. Buccal swabs were also collected pre- and post-intervention, and methylation levels from 9 transposable genomic elements (HERV-E, -FRD, -K, -L, -R, -W, -9, and HRES and LINE1) were measured. Adjusting for relevant covariates, the overall air pollutant mixture was cross-sectionally associated with higher HERV-W and lower HERV-L and LINE1 methylation. Coarse PM was cross-sectionally associated with higher HERV-K methylation and CO2 with lower LINE1 methylation. These results suggest that exposure to air pollutants is associated with HERV-W and HERV-K hypermethylation and HERV-L and LINE1 hypomethylation in children with asthma. Future studies are needed to characterize the links between HERV methylation and possible adverse outcomes.

Aim: Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. The vast majority of these deaths occur in low – and middle-income countries, and the gap is expected to widen further in the coming decades. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of smoking among Kosovo adults by gender, age group and type of smoking.Methods: A population-based survey was conducted among people aged 18-69 years from April 2018 to June 2019 using the WHO STEPs instrument. 2800 randomly selected households were approached using multistage cluster sampling, and 2695 agreed to participate in the survey (response rate 96.2%).Results: According to the findings of our study, 25.7% of the population aged 18-69 years was a current smoker (men 35.3% vs. women 15.9%) and 90.1% of them smoked tobacco products on a daily basis (Men 91.5% current smokers on daily basis vs. Women 87.1% on daily basis). Smokers started smoking at an average age of 19.3 years. Women started smoking significantly later than men, at the age of 20.9 years, compared to 18.6 years for men, and the younger age group started smoking earlier. The average smoking duration is 19.3 years, with no gender differences (Men 19.5 years vs. Women 19.0 years average smoking duration). On average, 97.4% of daily smokers smoke manufactured cigarettes.Conclusion: Smoking prevalence was high among Kosovo adults, especially men and the majority of them smoke on daily basis.

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the actual routing inter-domain protocol in the Internet. The size, heterogenity and changebility that characterize todays Internet put always increasing requirements on BGP performance. The research community has already reported the unwanted characteristics of BGP like low integrity and slow convergence through theoretichal analyzes andd empirical measurements. Simulations allow for more realistic and flexible experiments than the theoretichal approach and also lower costs than the measurements in real life environments. The first part of this work describe theoretically characteristics and problems related to BGP nd also expectations of the today Internet users to real time applications (like VoIP). The second part concentrates in identifying and implementing of the elements for creating an integrated simulation environment for evaluating dhe effects of slowconvergence of BGP in these applications. At last it is evaluated the created environement through some small scale simmulations that try to model the now days Internet Structure.

Background: The current pandemic of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 has affected almost all countries of the world. Dental students are exposed to a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to direct contact with patients. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19. Methods and Results: A total of 157 dental students from the first to the fifth year of studies, regardless of gender, were included in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to dental students at the College to ensure unbiased responses. The questionnaire, based on information provided by WHO and the CDC on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, contains sociodemographic questions and 19 questions exploring knowledge about the definition, symptoms, source of infection, routes of transmission, treatment, vaccination, and stress related to COVID-19. Most of the dental students recognized the acronym COVID-19 (51%) and knew all the symptoms of the disease (62.4%), as well as the way of transmission (100.0%). Moreover, 85.4% of them had a lot of knowledge about the preventive measures against COVID-19, and 99.4% thought that dentists were a group at risk of infection. About 64.3% of students had been infected with COVID-19, but most of them (63.5%) were treated only with vitamins and paracetamol. Regarding vaccination, 94.9% of dental students were vaccinated: 75.8% of them had received two doses of the vaccine, 13.4% of them three doses, while 6.4% had received only one dose. A small percentage were not vaccinated at all (5.1%), and the reason for this was their allergies and fear of vaccines (42.8%). Nevertheless, several dental students felt that they did not have enough information about the vaccine and its safety (34.4%). The pandemic affected the depression of 49.0% of dental students, and a large percentage of them felt tired of the continued news about COVID-19 (91.7%). Conclusion: The findings show a very high number of dental students who had good knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we recommend informing and educating dental students about the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of vaccination, but also about mental health care.

After a three-year quarantine from the deadliest global pandemic of the last century, ASTES is organizing to gather all health professionals in Tirana, The 6th Albanian Congress of Trauma and Emergency Surgery(ACTES 2022) on 11-12 November 2022, with the topic Trauma & Emergency Surgery and not only...with the aim of providing high quality, the best standards, and the best results, for our patients ...ACTES 2022 is the largest event that ASTES (Albanian Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery) has organized so far with 230 presentations, and 67 foreign lecturers with enviable geography, making it the largest national and wider scientific event.The scientific program is as strong as ever, thanks to the inclusiveness, where all the participants with a mix of foreign and local lecturers, select the best of the moment in medical science, innovation, and observation.The scientific committee has selected all the presentations so that the participants of each medical discipline will have something to learn, discuss, debate, and agree with updated methods, techniques, and protocols.I hope you will join us on Friday morning, and continue the journey of our two-day event together.

This study investigates why and how entrepreneurial municipalism is manifested in the case of Turkey despite limited local government autonomy and capacity in the area of migration governance. This article suggests four entrepreneurial strategies to understand and explain the variation in municipal practices: local networking, community engagement, organizational adaptation, and city branding. The most common strategies adopted by municipalities are local networking and community engagement often based on external funding alternatives that bring rapid and locally contingent, yet less durable and future-oriented solutions to challenges of forced displacement in urban settings. Against this background, this article highlights the importance of pathways that cultivate a culture of diversity and inclusion in the context of sustainable local integration by investing more resources in organizational adaptation and city branding. Finally, this study suggests redefining the concept of municipal capacity in terms of performance by focusing on the entrepreneurial strategies employed by local governments in their day-to-day practices.

Studies of newly isolated strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a good basis for expanding the potential for their applications in functional foods, probiotic food supplements, and other probiotic products. They exhibit various functional properties, including such with antiviral activity. Probiotic strains can manifest their antiviral effects by various mechanisms, including direct interaction with viruses, production of antiviral compounds, or immune system modulation. Ten newly isolated LAB strains from traditional fermented food products have been tested for the determination of their antiviral activity. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) from the studied strains for the effect on viral replication of Human alphaherpesvirus—HHV-1 and HHV-2 as well as for direct virucidal activity. The CFSs of the LAB strains were used in non-toxic concentrations of 25%, 6.25%, and 1.6%. No direct virucidal activity was observed in tested CFSs, but five of the strains observed a well-defined effect of viral replication inhibition with the selective index (SI) from 4.40 to >54. For two of these five strains, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC 5-12 strong activity against HHV-2 with a selective index (SI) over 45 was detected, which is a good basis for further research.

Background Playing football is associated with a high risk of injury. Injury prevention is a priority as injuries not only negatively impact health but also potentially performance. Various multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programs for football players have been examined in studies. Objective We aimed to investigate the efficacy of multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programs among footballers of all age groups in comparison to a control group. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and cluster-randomized controlled trials. CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to June 2022. The following inclusion criteria were used for studies to determine their eligibility: they (1) include football (soccer) players; (2) investigate the preventive effect of multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programs in football; (3) contain original data from a randomized or cluster-randomized trial; and (4) investigate football injuries as the outcome. The risk of bias and quality of evidence were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), respectively. The outcome measures were the risk ratio (RR) between the intervention and the control group for the overall number of injuries and body region-specific, contact, and non-contact injuries sustained during the study period in training and match play. Results Fifteen randomized and cluster-randomized controlled trials with 22,177 players, 5080 injuries, and 1,587,327 exposure hours fulfilled the inclusion criteria and reported the required outcome measures. The point estimate (RR) for the overall number of injuries was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59–0.85; 95% prediction interval [PI] 0.38–1.32) with very low-quality evidence. The point estimate (RR) for lower limb injuries was 0.82 (95% CI 0.71–0.94; 95% PI 0.58–1.15) with moderate-quality evidence; for hip/groin injuries, the RR was 0.56 (95% CI 0.30–1.05; 95% PI 0.00–102.92) with low-quality evidence; for knee injuries, the RR was 0.69 (95% CI 0.52–0.90; 95% PI 0.31–1.50) with low-quality evidence; for ankle injuries, the RR was 0.73 (95% CI 0.55–0.96; 95% PI 0.36–1.46) with moderate-quality evidence; and for hamstring injuries, the RR was 0.83 (95% CI 0.50–1.37) with low-quality evidence. The point estimate (RR) for contact injuries was 0.70 (95% CI 0.56–0.88; 95% PI 0.40–1.24) with moderate-quality evidence, while for non-contact injuries, the RR was 0.78 (95% CI 0.55–1.10; 95% PI 0.25–2.47) with low-quality evidence. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that the treatment effect associated with the use of multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programs in football is uncertain and inconclusive. In addition, the majority of the results are based on low-quality evidence. Therefore, future high-quality trials are needed to provide more reliable evidence. Clinical Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42020221772.

BACKGROUND: Primary membranous nephropathy (MN) is an autoimmune kidney disease in which immune complexes are deposited beneath the epithelium in the glomeruli. The condition introduces a high risk for end-stage kidney disease. Seventy to 80 percent of patients with MN have circulating antibodies against phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1), and levels correlate with treatment response and prognosis. However, experimental evidence that human anti-PLA2R1 antibodies induce MN has been elusive.METHODS: In passive transfer experiments, minipigs received plasma or purified IgG from patients with PLA2R1-associated MN or from healthy controls. Anti-PLA2R1 antibodies and proteinuria were monitored using Western blot, ELISA, and Coomassie staining. Kidney tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and proteomic analyses.RESULTS: Minipigs, like humans, express PLA2R1 on podocytes. Human anti-PLA2R1 antibodies bound to minipig PLA2R1 in vitro and in vivo. Passive transfer of human anti-PLA2R1 antibodies from patients with PLA2R1-associated MN to minipigs led to histological characteristics of human early-stage MN, activation of components of the complement cascade, and low levels of proteinuria. We observed development of an autologous, later phase of disease.CONCLUSIONS: A translational approach from humans to minipigs showed that human anti-PLA2R1 antibodies are pathogenic in MN, although in the heterologous phase of disease only low-level proteinuria developed.

To define current role of the Ross operation in young patients, the outcome in those followed longer than 20 years were assessed. Between 1994 and 2020, 81 consecutive patients, 70 of 11 male and/or female, mean age 27 years underwent Ross procedure, accruing 20 years of follow-up or longer. Sixty-four had bicuspid valve (79%) and 54 (67%) aortic insufficiency, while 15 (19%) had undergone prior operations. Surgery consisted in root replacement in 53 patients, cylinder inclusion in 20 and sub-coronary graft in 8. There were 7 late deaths in 80 hospital survivors (median follow-up 21 years, IQR 20-23), with 88% ± 5% survival at 25 years. Thirty-four patients required left, 6 left and/or right and 1 right heart valve reoperation, on average 13 years after Ross procedure. Reoperation was valve-sparing in 18 (45%) patients and valve and/or root replacement in 22. Ten (24%) reoperated patients required a second reoperation 18 years after Ross procedure. Freedom from autograft reoperation was 46% ± 6%, while from autograft valve replacement was 60% ± 7%, thanks to autograft valve-sparing. Freedom from isolated right valve reoperation was 98% ± 4%. No mortality was associated with any of the 51 reoperations. Root technique was associated with reoperation (P = 0.024). Age at follow-up was 50 years (IQR 36-60), with 70 (96%) patients in NYHA class I and 6 (55%) women carrying out pregnancies. Young patients undergoing the Ross procedure enjoy unprecedented survival well into the third decade of follow-up, even when faced with reoperation. At 25 years risk of autograft reoperation is consistent, while negligible for homograft. Technical improvements at operation and valve-sparing at reoperation may prolong autograft valve durability.

The relationship between the liquidity ratio, the economy and the banking system of a country is a popular subject among academics. This research aims to understand this connection for Kyrgyzstan, a developing economy. The Vector Auto Regression approach was used to trace the association of liquidity ratio to loan and deposit volumes, interest income, net interest income, treasury bill volume, and gross domestic product based on the quarterly data. The data was obtained from various publications of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic. The primary literature indicates that bank liquidity has an inverse correlation not only with bank profitability but also with economic growth. The findings confirm a similar relationship for Kyrgyzstan. Furthermore, liquidity has a positive relationship to treasury bills volume, but a negative correlation to economic growth. However, there was no significant correlation between the liquidity ratio and deposit volumes. Therefore, this paper found that high liquidity ratio of the Kyrgyz banking system negatively effects both the profitability of the banks and economic growth.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical-imagery correlates of cervical cancer before and after brachytherapy, as well as the effects of tumor reduction resulting from the use of this radiation therapy. Methods: A prospective case series study was conducted during 2009-2012 in the University Hospital Center: "Mother Teresa", Oncology Service. Sampling technique included 202 consecutive women diagnosed with cervical cancer, presented at the hospital and met the study protocol’s inclusion criteria. The instrument used for cervical cancer imaging data was Computerized Tomography, which was used at different times, after applying the respective doses of brachytherapy. The paired t-test was used to estimate the differences between two variables for the same subject, such as imaging data after applying three doses of brachytherapy. Results: In terms of the distribution of signs and symptoms in cervical cancer patients, 27.2% of them had pain in the lower back, 33.2% referred for pain during sex, 6.4% had vaginal bleeding during sex, 24.8% referred changes to the vaginal discharge, and 30.2% had blood in urine. Only 5.8% of the patients have performed brachytherapy without combined forms of chemo-radiotherapy, since most of the patients (51%) were in stage 2 of cancer. The reductions of the mean tumor sizes in different application of brachytherapy doses such as (dose 3 vs. dose vs. dose 1 vs. before application) were 9.6%, 4.93% and 4.93%, respectively. All these reduction’s results (obtained after paired t-tests) were statistically significant, p

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the opinion of secondary medical school students in Kosovo about nursing. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with 1282 secondary medical school students from four regions of Kosovo through random sampling. Data were collected from March to May 2018 by a questionnaire designed for this study from the researchers. It consisted of two sections, the sociodemographic part and the second part about opinion and perceptions about the nursing profession. Continuous variables are summarized as mean and standard deviation (SD), categorical variables are summarized as frequency (n) and percentages (%). Chi square (x2) test is used to analyze the difference between categorical variables Results: The family had a proactive impact on the choice of the study program for their child. More than half of the students had a favourable opinion of nursing prior to enrolling in secondary medical school. After enrolling in the study program, more than two-thirds of students (72.2%) have a favourable opinion of nursing. More than half of the students (52.6%) believe that the community perceives nursing positively. Conclusion: Most of the secondary school students have a positive opinion about nursing and think that community have a positive opinion as well. The secondary medical school plays an important role in the improvement of student’s opinion about nursing. Keywords: opinions, nurses, students, secondary schools, Kosovo

PurposeThe overall purpose of the study is to identify the impact of heuristics, prospect theory biases and personality traits on property investment decision-making of rank and file individuals in Kosovo, with a concentration in Prishtina, which is the city with the largest number of investors and property transactions in Kosovo.Design/methodology/approachThe present study used quantitative research with the questionnaire used as a research instrument. The questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,209 rank and file property investors in Prishtina, Kosovo. The sampling method used in this research was stratified random sampling.FindingsThe study finds that heuristics, prospect theory biases and personality traits as a whole model affect investment decision-making in Prishtina, Kosovo. Nevertheless, the study finds that not all dimensions of the constructed research model (heuristics, the prospect theory and personality) affect the property investment decision-making in Prishtina at the same level. Whereas prospect theory biases (regret aversion, framing and self-control) seem to very strongly influence property investment decision-making of rank and file investors in Prishtina, personality traits (conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to new experiences) seem not to affect the real estate investment decision-making. Finally, heuristics biases also strongly influence the real estate investment decision-making with a strong statistically significant explanatory power but not to the same degree as prospect theory biases.Practical implicationsThe present study contributes toward the understanding of the role that is played by heuristics, prospect theory biases and personality traits in Kosovo's property investment industry. More importantly, the implication of the results of the present study is that it goes some way toward enhancing understanding of heuristic and prospect theory-driven biases and their influence on property investment decision-making in a developing economy. The present study paves the way to further analyze why personality traits do not influence property investment decision-making in Kosovo.Originality/valueThe present study is the first quantification of the impact of heuristics, prospect theory biases and personality traits on the investment decision-making of rank and file individuals in Prishtina, Kosovo.

Computational thinking has been identified as an important approach for enabling students' better comprehension of science concepts as well as scientific procedures. Computation is useful in physics because it permits physics theories to be applied to issues that are complicated to fix analytically. Visual Python provides a 3D environment where learners may design 3D objects, apply a physical framework, and study the effects of altering parameters. The implementation and outcomes of a 6-week teacher-led computational thinking intervention with groups of 12th graders (n=60) are described in this study. Two research questions are being addressed using quantitative analysis and a quasi-experimental approach involving a pre- and post-test. The participants who received the six-week implementation on the experimental group performed significantly better on the post-test than the control group, which received only standard teaching lectures. The results indicated a statistically significant difference in mean scores between the experimental group (M = 24.03, SD = 4.68) and the control group (M = 20.3, SD = 5.38). The findings indicate that implementing computational thinking activities not only improves students' knowledge of physics concepts, but it also improves visual thinking, allowing students to better cognitively comprehend the problem.

PurposeThe aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of consumers' brand trust in family businesses and the impact of crisis management practices on customer purchase intention during the period of Covid-19.Design/methodology/approachThis is a primary quantitative research on a sample of 817 consumers who bought products from 20 food and beverage family companies. Simple random sampling was used to collect the primary data. Data collection was made with the use of questionnaires. The questionnaires were developed based on previous studies and were tested in terms of reliability and validity.FindingsThe research findings indicate, among others, that there is a positive significant relationship between brand trust and purchase intention. As a result, the higher the trust of the consumers in a family business brand name, the higher their intention to make purchases. Additionally, it was found that the higher the performance of family businesses on crisis management practices, the more the consumers intent to make purchases.Research limitations/implicationsNonetheless, there are some limitations in the current research. First, the research sample consists of companies and consumers from a specific location, which can create issues regarding the generalization of the findings. Thus, to ensure improved research implications, a future research should include sample units from different locations and countries in order to reinforce the research findings and enable comparisons and more easily generalized outcomes. Moreover, a future research could assess additional factors that potentially affect purchase intention within a family business environment. Factors such as human resources and the relationship between customers and companies as well as communication and promotional efforts will allow the creation of a more stable and holistic framework and the prediction of consumer behavior. This potential follow-up research will further contribute to the theoretical argumentation of the findings and highlight the connection among purchase intention, trust and crisis managements practices within the family business environment.Practical implicationsRegarding the managerial and practical implications, the research outcomes can lead to specific strategies related to brand trust and crisis management practices. Specifically, family companies should invest on their brand name and their relationship with the consumers by reinforcing any action which can potentially affect the trust of the consumers. This could be realized by providing a safe purchase environment according to health and safety standards and through their response strategy and adaptability to the current pandemic conditions through the use of crisis management practices. Finally, a practical response to social and physical distancing measures would increase brand trust, and the performance on crisis management practices could also lead to sufficient financial outcomes since all these factors positively affect consumers' purchase intention.Originality/valueThe outbreak of the pandemic directly affected the profitability but also the viability of companies, regardless of industry. In particular, the impact that the pandemic had on family businesses, financially, organizationally and operationally, was massive and in many cases, catastrophic. Several studies have focused on family businesses, analyzing their structure, advantages and disadvantages. However, in these studies, there is little focus on the brand's influence on consumer behavior and market intention, especially compared to nonfamily businesses and under unique circumstances such as those of a pandemic.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of intention for energy and water conservation behavior in Prishtina, Kosovo by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) conceptual framework and then examine the influence of intention and demographic factors on the conservation behavior itself. In addition, the present study examines the differences between urban and rural consumers in Prishtina in terms of their intention for energy and water conservation behaviors and their actual conservation behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative approach by conducting ten in-depth interviews followed by one focus group with urban consumers and ten in-depth interviews followed by one focus group with rural consumers in Prishtina to analyze the influence of determinants on the conservation intention. In addition, the present study uses the quantitative research method to empirically examine the influence of intention and demographic variables on the actual conservation behavior. Findings The findings show that there is a difference between the urban and rural sample populations in Prishtina in terms of determinants that influence their intention to conserve energy and water. While attitude is the strongest determinant among the urban population, the social norms seem to be the strongest antecedent of the behavioral intention among the rural population. In addition, the study finds that the intention, income, family size and place of residence as a whole influence the actual behavior; however, the manifestation of the influence of separate variables on the actual conservation varies between urban and rural population. While intention is very strong among urban respondents and the actual conservation behavior is less dependent on the income level and family size, in the case of rural respondents, intention alone is not sufficient to predict the actual behavior and varies also on the income level. Originality/value The study brings unique and new knowledge about the application of the TPB in the context of small and developing economies bridging the research gaps arising from few scholarly research studying the differences between urban and rural populations.

Was ist neu? Pathogenese der MGN Die Identifikation der für die Entstehung der MGN verantwortlichen Autoantikörper ermöglicht es, die Diagnose und Therapie an die molekulare Pathogenese der Erkrankung anzupassen. Die zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen der PLA2R1-Antikörper-Entstehung sind noch unklar. Umweltfaktoren wie Luftverschmutzung sowie genetische Faktoren spielen möglicherweise eine wichtige Rolle. Bei der THSD7A-assoziierten MGN können THSD7A-exprimierende Tumore zur Entstehung der THSD7A-Antikörper beitragen. Klinische Anwendung Eine antigenspezifische Diagnose ist hilfreich, um die anschließende Differenzialdiagnostik der MGN, z. B. eine Tumorsuche, zu individualisieren. PLA2R1-Antikörper sind sehr spezifisch für die Diagnose einer MGN und ermöglichen eine personalisierte Entscheidung für oder gegen eine Nierenbiopsie zur Diagnosesicherung, abhängig von der klinischen und laborchemischen Präsentation der Patienten. Die PLA2R1-Antikörper ermöglichen eine stärkere Anpassung der Therapie an die Pathogenese und der immunologischen Aktivität der MGN. Der PLA2R1-Antikörperspiegel wird sowohl zur Risikoeinteilung als auch für Therapie-Entscheidungen genutzt. PLA2R1-Antikörperbestimmung PLA2R1-Antikörper können gegen verschiede Bindungsstellen am PLA2R1 gerichtet sein. Aktuell ist im klinischen Alltag die Bestimmung der Gesamt-PLA2R1-Antikörperspiegel entscheidend für die Prognose und Therapieüberwachung. Neue potenzielle Antigene der MGN In den letzten Jahren wurde eine Vielzahl weiterer potenzieller Antigene bei Patienten mit MGN beschrieben. Ihre pathophysiologische Rolle ist noch nicht geklärt. Je nach beschriebenem Antigen wurden Assoziationen der MGN mit verschiedenen Erkrankungen berichtet. Pathogenese der MCD und FSGS bleibt ungeklärt. Eine T-Zell-Störung wurde seit Langem als mögliche Ursache angenommen, während in den letzten Jahren auch für B-Zellen und Autoantikörper zunehmend eine pathogenetische Rolle postuliert wird. Diagnose und Therapie Für die Diagnose einer MCD und FSGS bei Erwachsenen ist die Nierenbiopsie obligat. In der Therapie der primären MCD und FSGS bleibt auch in den neuen KDIGO-Therapie-Empfehlungen die Steroidtherapie die 1. Wahl. In der Zweitlinientherapie werden vor allem Calcineurin-Inhibitoren eingesetzt. Als weitere Therapieoptionen gelten Cyclophosphamid, MMF und Rituximab.

The use of antibiotics is a major problem everywhere around the globe and in step with this, there's currently an increased public and scientific interest. Microbial resistance is a vital issue for the organizations like EFSA, WHO, FDA, and FAO because it is developing rapidly and is an increasingly serious health concern within the world. Microbial resistance comes as a result of continuous exposure of microorganisms to antibiotics. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a really important group of microorganisms that can inhabit different conditions and environments, as the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, and are an important element of the microbiota of fermented foods. The FDA and EFSA authorities have given them the status referred to as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and QPS (Qualified Presumption of Safety). Continuous exposure of LAB to environments with antibiotics may prompt them to become an intrinsic or extrinsic reservoir of genes accountable for antibiotic resistance. Knowledge of antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria with probiotic potential is important. Also, it's essential to define their resistance profile. Ten newly isolated strains from traditional fermented foods were used for determining the antibiotic resistance profile. The resistance to antibiotics varied among the examined strains and a few of the antibiotics resulted in complete resistance. Chromosomal DNA of LAB was analyzed for the antibiotic resistance genes. Only five of eight vancomycin-resistant strains have shown that they contain the resistance gene in chromosomal DNA. None of the genes that determined the resistance to other antibiotics have been detected in chromosomal DNA.

This work aims at investigating the effect of aleatoric uncertainty of creep rock properties on the stability of an underground structure. This uncertainty relates to the spatial variability of the mechanical parameters representing the time-dependent behavior of geological rock formation due to the change in its mineralogy. The chosen methodology consists of representing the aleatoric uncertainty of rock properties by random fields, written as correlation functions with respect to the spatial correlation length. The adaptation of the well-known Expansion Optimal Linear Estimationmethod (EOLE) is performed to account for the cross-correlation of the random fields of the viscoplastic parameters of the host rock. Then, the Kriging-based reliability analysis is undertaken with respect to the discretized random fields, which allows elucidating the effect of spatial variability. As an application, the proposed approach is chosen to study the stability in the long-term of a deep double-lined drift within the geological disposal facilities (Cigeo project) conducted by the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra). The drift will be excavated in Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone (if the Cigeo project is licensed), considered as a potential host rock for the deep geological nuclear waste disposal in France. The results show that the chosen Kriging metamodel for the reliability analysis can be appropriate for the case of high correlation length represented by a moderate number of random variables (up to about 50) after the discretization of random fields. Further, the consideration of aleatoric uncertainty exhibits a lower probability of exceedance in comparison with the case where spatial variability is ignored. Still, more investigations need to be conducted in the future to conclude this observation.

The short and long-term outcomes of children with anti-Ro/La-related congenital heart block treated with a combined maternal-neonatal therapy protocol were compared with those of controls treated with other therapies.Sixteen mothers were treated during pregnancy with a therapy consisting of daily oral fluorinated steroids, weekly plasma exchange and fortnightly intravenous immunoglobulins and their neonates with intravenous immunoglobulins (study group); 19 mothers were treated with fluorinated steroids alone or associated to intravenous immunoglobulins or plasma exchange (control group).The combined-therapy children showed a significantly lower progression rate from 2nd to 3rd degree block at birth, a significant increase in heart rate at birth and a significantly lower number of pacemaker implants during post-natal follow-up with respect to those treated with the other therapies.The combined therapy produced better short and long term outcomes with respect to the other therapies studied.

Albania has introduced a new tax reform named fiscalization in 2020. The focus of the process is to report the transactions electronically and in real-time to the tax authorities’ information systems. The intention is to reduce informality and bureaucracy, two of the key issues in doing business within the country. Considering that the new fiscalization process has a clear aim and stable requirements, the waterfall method is adopted to conduct the research. Beginning with a detailed literature analysis on similar implemented systems, and subsequently proposing a business solution followed by designing a suitable architecture. The proposed business logic solution and system architecture have as focal points mobility and interoperability. The interoperability approach enables the financial institutions’ information system to be connected to the proposed system, implying an increased potential number of merchants using it. The use of mobile technologies and the possibility to integrate different digital payment methods increase the number of people taking part in the formal financial system.

Background: Hypodontia of lateral incisors (LI) is frequently associated with other dental anomalies. The objective of this study was to determine the association of LI with other dental anomalies by comparing the two groups: Group 1 with hypodontia of the maxillary LI (MLI1) and Group 2 with hypodontia of the mandibular LI (MLI2), in secondary school education students in Kosovo. Methods and Results: A total of 3306 secondary school students aged 12-16 years, regardless of gender, were included in this prospective study. The abnormalities investigated were recorded by RTG-panoramic and dental charts. The teeth were recorded as a congenital absence when the mineralization of the crown, identified by panoramic tomography, was absent. The prevalence of LI hypodontia was as follows: MLI1 (Group 1) included 36 cases (92.3%) and MLI2 (Group 2) included only 3 cases (7.6%), which indicates a much higher percentage of cases with hypodontia of MLI1. In Group 1, 21(58.3%) cases of LI hypodontia were bilateral and 15(41.7%) unilateral; in Group 2, 2(66.7%) cases were unilateral and 1(33.3%) case – bilateral. Among dental anomalies, the occurrence of rotation was found in 19(48.7%) cases with LI hypodontia: 47.2% cases in Group 1 and 66.7% cases in Group 2. The prevalence of dental inclination anomaly was 30.77% of all cases with hypodontia of LI: 27.8% of cases in Group 1 and 66.7% of cases in Group 2. The prevalence of ectopy was in 17.9% of cases of all hypodontia cases of LI: 16.7% of cases in Group 1 and 33.3% of cases in Group 2. Crown anomalies were evident in 7(17.9%) patients of all hypodontia cases of LI, all of which were in Group 1. Other anomalies such as microdontia were evident in two patients in Group 1. Transposition, bodily movement, and superposition were present in one patient in Group 1; in Group 2, one patient had transposition. At the same time, the frequency of dental transposition was significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P=0.02088). Other dental anomalies of crown and root and infraposition were not present in both groups. There were no significant differences in the other dental anomalies between the two groups. Conclusion: The consequences of hypodontia in dental arches are obvious. Knowing the prevalence of hypodontia and its association with other dental anomalies helps classify the need for further treatment for the patients, whether orthodontic, prosthetic, or surgical.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify which are the main factors influencing the apartment prices in Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo, during the period 2018–2020. The factors identified will be used by real estate developers and investors for better decision-making in apartment investments. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology is quantitative. The methodology analyzes 1,468 real estate transaction contracts of apartment buildings using a probability random sampling. The research methodology uses multiple regression analysis to identify whether the research model is significant in predicting apartment prices but also identify which are the main factors that influence the apartment prices in Prishtina, Kosovo. Findings The present study finds that location, size, floor, access to road and building quality affect apartment prices in Prishtina, whereas surprisingly access to green spaces and availability of parking spaces have no statistically significant effect on apartment prices in Kosovo. Research limitations/implications The study has great implications for the real estate developers in Prishtina, Kosovo showing how to improve their decision-making process in real estate investments to know which characteristics are most valued by investors for investment in new apartment buildings in Prishtina, Kosovo and local authorities in Prishtina, Kosovo to modernize the access to road infrastructure for its inhabitants and adopt building regulations that will enforce strict criteria as far as building quality is concerned. Originality/value The study is the first quantitative study that studies the factors influencing the apartment prices in Prishtina, Kosovo.

What does energy transition mean? What are we transitioning to? Why now? How long will it take? And how will we get there? The scope of this paper focuses on defining the different drivers and strategies that various entities in the oil and gas industry are utilizing to transform operations and business strategies – specifically segmented to the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. To operators, the primary focus is to transform their business (influenced by regulations and legislative policies) by reducing their carbon emissions while also investing in cleaner energy sources, such as geothermal, renewables, and hydrogen. For service companies, aside from internal decarbonization, it is another potential revenue stream by offering products, equipment, and services to operators in the ‘energy transition sector’. For ‘developing’ countries, the primary focus is on the fundamental commitment for energy diversification (e.g., energy security) in order to achieve sustainable self-sufficient energy source/s that are less impacted by socio-economical or geo-political factors. In contrast, for ‘developed’ countries, it is net-zero goals and energy security. For example, agencies such as the Department of Energy, offering funding or incentivizing projects on decarbonization, clean energy initiatives, or supporting emerging technologies on renewable and alternative energy. In hindsight, the energy transition shift will have different outcomes to different parties. The main focus in this paper is to break down the ‘buzz word’ associated with energy transition as a popular concept, fettered by technology hype, political agendas, and/or financial influences that are inherently attached to the term ‘energy transition.’ Furthermore, the paper will explain the misconceptions and intricacies behind the strategies that companies, and government agencies are undertaking in this energy paradigm shift. Lastly, emphasis will be made on what is driving this paradigm shift: technology, policy, and cultural change. Further light will be shined on how the industry's previous institutional mindset has changed to a broad, open-minded desire to create a net-positive outcome using Environmental, Social, and Governance techniques.

Little is known about the mechanistic significance of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in a kidney autoimmune environment. In membranous nephropathy (MN), autoantibodies target podocytes of the glomerular filter resulting in proteinuria. Converging biochemical, structural, mouse pathomechanistic, and clinical information we report that the deubiquitinase Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) is induced by oxidative stress in podocytes and is directly involved in proteasome substrate accumulation. Mechanistically, this toxic gain-of-function is mediated by non-functional UCH-L1, which interacts with and thereby impairs proteasomes. In experimental MN, UCH-L1 becomes non-functional and MN patients with poor outcome exhibit autoantibodies with preferential reactivity to non-functional UCH-L1. Podocyte-specific deletion of UCH-L1 protects from experimental MN, whereas overexpression of non-functional UCH-L1 impairs podocyte proteostasis and drives injury in mice. In conclusion, the UPS is pathomechanistically linked to podocyte disease by aberrant proteasomal interactions of non-functional UCH-L1.