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Due to the development of communication and information technology, all organizations employ electronic communication to reach their customers and users, especially in developed nations where governments use e-government to support their residents with needed services. In Jordan, the use of e-government services is not as well adopted as in developed nations, because some Jordanians do not trust e-government services due to many reasons, which are discussed in this research; therefore, this study's goal is to determine dimensions that affect people's intentions to use e-government and its effect on e-government actual use in Jordan. The study looks into the factors that impact individuals' intentions and actual e-government usage, including attitudes toward behavior, credibility, and subjective norms that are derived from perceived usefulness, ease of use, awareness, trust in the government, incentives, trust in service delivery, transactional security, and social influence. A total of 352 online questionnaires were gathered, the majority of which were completed by college students who are between the ages of 18 and 29. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use, incentives, and perceived usefulness influence attitudes toward behavior, while awareness does not affect attitudes toward behavior. Trust in service delivery, transactional security, and trust in government affect credibility. Social influences affect subjective norms. Attitudes toward behavior and subjective norms affect intention to use, using intention affects actual usage, while credibility does not affect using intention. Finally, the results are helpful to Jordanian organizations including the Jordanian government. Recommendations are provided in the last section.

Sammar Fathy ELhabal,1 Hanan Mohamed Elwy,2 Soha Hassanin,3 Ahmed A El-Rashedy,4 Alaaeldin Ahmed Hamza,5 Mohammad Ahmad Khasawneh6 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information, Cairo, Egypt; 2Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Cairo, Egypt; 3Biochemistry Department, Modern University for Technology and information, Cairo, Egypt; 4Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, National Research Center (NRC), Giza, Egypt; 5Biology Department, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Giza, Egypt; 6Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Mohammad Ahmad Khasawneh; Alaaeldin Ahmed Hamza, Email mohammad.khasawneh@uaeu.ac.ae; alaa17mm@gmail.comIntroduction: Metal nanoparticle synthesis using plant has emerged as an eco-friendly, clean, and viable strategy alternative to chemical and physical approaches.Methods: The fruit extract of Salvadora persica (SP) was utilized as a reducing and stabilizing agent in the synthesis of gold (AuNPs) and copper (CuNPs) nanoparticles.Results: UV–Vis spectra of the AuNPs and CuNPs showed peaks at the wavelengths of 530 nm and 440 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy showed that nanoparticles exhibited a mainly spherical form, with a distribution range of 100 to 113 nm in diameter for AuNPs and of 130 to 135 nm in diameter for CuNPs. While energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was able to confirm the existence of AuNPs and CuNPs. The alcoholic extract of the fruit SP was analyzed by GC-MS in order to identify whether or not it contained any active phytochemicals. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the presence capping functional biomolecules of SP on the surface of nanoparticles that acts as stabilizers. Analysis of the zeta potential revealed that NPs with high degree of stability, as demonstrated by a strong negative potential value in the range of 25.2 to 28.7 mV. Results showed that both green AuNPs and CuNPs have potential antimicrobial activity against human pathogens such gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive bacteria, with CuNPs having antimicrobial activity higher than AuNPs. In addition, AuNPs and CuNPs have promising antioxidant and anticancer properties when applied to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Studies of molecular docking of SP bioactive compounds were conducted against methenyl tetrahydrofolate synthetase. Among all of them, Beta – Sitosterol was the most prominent.Conclusion: These AuNPs and CuNPs are particularly appealing in a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical and medicinal industries due to their economical and environmentally friendly production.Keywords: Salvadora persica, green nanoparticles, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer

The context of Display Google ads and its components has significant importance to previous studies. However, the full understanding of the variables that influence both Display Google ads avoidance and intention to click has not been thoroughly acknowledged. Thus, this study aims to outline an entire understanding of the different variables that lead Display Google ads to be avoided or clicked on. A detailed review of previous studies has been completed to illustrate a thorough image of Display Google ads. Accordingly, this study developed a theoretical model combining four variables (Display Google ads’ Prior Experience, Originality, Relevance, and Credibility) that lead to affecting Display Google ads’ Avoidance and Intention to Click, with one mediator (Consumer’s Attitude). A quantitative methodology has been employed, in which an online survey has been used to collect data, which were collected from 358 respondents, then coded against AMOS. The data analysis results show that three independent variables positively impact the intention to click; however, credibility has the highest value, then relevance and originality, consequently., while Display Google ads prior experience had no impact on the intention to click. Finally, the research concluded different practical and theoretical implications, and future potential research, and limitations.

The present study investigates the effect of hiring people with a disability in the service staff on customers’ perspectives in Jordan, with the moderating role of disability type. The quantitative research method was adopted to obtain the necessary data for the research; the study sample was convenient and consisted of 765 participants who are social media users belonging to different age groups. The data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed through various social media platforms. Findings exhibited that the antecedent variable positively affects the consequent variables (quality, brand image, and loyalty), while there was no significant effect on purchase intention or stereotyping. Further, hiring people with a disability had the strongest impact on perceived brand image. The findings from this research could eventually furnish assistance to existing and future entrepreneurs to build sustainable enterprises while keeping pace with a nation becoming socially responsible.

The aim of the current study is to understand the motivations that lead to social media engagement and customers sharing intention on social media. A theoretical model is developed including six independent variables, which are community culture, altruism, fear of missing out, entertainment, informativeness, and social media engagement and likelihood to share as dependent variables. A quantitative methodology is used, where an online survey with close-ended questions is distributed and then the data was analyzed. The results of the data analysis found that four of the independent variables have a positive influence on customers’ likelihood to share, and social media engagement has the highest value. However, entertainment and informativeness had no impact on the likelihood to share viral content. eral motivations and the likelihood to share. Furthermore, it outlines key elements to create viral content and guides, marketers, to effective communication with online consumers.

One of the most used social media platforms is TikTok, which is widely and increasingly used due to the short-video interactive music. Very few studies about why people prefer to use TikTok applications were carried out. Therefore, the objective of the current research is to examine the effect of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, sense of belonging, and user-generated content on the adoption of TikTok application, using the TAM model. Quantitative research has been applied as a methodological approach and was successfully carried out through an online survey, gathering a total of 255 filled surveys to test the applicability of the developed research model. The results show that the user-generated content has the highest significant positive influence on the intention to use TikTok. Followed by the perceived enjoyment, then the sense of belonging, the perceived ease of use, and the perceived usefulness, consequently. Also, results show that the independent variables explain 47.8% of the variance in the intention to use TikTok. Finally, to assure the generalizability of the study results the study recommends conducting further research in different countries and communities.

This study is conducted to build a multi-criteria text mining model for COVID-19 testing reasons and symptoms. The model is integrated with a temporal predictive classification model for COVID-19 test results in rural underserved areas. A dataset of 6895 testing appointments and 14 features is used in this study. The text mining model classifies the notes related to the testing reasons and reported symptoms into one or more categories using look-up wordlists and a multi-criteria mapping process. The model converts an unstructured feature to a categorical feature that is used in building the temporal predictive classification model for COVID-19 test results and conducting some population analytics. The classification model is a temporal model (ordered and indexed by testing date) that uses machine learning classifiers to predict test results that are either positive or negative. Two types of classifiers and performance measures that include balanced and regular methods are used: (1) balanced random forest and (2) balanced bagged decision tree. The balanced or weighted methods are used to address and account for the biased and imbalanced dataset and to ensure correct detection of patients with COVID-19 (minority class). The model is tested in two stages using validation and testing sets to ensure robustness and reliability. The balanced classifiers outperformed regular classifiers using the balanced performance measures (balanced accuracy and G-score), which means the balanced classifiers are better at detecting patients with positive COVID-19 results. The balanced random forest achieved the best average balanced accuracy (86.1%) and G-score (86.1%) using the validation set. The balanced bagged decision tree achieved the best average balanced accuracy (83.0%) and G-score (82.8%) using the testing set. Also, it was found that the patient history, age, testing reasons, and time are the key features to classify the testing results.

Background: With the dramatic rapid increase in population growth and in the use of the automobile in the world, especially in developing countries such as Jordan, related traffic problems have become more and more complex. Parking is one of the major problems that are created by increasing road traffic. Both on-street parking and pedestrian crossing are important components of the urban transport system. On-street parking is an important component of the parking system. Because of its occupancy of roadway resources, it can significantly impact traffic performance and safety. The lack of providing an adequate number of parking areas within urban central business districts (CBDs) and the lack of off-street facilities in urban neighborhood commercial areas, both result in increased on-street parking and disturbance of traffic stream. The management of on-street parking is one of the main parameters in traffic management. In developing countries, as the number of vehicles and parking demand had increased significantly in recent years, on-street parking-related concerns are no longer confined to the city center; they extend throughout the whole urban region. Furthermore, the correlation between on-street parking and traffic safety is still a controversial issue. The research findings of this study help to develop a better understanding of both on-street parking and pedestrian crossing at mid-block location and help to plan and design proper transportation facilities on urban streets. The model of this study can give quantitative results regarding the influence of on-street parking on through traffic operations. Findings of the study can support municipal engineering (policy decisions) for on-street parking hour permits. As delay on the street segment and road network can be calculated, municipal engineering (policy makers) can set up a maximum tolerable threshold in the delay profile to decide when street parking is permitted on which network path for how many vehicles. A time varying parking fee policy can be proposed according to actual delay caused by the parked vehicles at the entire network or the like. Many engineers are concerned about the increase in the number of accidents which are associated with on-street parking. In addition to the above-mentioned issues concerning the relationship of on street parking with through traffic movements, the pedestrian is one of the important components in urban transportation system and is vulnerable at unprotected mid-block locations under high traffic conditions. At unprotected mid-block locations, some vehicles may yield to pedestrians who are already at crosswalk location. Moreover, because of poor construction of separated facilities and road side development especially in developing countries, pedestrians usually cross the road at unprotected mid-block locations under high traffic conditions. Furthermore, the use of most major streets in developing countries such as Jordan are not properly monitored and managed especially with regards to on-street parking and pedestrian crossing, and therefore reducing the capacity of roadways and probably causing accidents. This research could provide insights for transportation agencies as it is related to traffic operations issues and safety especially in developing countries. Objective: 1. Investigate the effect of on-street parking on through traffic in terms of delay. 2. Develop a model that can estimate the effect of on-street parking on through traffic. 3. Investigate the effect of pedestrian crossing on travel time. Method: Data was collected using a video camera for a total of 37 street segments from three major cities in Jordan, during off-peak hour and dummy regression was used for analysis. Result and Discussion: Results revealed that on-street parking maneuvers (in/out) and pedestrian forced gap can significantly influence through traffic characteristics of Jordan traffic network. The trend of traffic volume was found to fall gradually, while average delay time was found to rise gradually with an increase in the number of parking maneuvers (in/out). The average percent reduction in maximum traffic volume at one lane was 28.7% which was more than that at two lanes (18.6%) under high parking maneuver conditions. The average delay time caused by heavy vehicles, angle parking, street without median, and street in a central business district (CBD) commercial area was more than that caused by the presence of passenger vehicles, parallel parking, street with median, and street in non-CBD commercial area by 27.8%, 31.7%, 29.7%, and 10.0%, respectively. The vehicular speeds had a significant drop reaching a value of 32.0% on average with pedestrian crossing when compared to no pedestrian crossing at mid-block location. A prediction model using dummy regression was proposed and shown to be able to predict average delay time. Conclusion: 1. On-street parking maneuvers can significantly influence the maximum traffic volume of street segments in Jordan. 2. A trend for traffic volume to fall gradually with an increase in the number of parking maneuver (in/out) was concluded. 3. The average percent reduction in maximum traffic volume at one lane (28.7%) was more than that at two lanes (18.6%) where there is high parking maneuver. Of all the factors that can impede the flow of traffic on the roadway, on-street parking can be considered the most important factor. The reduction of roadway width by the owners of shops who sometimes occupy one lane of the roads also affects the traffic operation and reduces traffic volume. 4. A trend for average delay time to rise gradually with an increase in the number of parking maneuver (in/out) was concluded. 5. The average delay time caused by heavy vehicles, angle parking, street without median and street in CBD commercial areas was more than that caused by the presence of passenger vehicles, parallel parking, street with median and street in non-CBD commercial by 27.8%, 31.7%, 29.7%, and 10.0%, respectively. Also, on-street parking maneuvers may be a contributory factor to causing temporary bottlenecks in moving traffic, which may result in causing more operational problems such as congestion and accidents. 6. The vehicular speeds were implicitly affected by pedestrian crossing when compared to no pedestrian crossing location. In other words, there was a significant drop of speed value reaching an average of 32.0%. 7. Compared with the effects of all the independent variables, number of parking maneuvers has the greatest influence on the estimated average delay time. 8. Prediction models using dummy regression were proposed and shown to be able to predict average delay time if provided inputs are within the data range used in developing the models.

As each day passes by, the number of flights expands and the need for travel quality services continues to grow. In consequence, for an airline to remain in market, better revenue management is required such that the same quality of service is offered at reasonable prices. Since cost cut plans may be disrupted by the need to uphold quality of service, demand and sales management plans can be one of the best techniques for the management of revenues in airlines. To excel in providing safe and most comfortable flights at sensible prices, airlines should objectively employ advanced techniques to reduce the costs and maximize the earnings, which can be achieved via seat allocation and pricing of different classes. Toward achieving such an objective, in this work, we seek to find the best prices of two different seating classes. Here, two economy classes are considered for pricing and quantification, where the optimal number of seats of each class is expressed in a closed form and the prices that will maximize the size of sales are computed accordingly. Using a multiplicative demand model and the newsvendor approach, the best discount rates and the optimal number of seats could be found. The proposed model is tested using real flight data; it was found that for a normally distributed demand, the sales can be increased by allocating the right number of seats for both the regular and the discount seats. Not only the prices can maximize the sales, specific discount ratios were found to improve the sales too. The model can assist revenue managers to increase the sales via the right selection of the number of economy seats and prices.

Rutting, fatigue cracking and low temperature cracking are the most important distresses in asphalt pavements as a result of changes in rheological properties of asphalt binder. Many types of modifiers were used to enhance asphalt behavior at both low and high temperatures. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNT) were used as one of many nanomaterials that take a large attention in the latest research related to asphalt modification against different types of distresses. Effect of CNT on rheological properties of asphalt binder was investigated by testing unmodified and CNT modified asphalt binders using two of Superpave devices: Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR). Penetration, softening point, flash point and rotational viscosity (RV) tests were carried out as well. CNT was added in 0.1%, 0.5% and 1% by weight of asphalt binder. It was found that adding CNT in 0.5% and 1% increase stiffness of asphalt and consequently asphalt pavement rutting resistance. On the other hand, this increase in stiffness affected pavement behavior adversely which is not desirable for fatigue and low temperature cracking. However, Superpave specifications were still satisfied and asphalt binder’s relaxation properties were improved upon CNT modification. It was eventually found that 0.5% of CNT is the optimum percentage for the best performance.

One way to understand the Parkinson’s disease (PD) population is to investigate the similarities and differences among patients through cluster analysis, which may lead to defined, patient subgroups for diagnosis, progression tracking and treatment planning. This paper provides a systematic review of PD patient clustering research, evaluating the variables included in clustering, the cluster methods applied, the resulting patient subgroups, and evaluation metrics. A search was conducted from 1999 to 2021 on the PubMed database, using various search terms including: Parkinson’s disease, cluster, and analysis. The majority of studies included a variety of clinical scale scores for clustering, of which many provide a numerical, but ordinal, categorical value. Even though the scale scores are ordinal, these were treated as numerical values with numerical and continuous values being the focus of the clustering, with limited attention to categorical variables, such as gender and family history, which may also provide useful insights into disease diagnosis, progression, and treatment. The results pointed to two to five patient clusters, with similarities among the age of onset and disease duration. The studies lacked the use of existing clustering evaluation metrics which points to a need for a thorough, analysis framework, and consensus on the appropriate variables to include in cluster analysis. Accurate cluster analysis may assist with determining if PD patients’ symptoms can be treated based on a subgroup of features, if personalized care is required, or if a mix of individualized and group-based care is the best approach.

Background Aortic cross-clamp utilized during cardiac surgery facilitates motionless and bloodless surgical field. However, the duration of clamp time has an inverse effect on early post-operative recovery period. In this study, we sought to examine the predictors of aortic clamp duration and intensive care unit length of stay. Results Six hundred and nine adult patients presented for elective cardiac surgery between December 2019 and December 2020 were enrolled. The age of patients ranged from 18 to 82 years (mean 55.62 years, SD ± 12.3 years). Male/female ratio is 4.6:1. Most patients (87.2%) were planned for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and 78 patients (12.8%) for single heart valve procedure. Operative time (OT) ranged from 120 to 402 min and averaged 259.4 min (SD ± 45.9 min). ACC time ranged from 15 to 159 min and averaged 50.56 min (SD ± 19.4 min). Factors associated with significantly longer ACCT were: smoking (OR = 1.89 (95% CI 1.3–2.74), p value = 0.01), respiratory disease (OR = 0.48 (95% CI 0.24–0.96), p value = 0.039), obesity (OR = 1.76 (95% CI 1.18–2.63), p value = 0.005) and AVR (OR = 2.11 (95% CI 1.17–3.83), p value = 0.013). Low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) was observed in 19.2% of patients. Longer than average ACCT was associated with increased use of inotropes (p value p value p value p value Conclusion Aortic cross-clamping is a crucial method in cardiac surgery to achieve motionless field; however, prolongation of this method had an incremental risks for the development of low cardiac output syndrome, increased first 24 h post-operative blood loss and longer stay in the intensive care unit.

A new series of urea and thiourea derivatives containing benzimidazole group as potential anticancer agents have been designed and synthesized. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized and confirmed by spectroscopic techniques such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectrometry. In vitro anticancer assay against two breast cancer (BC) cell lines, MDA-MB-231ER(−)/PR(−) and MCF-7ER(+)/PR(+), revealed that the cytotoxicity of 1-(2-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-ylamino)ethyl)-3-p-tolylthiourea (7b) and 4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-N-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide (5d) were higher in MCF-7 with IC50 values of 25.8 and 48.3 µM, respectively, as compared with MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, 7b and 5d were assessed for their apoptotic potential using 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, and Caspase-3/7. After incubation with MCF-7, the compounds 7b and 5d induced apoptosis through caspase-3/7 activation. In conclusion, the compounds 7b and 5d are potential candidates for inducing apoptosis in different genotypic BC cell lines.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect students’ behavioral intentions to use virtual classrooms at Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research approach was adopted, an online survey method was used and the data were collected among students at PSUT in Jordan. A total of 511 responses were usable for analysis. A structural equation modeling partial least squares technique was used to examine the hypothesized model. Findings The findings reveal that the proposed factors have direct and indirect relationships with behavioral intentions to use virtual classrooms. They show that students’ satisfaction has a direct influence on behavioral intention, while other variables such as instructor characteristics, virtual classroom quality, perceived self-efficacy, perceived organizational support, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have an indirect effect on behavioral intentions to use virtual classrooms. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted at PSUT in Jordan, which could limit the generalizability of the findings. Furthermore, the present study measured students’ behavioral intentions to use virtual classrooms and future research should consider the actual use of virtual classrooms. Practical implications The findings of this study offer significant and useful information to policymakers, instructors, developers and students regarding the use of virtual classrooms in universities. Based on students’ needs and readiness, the findings identify which factors to consider when developing an e-learning system to enhance learning and teaching performance. Originality/value This study extends existing knowledge by developing a conceptual model to identify the key factors of virtual classroom adoption in higher education institutions in Arab countries. This study contributes to the literature in the context of e-learning by validating an extended technology acceptance model from an Arab countries perspective and considering the differences in culture, learning style and physical environment compared to developed countries.

The paper aims to find whether friction values namely skid numbers obtained by the Locked Wheel Skid Trailer (LWST) device can be predicted using values obtained by the Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) and the Circular Texture Meter (CTM). The last two measure the coefficient of dynamic friction (called DFTx) at different speeds (labeled x) and the Mean Profile Depth (MPD), they also measure the International Friction Index (IFI) parameters F60 and Sp. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) software was used to investigate the relationships. Twelve (12) different models were proposed with different input parameters and the best model giving the highest coefficient of determination (R2) was discussed in this paper. The results show that the most influential factors on LWST friction values are MPD, DFT0, DFT50, and DFT64 and MPD was the strongest among them. In addition, results show that the ANN approach is very efficient in predicting the LWST friction values for both training and validation sets with R2 values of 79% and 83%, respectively. It was also shown that the IFI parameters were relatively less influential on LWST values than DFT and MPD measurements.

Several brain disorders are characterized by their silent manifestations that do not display clinical symptoms and are usually diagnosed at advanced stages in which the brain disease may be irrever...

People use social media not only for social purposes but also for business purposes. It is used in management and marketing as a tool to manage organizations and market products and services, especially to influence customers’ intention and satisfaction. Therefore, the research purpose is to define factors that influence continuous intention to use TikTok in Jordan and to what extent satisfaction with TikTok influences continuous intention to use TikTok. The current research uses a quantitative cross-sectional approach. Data was collected by online surveys and shared on several social media sites such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. A total of 402 responses were valid for further analysis. Then, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed. The results indicate that the following factors significantly affect satisfaction: self-expression, informativeness, a sense of belonging, and trendiness in TikTok. However, the following factors do not significantly affect satisfaction: sociability, affection in TikTok, and past time in TikTok. The factors can explain 48.5% of satisfaction. Finally, satisfaction has a positive significant influence on users’ continuous intention to use TikTok and can explain 30.6% of the user’s continuous intention to use TikTok. In conclusion, the organizations have to heavily use the factors that influence the users’ satisfaction to increase users’ continuous intention.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a vital factor in how organizations run their businesses. Consumers are becoming more aware of it and are expecting it from organizations. With the rise of social media, organizations have another channel to communicate their CSR activities to their stakeholders. A good deal of research has been conducted on CSR and its relation to consumers. However, there is limited research on its influence on consumers via social media channels. Therefore, this research studied the impact of an organization’s CSR activities on consumer purchase intention with the mediating effect of consumer engagement via social media. A total of 21 questionnaire surveys were provided. A sample size of 250 responses was successfully collected via different social media platforms. Results show that ethical responsibility has a positive significant impact on customer engagement (15%) and purchase intentions (35%). Environmental responsibility has a positive significant impact on consumer engagement (11%) and purchase intentions (18%). Meanwhile, Philanthropic Responsibility and Economic Responsibility have an insignificant effect on Customer engagement. Customer engagement has a positive and significant effect on Purchase Intension (47%). Finally, the purchasing intention of consumers is mediated positively and significantly by consumer engagement with CSR activities on social media. In addition, consumer engagement with CSR activities on social media has a positive impact on purchase intention. However, contrary to other research, economic and philanthropic responsibilities have no significant impact on consumer engagement with social media activities.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common, neurodegenerative disorder. It is a chronic, disabling, and progressive disease, and no treatment stops its progression. Rating scales are utilized to quantify PD progression and severity. The most conventional scale is the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and its modified version, Movement Disorder Society- (MDS-) UPDRS. An analytical investigation into the use and meaning of these clinical scale scores was conducted to determine if gaps exist in quantifying disease progression and severity. A series of discrepancies were identified including confusion among patients regarding the score meaning and misuse of the scores among clinicians and researchers to define disease progression. The scales are of an ordinal type and hence the resulting scores are ordinal, not providing a quantifiable progression nor severity level, but a categorical value and survey total. The knowledge that the scores are ordinal and the scales are subjective is mentioned in very limited publications, not the focus of these papers, but a brief introduction and a thoroughly researched, analytical investigation into the scales and scores have not been found. Therefore, the continuous misunderstanding and misuse of these scales and resulting scores warrant a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of these scales and scores to identify the gaps.

The aim of this study is to identify improvements in the physical and rheological properties of asphalt binders when alumina microfibers are added in the role of modifiers. Modified asphalt binder composites were prepared using three different alumina microfiber percentages (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2%) by volume on PG70-10 standard asphalt binder grade. The performance properties of the materials were evaluated against standard performance measurements such as penetration, ductility, flash, fire and softening points along with Superpave test protocol. The results of the investigation demonstrated that the use of improved characterization methods is advantageous in assessing modified asphalt binder performance. One such method used is Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging. Other methods that would help better characterize cracking and rutting resistance included the following: Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) test, Glover-Rowe (G-R) parameter and delta Tc (∆Tc) parameter. The results of the MSCR test clarified the inconsistencies between the physical and rheological properties. The percent recovery (R) and the non-recoverable creep compliance (Jnr) changes with the addition of alumina microfiber caused an improvement in the asphalt binder’s rutting resistance while maintaining an acceptable fatigue cracking performance. Based on ΔTc and G-R parameters, it was found that the incorporation of alumina microfiber increased the asphalt binder’s ability to withstand additional aging without showing signs of cracking. As per fatigue cracking and thermal cracking routines, the optimum content of alumina microfiber was determined to be 0.1% for best performance against cracking as well as rutting. In addition, it was revealed statistically that alumina microfiber had a meaningful capability to improve physical and rheological properties of asphalt binders.

The context of Display Google ads and its components has significant importance to previous studies. However, the full understanding of the variables that influence both Display Google ads avoidance and intention to click has not been thoroughly acknowledged. Thus, this study aims to outline an entire understanding of the different variables that lead Display Google ads to be avoided or clicked on. A detailed review of previous studies has been completed to illustrate a thorough image of Display Google ads. Accordingly, this study developed a theoretical model combining four variables (Display Google ads’ Prior Experience, Originality, Relevance, and Credibility) that lead to affecting Display Google ads’ Avoidance and Intention to Click, with one mediator (Consumer’s Attitude). A quantitative methodology has been employed, in which an online survey has been used to collect data, which were collected from 358 respondents, then coded against AMOS. The data analysis results show that three independent variables positively impact the intention to click; however, credibility has the highest value, then relevance and originality, consequently., while Display Google ads prior experience had no impact on the intention to click. Finally, the research concluded different practical and theoretical implications, and future potential research, and limitations.

Bonding strength between asphalt and aggregate is considered an important feature that governs the future performance of flexible pavements. This study investigated five factors that have the poten...