Downsizing Older Employees : A Study of India’s Public Sector Banks

Premilla D’Cruz 한국고용노사관계학회 2005 産業關係硏究 Vol.15 No.2

Downsizing in the form of a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) was introduced in various public sector banks in India as part of the financial sector reforms initiated under the macroeconomic stabilization and structural adjustment programmes. Using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the impact of VRS on separated employees and their families was studied in a South Indian city. Data collected through in-depth interviews were subject to holistic and sententious thematic analysis. The findings of the present study stand in contrast to previous studies on the impact of downsizing. That is, whereas earlier inquiries describe the adverse effects of downsizing, participants in the present study spoke in terms of fulfillment, relaxed pace of life, time to pursue various interests (and in some cases, alternate careers), better family life, ability to manage health-related needs and unchanged quality of life and economic position. Contextual factors, especially developmental stage and financial status, play a critical mediating role over here. Further, the nature of the severance package, the opportunity to choose to take VRS and the level of preparedness about the introduction of VRS in public sector banks served as facilitators of a smooth transition.

Does Membership in Agricultural Cooperatives Improve Marketing Efficiency?: Insights from Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Selected Provinces of the Philippines

Liezel S. Cruz(Liezel S. Cruz ),Agham C. Cuevas(Agham C. Cuevas ),Jan Danica S. Asma(Jan Danica S. Asma ),JP Roma D. Duque(JP Roma D. Duque ),Beah M. Orlina(Beah M. Orlina ) The International Academy of Global Business and T 2023 The International Academy of Global Business and T Vol.19 No.1

Purpose - Cooperatives are people-centric organizations that are organized to meet the common needs of their members. One key goal for the establishment of agricultural cooperatives is to help improve the marketing efficiency of their members. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between cooperative membership and marketing efficiency among coffee farmers in the provinces of Cavite, Benguet, and Mountain Province, Philippines. Design/Methodology/Approach - Primary and secondary data were gathered in the study. Linear regression with endogenous treatment was used to analyze the data which examined both observable and unobservable factors affecting the treatment, cooperative membership, potential outcome, and the marketing efficiency. Findings - The results of the study revealed that the average farmer generated USD0.85 more farm income for every peso spent on marketing activities if he/she was a member of an agricultural cooperative. This implied that membership positively improved the marketing efficiency of coffee farmers. Moreover, farmers who sold their processed coffee to cooperatives and who had price access were observed to have higher marketing efficiency. Farmers who were females, adopted more processing technologies, took longer to search for price information, sold to cooperatives, had more coffee experience, and whose farms were located away from technology sources were more likely to become cooperative members. Research Implications - The study recommended the promotion of cooperative membership among farmers to improve their marketing efficiency and capacity-building activities related to the technology adoption and management of cooperatives.

The Relationship Between Self-confidence and Academic Commitment of AB-ELS Students in Learning Korean Language in an Online Class Setting

Jeremy C. DeGuzman,Tarlac State University,Kyla Niicole G. Cruz,Jiyoung Lee 국제인문사회연구학회 2022 Studies on Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSC) Vol.4 No.1

The Relationship Between Self-confidence and Academic Commitment of AB-ELS Students in Learning Korean Language in an Online Class Setting Jeremy C. DeGuzman,* Kim M. andrea Reyes,** Kyla Niicole G. Cruz,*** & Jiyoung Lee**** Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the Self-confidence and Academic Commitment of students learning Korean online. The subjects of this study were 86 4th year students of AB ELS who participated in online Korean language classes. In this study, analysis data were collected through an online questionnaire of self-confidence and academic commitment. For analysis, using SPSS 23.0, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed. The research results are as follows. First, the students’ self-confidence was found to be neither agree nor disagree. Second, students’ academic commitment was slightly disagreed. Third, it was found that there was a significant positive correlation between students’ self-confidence and academic commitment. Based on the results of this study, methods to enhance the academic commitment of students learning Korean online were discussed. Key Words: AB English Language Studies Students, Academic Commitment, Correlation, Foreign Language Learning, Korean language, Online Classroom, Self-confidence □ Received: June 1, 2022, Revised: June 28, 2022, Accepted: June 30, 2022 * First Author, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student ** Co-author 1, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student *** Co-author 2, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student **** Corresponding Author, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Lecturer The Relationship Between Self-confidence and Academic Commitment of AB-ELS Students in Learning Korean Language in an Online Class Setting Jeremy C. DeGuzman,* Kim M. andrea Reyes,** Kyla Niicole G. Cruz,*** & Jiyoung Lee**** Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the Self-confidence and Academic Commitment of students learning Korean online. The subjects of this study were 86 4th year students of AB ELS who participated in online Korean language classes. In this study, analysis data were collected through an online questionnaire of self-confidence and academic commitment. For analysis, using SPSS 23.0, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed. The research results are as follows. First, the students’ self-confidence was found to be neither agree nor disagree. Second, students’ academic commitment was slightly disagreed. Third, it was found that there was a significant positive correlation between students’ self-confidence and academic commitment. Based on the results of this study, methods to enhance the academic commitment of students learning Korean online were discussed. Key Words: AB English Language Studies Students, Academic Commitment, Correlation, Foreign Language Learning, Korean language, Online Classroom, Self-confidence □ Received: June 1, 2022, Revised: June 28, 2022, Accepted: June 30, 2022 * First Author, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student ** Co-author 1, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student *** Co-author 2, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Student **** Corresponding Author, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Tarlac State University, Philippines, Lecturer

Phage-displayed peptides having antigenic similarities with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) neutralizing epitopes

Cruz, Deu John M.,Kim, Chul-Joong,Shin, Hyun-Jin Elsevier 2006 Virology Vol.354 No.1

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Seven-mer phage random peptide libraries were panned against 2C10, a monoclonal antibody that showed neutralizing activities against PEDV. Recombinant M13 phages displaying the peptides SHRLP(Y/Q)(P/V) or GPRPVTH on the g3p minor coat protein showed strong binding affinity with 2C10 (70% and 30% of recovered phages, respectively) after multiple panning. Sequence analysis suggested that these peptides are similar with <SUP>1368</SUP>GPRLQPY<SUP>1374</SUP> found at the carboxy-terminal of the S protein. In neutralization inhibition assays, the two peptide motifs and a 24-mer synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal endodomain of PEDV S protein were observed to compete for the antigen binding site of 2C10, as demonstrated by the loss or reduction of neutralizing activity of the monoclonal antibody. This new finding suggests that the newly discovered peptide motifs mimic a neutralizing epitope PEDV.</P>

Effect of Aspect Ratio on Electrical, Rheological and Glass Transition Properties of PC/MWCNT Nanocomposites

Cruz, Heidy,Son, Younggon American Scientific Publishers 2018 Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology Vol.18 No.2

<P>Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNT), significant research works have focused on the application of CNT as conductive filler to polymer nanocomposites which can be used in several fields such as electrostatic dissipation (ESD), electrostatic painting and electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI-shielding). However, the main challenge in the large-scale manufacturing of this technology is the poor electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites produced by injection molding process. This study aims to investigate the effect of CNT aspect ratio in improving the electrical conductivity of injection molded nanocomposites. In this work, three types of multiwall carbon nanotubes with different lengths were melt-mixed with polycarbonate in a twin screw extruder followed by injection and compression molding. Results show that nanocomposites with higher CNT aspect ratio exhibit higher electrical conductivity. Longer nanotubes form a stronger conductive network during secondary agglomeration which can withstand the high shear forces during injection molding. Higher melt viscosity and storage modulus were observed in nanocomposites with higher CNT aspect ratio which is attributed to the effective constriction of polymer chains by longer nanotubes. It was also found that Tg of the composites increased with nanotube aspect ratio and the addition of CNT causes degradation which leads to the general Tg depression of polycarbonate.</P>

Economic Effects of Macao’s Integration with Mainland China: A Causal Inference Study

Cruz A. Echevarría,Serhat Hasancebi,Javier García-Enríquez 세종대학교 경제통합연구소 2022 Journal of Economic Integration Vol.37 No.2

Macao was a Portuguese colony until 1999, when its sovereignty was transferred to China, initiating its integration process. This article attempts to estimate the consequences of this socio-economic process in terms of per capita gross domestic product (GDP). We build a panel data set spanning 1970 to 2012, with 25 countries, setting 2000 as the initial treatment year for the integration process. The analysis is carried out through two alternative methodologies: the synthetic control method and the panel data approach. The integration treatment had a significant, positive effect on Macao’s per capita GDP. As additional outcome variables, we also analyze the effects of integration on the per capita net inflow of foreign direct investment, the unemployment rate, and the per capita exports and imports of goods and services.

Photon Upconversion in Crystalline Rubrene: Resonant Enhancement by an Interband State

Cruz, Chad D.,Choi, Hyun Ho,Podzorov, Vitaly,Chronister, Eric L.,Bardeen, Christopher J. American Chemical Society 2018 The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part C Vol.122 No.31

<P>Triplet-triplet exciton annihilation after sensitization of the triplet states by a near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing sensitizer enables rubrene to function as a photon upconversion (UC) material. In this paper, we demonstrate an alternate pathway to NIR upconversion in pristine rubrene crystals: resonantly enhanced two-photon absorption via a weakly allowed interband state. We find that all crystalline rubrene samples exhibit NIR-to-visible upconversion that can be easily observed by eye under low-intensity (20 W/cm<SUP>2</SUP>) continuous wave excitation. The amount of continuous wave photoluminescence (PL) is comparable to what is observed under femtosecond pulsed excitation with the same average intensity. A wide range of excitation intensities (<I>I</I>) for the PL power dependence are explored and careful fitting of the intensity dependence of the upconverted PL shows that it has an approximate <I>I</I><SUP>4</SUP> → <I>I</I><SUP>2</SUP> transition. Moreover, there is a pronounced dependence of the per-pulse upconverted PL signal on the laser repetition rate. A four-state kinetic model with a long-lived (∼1 μs) interband state that takes into account fission and fusion dynamics can reproduce both the <I>I</I><SUP>4</SUP> → <I>I</I><SUP>2</SUP> transition and the dependence of the PL on pulse repetition rate. The modeling suggests that this interband state arises from a low-concentration species, possibly a crystal defect or defective rubrene molecules. Several other polyacene crystals (tetracene, diphenylhexatriene, and perylene) measured under the same conditions did not exhibit similar behavior. The observation of resonantly enhanced upconverted PL without the addition of chemically distinct sensitizers suggests that interband states in organic molecular crystals can generate new and possibly useful photophysical behavior.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Analysis of Horizontal and Vertical Ring Structure based on Analytical Model and Satellite Data: Application to the North Brazil Current Rings

Cruz-Gómez Raúl,Salcedo-Castro Julio 한국해양과학기술원 2013 Ocean science journal Vol.48 No.2

A theoretical analysis of the principal oceanic ring parameters (tangential and angular velocities, shape function, horizontal and vertical scale of the ring) is described. The theoretical model consists of a reduced gravity model of the lens-like vortices with solid body rotation. The application of this approach is tested by comparison with data from the North Brazil Current Rings Experiment and remote sensing data. Specifically, we used the data corresponding to the surfaceintensified North Brazil Current ring (R-3) surveyed in February-March 1999, using direct velocity and hydrographical measurements. The theoretical model was used for evaluating the geometrical structure of the surface-intensified rings that produce remarkable signals in satellite data. The principal ring parameters from the model were compared with those from satellite data (altimetry and drifter information), which were estimated by using the method of minimization of the multivariable objective functions. Although the proposed model is linear in its conception, a good agreement was observed between the model and the primary characteristics of the observed rings. The model, however, allows for improvement in its assumptions, since its application is rather limited to intense ocean rings.

Identification of Novel Compounds Inhibiting Chikungunya Virus-Induced Cell Death by High Throughput Screening of a Kinase Inhibitor Library

Cruz, Deu John M.,Bonotto, Rafaela M.,Gomes, Rafael G. B.,da Silva, Camila T.,Taniguchi, Juliana B.,No, Joo Hwan,Lombardot, Benoit,Schwartz, Olivier,Hansen, Michael A. E.,Freitas-Junior, Lucio H. Public Library of Science 2013 PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol.7 No.10

<▼1><P>Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne arthrogenic alphavirus that causes acute febrile illness in humans accompanied by joint pains and in many cases, persistent arthralgia lasting weeks to years. The re-emergence of CHIKV has resulted in numerous outbreaks in the eastern hemisphere, and threatens to expand in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, no effective treatment is currently available. The present study reports the use of resazurin in a cell-based high-throughput assay, and an image-based high-content assay to identify and characterize inhibitors of CHIKV-infection in vitro. CHIKV is a highly cytopathic virus that rapidly kills infected cells. Thus, cell viability of HuH-7 cells infected with CHIKV in the presence of compounds was determined by measuring metabolic reduction of resazurin to identify inhibitors of CHIKV-associated cell death. A kinase inhibitor library of 4,000 compounds was screened against CHIKV infection of HuH-7 cells using the resazurin reduction assay, and the cell toxicity was also measured in non-infected cells. Seventy-two compounds showing ≥50% inhibition property against CHIKV at 10 µM were selected as primary hits. Four compounds having a benzofuran core scaffold (CND0335, CND0364, CND0366 and CND0415), one pyrrolopyridine (CND0545) and one thiazol-carboxamide (CND3514) inhibited CHIKV-associated cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with EC<SUB>50</SUB> values between 2.2 µM and 7.1 µM. Based on image analysis, these 6 hit compounds did not inhibit CHIKV replication in the host cell. However, CHIKV-infected cells manifested less prominent apoptotic blebs typical of CHIKV cytopathic effect compared with the control infection. Moreover, treatment with these compounds reduced viral titers in the medium of CHIKV-infected cells by up to 100-fold. In conclusion, this cell-based high-throughput screening assay using resazurin, combined with the image-based high content assay approach identified compounds against CHIKV having a novel antiviral activity - inhibition of virus-induced CPE - likely by targeting kinases involved in apoptosis.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author Summary</B></P><P>Recent outbreaks and expanding global distribution of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in different regions of Asia, Africa and Europe necessitates the development of effective therapeutic interventions. At present, only two antiviral compounds (chloroquine and ribavirin) that inhibit viral infection <I>in vitro</I> have been used in clinical cases of chikungunya infections. However, neither of these compounds have shown strong efficacy in vivo. Recent attempts to identify new antiviral candidates for CHIKV using cell-based phenotypic approach have been reported. In this study, we developed a simple cell-based high-throughput assay using resazurin to identify potential anti-CHIKV compounds. This high-throughput assay is based on the metabolic reduction of resazurin to the highly fluorescent resorufin by viable cells as an indicator of activity against CHIKV-induced CPE. We screened 4,000 small molecules belonging to the BioFocus kinase inhibitor chemical library and found a cluster of related molecules with antiviral activity against CHIKV. Finally, we characterized the putative mode of action of these active compounds using an image-based high content assay and conventional virological methods (<I>i.e.</I>, virus yield reduction assay, microneutralization assay).</P></▼2>

Super-stretchable Graphene Oxide Macroscopic Fibers with Outstanding Knotability Fabricated by Dry Film Scrolling

Cruz-Silva, Rodolfo,Morelos-Gomez, Aaron,Kim, Hyung-ick,Jang, Hong-kyu,Tristan, Ferdinando,Vega-Diaz, Sofia,Rajukumar, Lakshmy P.,Elí,as, Ana Laura,Perea-Lopez, Nestor,Suhr, Jonghwan,Endo, Morin American Chemical Society 2014 ACS NANO Vol.8 No.6

<P>Graphene oxide (GO) has recently become an attractive building block for fabricating graphene-based functional materials. GO films and fibers have been prepared mainly by vacuum filtration and wet spinning. These materials exhibit relatively high Young’s moduli but low toughness and a high tendency to tear or break. Here, we report an alternative method, using bar coating and drying of water/GO dispersions, for preparing large-area GO thin films (<I>e.g.</I>, 800–1200 cm<SUP>2</SUP> or larger) with an outstanding mechanical behavior and excellent tear resistance. These dried films were subsequently scrolled to prepare GO fibers with extremely large elongation to fracture (up to 76%), high toughness (up to 17 J/m<SUP>3</SUP>), and attractive macroscopic properties, such as uniform circular cross section, smooth surface, and great knotability. This method is simple, and after thermal reduction of the GO material, it can render highly electrically conducting graphene-based fibers with values up to 416 S/cm at room temperature. In this context, GO fibers annealed at 2000 °C were also successfully used as electron field emitters operating at low turn on voltages of <I>ca.</I> 0.48 V/μm and high current densities (5.3 A/cm<SUP>2</SUP>). Robust GO fibers and large-area films with fascinating architectures and outstanding mechanical and electrical properties were prepared with bar coating followed by dry film scrolling.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/ancac3/2014/ancac3.2014.8.issue-6/nn501098d/production/images/medium/nn-2014-01098d_0007.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/nn501098d'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>