The issue of policy changes to support teacher professional development is an important factor shaping the career trajectory, efficacy, and ultimately the success of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructors and the performance of the secondary students they serve and whose lives they affect. Although a rich body of research associated with policies regarding teacher preparation and professional development exists, a more closely related area of research focused specifically on the policies regarding preparation and professional development of JROTC instructors is limited. This lack of research presents a unique opportunity to explore the experiences of JROTC instructors and their perspectives on policies affecting teacher preparation and professional development. This qualitative exploratory single-case study can help to advance understanding of the complexities and nuances of teacher preparation and professional development policies supporting the JROTC instructors serving in high schools across the United States and overseas. One-on-one interviews with 14 JROTC personnel who had completed required teacher preparation requirements and professional development initiatives were conducted. Data analysis revealed 11 themes. Recommendations for improving policies concerning JROTC instructor preparation and professional development, including placing greater emphasis on the unique requirements, as well as suggestions for future research, are provided.

This study investigates non-academic employees’ perceptions of their line managers’ leadership styles at a private university in Malaysia and how these perceptions influence their intention to remain employed. Employing a qualitative approach and the path-goal theory as a theoretical framework, data were collected through purposive sampling from 10 non-academic employees and analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software. The findings reveal that a supportive and participative leadership style fosters an informal leadership dynamic between line managers and subordinates. Informal leadership behaviors encompass affective qualities and effective communication that enable the development of close relationships outside the workplace, facilitating increased employee engagement and motivation levels. Consequently, this approach notably improves employee retention. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of informal leadership styles contributing to enhanced human resource management at the private university while providing an inclusive perspective on employees’ perceptions and their intention to remain employed. Finally, we propose a model of employees’ perception of leadership styles as the main driver that better serves their intention to stay in organizations.

This empirical paper investigates the impact of green brand knowledge, green trust, and social responsibility on consumer purchase intentions within the developing nation of Pakistan. By highlighting the importance of these factors in influencing consumer behavior towards environmentally friendly products, the study aims to address the pressing need to mitigate environmental pollutants. Employing a quantitative research methodology, the study utilizes a questionnaire survey adapted from previous research to gather data. Regression analysis reveals significant and positive relationships between green brand knowledge, green trust, social responsibility, and consumer purchase intentions. Notably, green brand knowledge emerges as the most influential factor in shaping purchase intentions. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the dynamics of consumer behavior in a developing country context and offers practical implications for managers and decision-makers seeking to align organizational goals with consumer preferences for green brands. The findings underscore the importance of integrating environmental considerations into marketing strategies to meet consumer demand for sustainable products and foster environmental stewardship.

The MDA-MB-231 cell line is derived from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), representing one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Innovative therapeutic strategies, including s targeted therapies using nanocarriers, hold significant promise, particularly for difficult-to-treat cancers such as TNBC. Nanoparticles have transformed the medical field by serving as advanced drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. They play a critical role in overcoming the drug resistance often associated with cancer therapies. When utilized as drug delivery vehicles, nanoparticles can specifically target cancer cells and effectively reduce or eliminate multidrug resistance. Among them, chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been widely explored for the loading and controlled release of various anticancer agents. In this study, we evaluated the effects of dexamethasone-loaded chitosan-coated MNPs on MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to verify the successful loading of dexamethasone onto the nanoparticles. To assess cytotoxicity, empty nanoparticles, free drug, and drug-loaded nanoparticles were tested on the cells. The results indicated that empty nanoparticles exhibited no toxic effects. The IC50 value of the free drug was 123 µg/mL, while the IC50 value of the drug-loaded nanoparticles was significantly lower, at 63 µg/mL. These findings confirmed the successful conjugation of dexamethasone to the chitosan-coated MNPs, demonstrating substantial cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells. Although dexamethasone has been reported to exhibit both tumor-suppressive and pro-metastatic effects, its specific impact on TNBC warrants further investigation in future studies.

Ticket revenues are crucial for the financial success of sports teams. To maximize these revenues, teams continuously explore effective ticket promotional strategies. One such strategy includes partial season plans, which mirror bundle offers common across various industries. Another widespread promotional strategy across industries is offering discounted credit (i.e., store credit purchased at a lower price than its face value). However, its application in sports (e.g., providing a $500 credit for tickets at $450) remains limited. Therefore, this study explores critical questions such as: “How effective is offering discounted credit compared to partial season plans?” and “What factors influence ticket promotion preferences?” Consequently, the study employed a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental designs, considering three independent variables: promotion type (discounted credit vs. partial season plans), promotion flexibility (predefined vs. customizable), and the consumer’s distance to the venue (near vs. distant). Results indicated that partial season plans generated significantly higher perceived value and purchase intentions  while presenting lower perceived risks than discounted credit . Promotion flexibility did not significantly influence the three dependent variables , but the distance to the venue did . Both practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Accurate demand forecasting is key for companies to optimize inventory management and satisfy customer demand efficiently. This paper aims to Investigate on the application of generative AI models in demand forecasting. Two models were used: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Variational Autoencoder (VAE), and results were compared to select the optimal model in terms of performance and forecasting accuracy. The difference of actual and predicted demand values also ascertain LSTM’s ability to identify latent features and basic trends in the data. Further, some of the research works were focused on computational efficiency and scalability of the proposed methods for providing the guidelines to the companies for the implementation of the complicated techniques in demand forecasting. Based on these results, LSTM networks have a promising application in enhancing the demand forecasting and consequently helpful for the decision-making process regarding inventory control and other resource allocation.