Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivations of SME entrepreneurs to become halalpreneurs

Purpose This paper aims to address the factors associated with a propensity for halal entrepreneurship among small and medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from SMEs in Malaysia by conducting a survey with 209 respondents. Data were analyzed with the partial least squares technique. Findings Results indicated that halal entrepreneurship, intrinsic motivation, effort to seek out opportunity, perceived desirability, peer influence, perceived feasibility and perceived governmental support significantly affected halalpreneurial propensity among SME entrepreneurs. On the other hand, the effects of creativity and innovation, honesty and integrity, risk taking attitude, relative advantage and family supports on halalpreneurial propensity were not supported. Practical implications Through identification of the motivational factors to be recognized as a halapreneurs, policyholders in Malaysia would be able to successfully promote halal entrepreneurship in this country. In this regard, policymakers can adjust their tactics and strategies in a way which encourage halal entrepreneurship among SME entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study aimed to serve as an initial step in understanding the cognitive process of SME managers in embarking on halal business.
Mobile Commerce Competitive Advantage: A Quantitative Study of Variables that Predict M-Commerce Purchase Intentions

ABSTRACT Seeking to fill a gap in current research on the conditions that would facilitate user acceptance of m-commerce, the present study investigated m-commerce users’ perceptions of performance and effort expectancies, social influence, and facilitating conditions of m-commerce trust and perceived risk. We also analyzed how these aspects affect m-commerce purchase intentions. To this end, a total of 165 adult American users of m-commerce were surveyed and their perceptions of performance and effort expectancies, social influence, facilitating conditions of m commerce trust and perceived risk, as well as their m-commerce purchase intentions, were measured. Performance and effort expectancies, social influence, as well as the facilitating conditions of trust in the use of m-commerce, were found to significantly predict m-commerce purchase intentions. The findings also provided further clarification of the facilitating conditions of m-commerce purchases suggesting that implicit motivations and approach oriented goals might be significantly associated with m-commerce purchase intentions.
Fine Specificity of Serum Antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein, PfMSP-119, Predicts Protection from Malaria Infection and High-Density Parasitemia

ABSTRACT Antibodies to the C terminus of the Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein, PfMSP-119, may inhibit merozoite invasion or block the effects of inhibitory antibodies. Here, using a competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and antibody binding to wild-type and mutated recombinant proteins, we show that there are marked variations between individuals in the fine specificity of naturally acquired anti-MSP-119 antibodies. Furthermore, although neither the prevalence nor the concentration of total anti-MSP-119 antibodies was associated with resistance to malaria in African children, significant associations were observed between antibody fine specificity and subsequent risk of infection and high-density parasitemia during a follow-up period. Thus, the fine specificity of naturally acquired human anti-MSP-119 antibodies is crucial in determining their function. Future field studies, including the evaluation of PfMSP-1 vaccine trials, should include assays that explore antibody fine specificity as well as titer.
9. Wage Arrears and Discrimination against Migrant Workers in China’s Urban Labor Market

The higher returns to labor in nonagricultural sectors in China motivated farmers to migrate out of agriculture. Since the 1980s, China has implemented, to varying degrees, reforms in different social and economic systems that are aimed at dividing up the urban and rural labor markets. Rural-to-urban migrant workers, as the late-comers of the urban labor market, face different treatment from their urban counterparts. A survey on migrant workers conducted in Beijing in 2001 shows that about 24 percent of interviewees have suffered from wage arrears or wage deduction. Earnings differential between migrant workers and urban workers is a very important question in the context of Chinas economic development. With the development of Chinas urban labor market, the discrimination against migrant workers has decreased in some degree. The econometric analysis tells us that migrant workers from construction are more likely to suffer from wage arrears than those from other sectors. Keywords: Chinas urban labor market; labor market discrimination; migrant workers; wage arrears
Luteinizing Hormone Receptor (LHR): basic concepts in cattle and other mammals. A review

Acquisition of the luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) on granulosa cells of the dominant follicle is essential to physiological LH-mediated effects on the final stages of follicular growth, final maturation of the oocyte, ovulation and luteinization of the follicular wall. Therefore, LHR plays a key role in the final maturation of the dominant follicle from follicular dominance to ovulation. In this review, the basic molecular aspects of LHR (gene structure, alternative splicing and ligand mediated activation) and the physiological regulatory aspects (changes in LHR expression during antral follicle growth and a post-transcriptional model for downregulation of LHR transcripts) are addressed. Despite the accumulation of considerable amounts of information about LHR, a comprehensive and broad model for the role of LHR in bovine antral follicle growth is missing. Questions such as the function for alternative LHR transcripts, their transcriptional and translational regulation, and how the transcripts go to the cell surface and interact with ligands remain to be elucidated in bovine and other species.
Thickness of the soft tissue layers and articular disk in temporomandibular joints with deviations in form.

115 right temporomandibular joints from Swedish subjects, aged 1 day to 93 years, were examined. Twenty-four of the 102 adult joints exhibited deviations in form. Twenty-two of these affected joints were examined histologically regarding the thickness of the soft tissue in the lateral and mediocentral parts of the condyle and temporal component as well as in the lateral, laterocentral, mediocentral and medial parts of the disk. The thickness of the soft tissue was measured microscopically on sagittal sections in the anterior, middle and posterior parts of the joint components. The soft tissue layers were thickest in the lateral parts of the condyle superiorly (0.6 mm) laterally on the anterior and posterior-inferior slopes of the articular tubercle of the temporal component (0.6 and 0.5 mm) and posteriorly in the mediocentral portion of the disk (3.2 mm). The measurements raised the question of shrinkage of the actual tissues. Therefore a small methodological investigation was undertaken to estimate the s.
Towards Environmentally Sustainable Manufacturing: A Strategic Framework for Small and Medium sized Enterprises

Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of this thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. You will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from their thesis.
Digital biology

Number of a molecule is discrete by its nature. Therefore, when detection sensitivity of analytical methods approaches the single molecule level, one faces the intrinsic discreteness of the measured concentration and number of analytes. An emerging analytical method that employs this intrinsic discreteness is digital counting. When an analyte solution is partitioned into many small reaction compart-ments, such that each molecule is individually encapsulated into a compartment, the analyte quantification is inevitably digitized; each compartment contains none or one molecule of analyte. When a solution of enzyme or enzyme-conjugated molecule is partitioned into such small reactors with fluorogenic substrate, one can count the number of the molecule as that of fluorescent reactors under an optical microscope. We refer to this strategy as “digital counting”. One of the most successful examples of digital counting is digital ELISA, in which target molecules are individually encapsulated in a water-in-oil droplet after bound to enzyme-conjugated antibody. Although the chemistry of digital ELISA; antibody and enzyme is common to conventional ELISA, the detection sensitivity of digital ELISA is higher than that of conventional ELISA by 4 to 6 orders of magnitude. In this review, we introduce recent achievements in digital ELISA and relevant methods.
Finding the hypnotic virtuoso.

Abstract Measures of hypnotizability based on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A) correlate only moderately with those based on Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C(SHSS:C). Ss(N = 148) scoring in the high range (10-12) on HGSHS:A were classified according to whether they scored in the “virtuoso” range (11-12) or not on a subsequent administration of SHSS:C. Significant group differences were found on items comprising the cognitive distortion subscale of HGSHS:A, whether assessed in terms of overt behavior or subjective impressions of success. The 2 groups also differed on global self-ratings of hypnotic depth and on those subscales of Field's Inventory Scale of Hypnotic Depth concerned with subjective feelings of loss of control, automaticity, transcendence of normal functioning, and fluctuating depth. Assessments of hypnotizability are enhanced when investigators consider subjective involvement as well as behavioral measures of hypnotic response. This is partic.
Could the Level of Personal Indebtedness Influence an Auditor's Professional Decision-Making Process?

This research examines the effect of auditors’ personal debt on their audit decision making. We developed two different background scenarios that vary the level of the auditor’s personal debt. While one scenario indicated that the partner lived a modest lifestyle and was relatively free of debt, the other indicated that the partner lived an expensive lifestyle and had considerable personal debt. Our data indicate that auditors receiving the higher personal indebtedness scenario were more likely to believe that the auditor in the case study would sign-off on the audit without doing any additional work. We also found that the propensity to believe that the auditor in the case study would sign-off on the audit without doing any additional work decreased as the participants’ rank within the firm increased. Our research documents that a partner’s level of indebtedness could influence the participant’s audit decisions.
F‐wave acquisition using low‐current stimulation

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of utilizing low‐current stimulation for F‐wave generation, thereby avoiding the discomfort of repetitive supramaximal stimulation. We employed the same technique as is used for generating F waves in the conventional way, except for using a stimulating current that was just strong enough to evoke a motor response on the oscilloscope. This usually required a stimulus of about 10–15 mA at 0.2‐ms duration. Both median nerves of 30 subjects were evaluated with this technique and with F waves generated by the conventional technique in the same subjects. Amplitudes were larger when using supramaximal current stimulation. However, there was no statistical difference between F‐wave latencies, chronodispersion, and persistence (penetrance) elicited with maximal and low‐current stimulation. This procedure should represent a significant improvement for patient comfort during electrodiagnostic procedures involving F‐wave studies. Muscle Nerve 28: 82–86, 2003
MnDPDP for MR imaging of the liver

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and safety of MnDPDP (Teslascan) in enhanced MR imaging. Material and Methods: In 2 multiple independent trials in Europe 624 patients were given MnDPDP intravenously at 5 μmol/kg b.w. Patients underwent an unenhanced MR examination comprising T1-weighted spin-echo and breath-hold gradient-echo sequences and a T2-weighted spin-echo sequence. The T1 sequences were repeated after the administration of MnDPDP. In a subgroup of 137 patients the results of the enhanced MR images were compared with the results of contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images. Results: For both types of T1-weighted sequences and when evaluating the maximum numbers of lesions seen in all imaging sequences, the total numbers of lesions seen were significantly higher in the MnDPDP-enhanced images than in the unenhanced images (p = 0.0005 and p = 0.0001, respectively). The investigators considered the enhanced images to contain “other additional information not found in the unenhanced images” in 279 (45%) of the 621 patients examined. The MnDPDP-enhanced images were also superior to the CECT images in the detection of lesions (p = 0.02). Adverse events were reported by 46 patients (7%) and infusion-associated discomfort by 26 (4%). Heart rates and systolic and diastolic blood pressures showed no clinically significant changes from baseline as a result of the administration of the contrast medium. Conclusion: MnDPDP was shown to be effective and safe in enhanced MR imaging of the liver.
The Role of Visuomotor Regulation Processes on Perceived Audiovisual Events

The Role of Visuomotor Regulation Processes on Perceived Audiovisual Events Gerome Aleandro Manson Master of Science Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences University of Toronto 2013 Recent evidence suggests audiovisual perception changes as one engages in action. Specifically, if an audiovisual illusion comprised of 2 flashes and 1 beep is presented during the high velocity portion of upperlimb movements, the influence of the auditory stimuli is subdued. The goal of this thesis was to examine if visuomotor regulation processes that rely on information obtained when the limb is traveling at a high velocity could explain this perceptual modulation. In the present study, to control for engagement in visuomotor regulation processes, vision of the environment was manipulated. In conditions without vision of the environment, participants did not show the noted modulation of the audiovisual illusion. Also, analysis of the movement trajectories and endpoint precision revealed that movements without vision were less controlled than movements performed with vision. These results suggest that engagement in visuomotor regulation processes can influence perception of certain audiovisual events during goal-directed action.
Influence of swimming time in alleviating the deleterious effects of hot summer on growing Muscovy duck performance

ABSTRACT This experiment was conducted to observe the effects of varying swimming times (ST) of Muscovy ducks, raised in an open‐sided house, in alleviating the deleterious effects of high temperature in hotter times of the day in the summer season on growth performance (body weight, average daily gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio), carcass characteristics, body temperature, and some health aspects. We hypothesized that swimming times during the hottest periods of the day would show different performances. To test this hypothesis a total of 180 Muscovy ducklings were randomly distributed into 4 equal groups in a completely randomized design experiment. All groups were raised under similar housing conditions. Birds of the first group (C) were raised in the indoor system and had no access to a swimming pond. While all birds of the second, third, and fourth groups (T1, T2, and T3) had access to a swimming pond during 10:00 to 12:00 h, 12:00 to 14:00 h, and 14:00 to 16:00 h, respectively. The swimming pond (dimensions of 30 m length × 10 m width × 3 m depth with cement floor) was located in the front of the house. Vaccination and medical programs were undertaken according to the different ages under supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The obtained results indicated that swimming during 12:00 to 14:00 h improved (P < 0.05) growth performance, dressed carcass, meat tenderness, lymphocyte, heterophils/lymphocytes ratio, body temperature, and mortality rate of Muscovy ducks. However, bone measurement, plumage conditions, foot pad dermatitis, hock discoloration, breast blisters score, and blood hematocrit values were insignificantly better in the group with access to the swimming pond during 12:00 to 14:00 h. In conclusion, raising ducks during hot conditions in an open‐sided house with access to a swimming pond at 12:00 to 14:00 h is highly recommended due to the high BW, better immunity, decreased mortality rate, and low body temperature of ducks which was positively reflected in the health condition.
The effects of sodium orthovanadate–induced phosphatase inhibition on rat retinal pigment epithelium cell activity

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of sodium orthovanadate (SOV)-induced phosphatase inhibition to the activation of rat retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Methods: Confluent cultures of rat RPE cells were treated with the general phosphatase inhibitor SOV. The effects of SOV on the cell cycle were determined by flow cytometry and protein detection of cyclin A and cyclin D1, two different cell cycle regulatory factors. The effects of SOV on cell differentiation were confirmed by immunostaining for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). A migration assay was used to evaluate the effects of SOV on cell migration. Results: SOV could accelerate the cell cycle of RPE cells. Western blotting showed that SOV significantly increased the expression of cyclin A and cyclin D1 in a dose-dependent fashion. The results of α-SMA staining and western blotting demonstrated that SOV induced RPE cells to differentiate toward better contractility and motility. The migration assay indicated that SOV improved the migration activity of RPE cells. Conclusions: Sodium orthovanadate can improve proliferation, differentiation, and migration of rat RPE cells and can also induce the reentry of contact-inhibited rat RPE cells into the cell cycle.
Murder without apparent motive: a study in personality disorganization.

In this paper we have described a number of common characteristics found in individuals who have committed impulsive senseless murders. These characteristics were: severe weakness of impulse control; blurring of the boundaries between fantasy and reality, with periods of altered states of consciousness; blunted and shallow emotional reactions; and a violent and primitive fantasy life. This constellation seems to have grown out of a history characterized by extreme parental violence and early severe emotional deprivation. In these cases, there appeared an ego weakness which allowed the periodic breakthrough of intense aggressive impulses, sometimes of homicidal proportion. When such apparently senseless murders occur, they are seen to be an end result of a period of increasing tension and disorganization in the murderer starting before the contact with the victim who, by fitting into the unconscious conflicts of the murderer, unwittingly serves to set into motion his homicidal potential. It remains a task .
Factors influencing the purchase intention at auctions

The present study investigates factors that determine the purchase intention to buy goods at offline auctions. When taking into account the literature gap regarding comprehensive evaluations of offline auctions, the relevance of the study becomes evident. A model is presented which combines components from the theory of Planned behavior as well as the Purchase Intention at Auctions 2 factors perceived value influenced by perceived quality, perceived price, and trust influenced by reputation and service quality which can have an influence on the purchase intention at auctions. Data were collected from 211 respondents by an anonymous survey and distributed to auction visitors, from which 191 filled in the questionnaire completely. By help of a hierarchical regression analysis, it was found that attitude, perceived value, perceived product quality, perceived price and trust are significant predictors of purchase intention at auctions. A Sobel test found that perceived value and trust act as mediators for purchase intention at auctions. This model allows relevant insights for auction businesses as they can provide consumers with more satisfying conditions to bolster buying intention. Consumers can profit as they make buying decisions more consciously and get away from bulk buying and the support from mass production.
AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES EQUITY INVESTMENT SCHEME IN NIGERIA

This study empirically evaluates the performance of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) Equity Investment Scheme in Nigeria (SMEEIS), using Benue and Nassarawa States as case study. Secondary data of total credit to SMEs as percentage of banks total credit for a period from 1993-2008 were made available. Paired sample t-test was used as a technique to test the significance of bank loans before and after the introduction of SMEEIS. Mean scores and standard deviation was used to present and analyze the primary data obtained via questionnaires. The result shows that there was no significance difference between the loans disbursed by banks to SMEs before and after the introduction of SMEEIS and the conditions for accessing SMEEIS funds was beyond the reach of the predominant SMEs in Nigeria. This shows that SMEEIS, as a formal financing option, has not made any significant impact towards SMEs growth in Nigeria. The major recommendation is that both the government and the banking sector should mutually agree on a credit guaranteed scheme strategy that will incorporate a risk-sharing arrangement as a way of encouraging the banks to channel funds to the SMEs sub sector for their growth and development which would translate into the national economic growth and sustainable economic development of Nigeria.
The Relationship between Uric Acid and Hypertension in Adults in FakoDivision, SW Region Cameroon

Uric acid has been associated with hypertension in many studies involving different populations but little or no information was found on this association in a Cameroonian population. The aim of this study therefore was to correlate serum uric acid concentrations with blood pressure measurements in individuals who are hypertensive, pre-hypertensive and normotensive, and to investigate the possibility of existence of an association between uric acid levels and other risk factors for hypertension. A total of 297 adults from Fako Division participated in the study. Blood pressure, serum uric acid, fasting blood glucose (subjects with ≥ 110mg/dl were excluded), lipids, body mass index and waist circumference were measured. Individuals who were pre- hypertensive had the highest mean uric acid concentration which was significantly higher than that for normotensives (P<0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation between uric acid with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.0001; P<0.0001), respectively. A significant positive correlation was also observed between serum uric acid levels with gender, age, triglycerides and life style patterns (P<0.0001). However, adjusting for these confounders did not change the increasing trend observed between serum uric acid with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.