Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customer loyalty in financial services from a service-dominant logic perspective / Kat Mui Ling

Purpose – Modern customers are now more informed, connected, and active in their consumption activities. As a result, it is becoming increasingly common for consumers to jointly create value with the firm to satisfy their personalised demand. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of involving customer as active participants in the co-production of consumption experience and co-creation of value on customer loyalty in the provision of financial services. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested by using regression analysis on data collected from a survey that yielded 285 respondents who are the customers of various unit trust companies in Malaysia. Findings – The findings show that there is a significant and positive relationship between value co-creation and customer loyalty. It displays that customer experience mediate the relationship between value co-creation and customer loyalty, and attitudinal loyalty mediates the relationship between customer experience and behavioural loyalty. Practical implications – Value co-creation is an important strategy for financial services provider to find innovative ways to differentiate themselves and foster customer loyalty in the increasingly competitive marketplace. Original/value –This research binds together value co-creation and customer loyalty in the financial services context which has not been done in prior research. This research also builds empirically evidence to support and validate the concept of value co-creation. Keywords – services marketing, service-dominant logic, value co-creation, customer loyalty, customer experience Paper type – Research paper
The Impact of Crisis Sales Promotions on Branded and Unbranded Toys

This paper presents the research findings of a toys brands sales promotions study conducted in Q4 (4th quarter) of years 2007 and 2009 (preand mid- crisis). The primary research objectives were to determine the impact of economic crisis determinants (such as lowered purchasing power, increased unemployment rates, changed purchasing behavior of consumers) on new years’ toy sales, in particular the impact on known brands’ sales vs. sales of unbranded products. Eight known toys brands promotions sales have been compared to eight unbranded competitive products in different toys subcategories for the two Q4 of year 2007 and 2009. Findings show that although the mean purchase amount had considerably diminished in year 2009, major brands sales were not affected at all.
Recruitment in the field of balanus improvisus and mytilus edulis in response to the antifouling cyclopeptides barettin and 8,9-dihydrobarettin from the marine sponge geodia barretti

In this field investigation the two cyclopeptides, isolated from the marine sponge Geodia barretti Bowerbank (Geodiidae, Astrophorida), are shown to be very efficient in preventing recruitment of the barnacle Balanus improvisus (Cirripedia, Crustacea) and the blue mussel Mytilis edulis (Protobranchia, Lamellibranchia) when included in different marine paints. These brominated cyclopeptides, named barettin and 8,9-dihydrobarettin were incorporated in different non-toxic coatings. The substances were used in the concentrations 0.1 and 0.01% in all treatments. The most efficient paint was a SPC polymer. This paint, in combination with barettin and 8,9-dihydrobarettin, reduced the recruitment of B. improvisus by 89% (barettin, 0.1%) and by 67% (8,9-dihydrobarettin, 0.1%) as compared to control panels. For M. edulis, the reduction of recruitment was 81% with barettin (0.1%) and 72% with 8,9-dihydrobarettin (0.1%) included in the SPC paint. This indicates that the two compounds from G. barretti could provide non-toxic alternatives as additives in antifouling paints, since the heavy metal-based marine paints are to be replaced.
Strategic Change and Termination of Interfirm Partnerships

An evolutionary perspective of the resource-based view is adopted to understand how changes in a partner firm’s overall strategy may influence the firm’s interfirm partnerships over time. We contend that changes in a partner firm’s overall resource deployment strategy and partnering strategy influence the value and uniqueness of partnership resources. These changes alter the competitive advantage associated with partnership resources, affecting the propensity of partnership termination. An event history analysis is employed with 150 joint ventures over the period 1990 to 2001 to examine partnership termination within a longitudinal dataset. With initial partnership conditions controlled for, the results indicate significant influences of various changes in partner firm overall resource deployment strategy and partnering strategy on the propensity of partnership termination. Further, competitor imitative activities are found to increase the propensity of termination as they reduce the uniqueness of partnership resources. This study provides support for an evolutionary perspective of resource value and competitive advantage that incorporates strategic change over time.
Enhanced Location Estimation with the Virtual Base Stations in Wireless Location Systems

Mobile location estimation has attracted a significant amount of attention in recent years. The network-based location estimation schemes have been widely adopted based on the radio signals between the mobile device and the base stations. The two-step least square (LS) method has been studied in related research to provide efficient location estimation of the mobile devices. However, the algorithm may result in inaccurate location estimation under (i) the existence of the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) errors and (ii) poor geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) circumstances. A location estimation algorithm with the virtual base stations (VBS) is proposed in this paper by considering the geometric layouts between the mobile device and its associated base stations. In order to enhance the precision of the location estimate, the VBS scheme is designed to incorporate the virtual base stations and the related geometric constraints within the formulation of the two-step LS method. The proposed VBS scheme can both preserve the computational efficiency from the two-step LS algorithm and obtain precise location estimation under poor GDOP and NLOS environments. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed VBS algorithm can achieve better accuracy, comparing with other existing schemes, in mobile location estimation
What are Firms? Evolution from Birth to Public Companies

We study how firm characteristics evolve from early business plan to initial public offering to public company for 49 venture capital financed companies. The average time elapsed is almost 6 years. We describe the financial performance, business idea, point(s) of differentiation, non-human capital assets, growth strategy, customers, competitors, alliances, top management, ownership structure, and the board of directors. Our analysis focuses on the nature and stability of those firm attributes. Firm business lines remain remarkably stable from business plan through public company. Within those business lines, non-human capital aspects of the businesses appear more stable than human capital aspects. In the cross-section, firms with more alienable assets have substantially more human capital turnover.
Effect of zinc supplementation on serum levels of certain enzymes in pigs.

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of zinc supplementation on the activities of certain serum enzymes-alkaline phosphatase (ALP), CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), ceruloplasmin, SGOT and SGPT in pigs. Twenty four crossbred (Hampshire X Assam Local) pigs, 4 months of age were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=8 in each). Control (C) animals were offered basal diet supplemented with AAUVETMIN (Strategic Mineral Mixer) containing 100ppm elemental zinc (NRC requirement). Treatment 1 (T1) pigs were given Calcium Carbonate @1.5% on DM basis to induce zinc deficiency in addition to the diet offered to control group. Pigs of Treatment 2 (T2) group were offered the same basal diet but supplemented with AAUVETMIN containing 500ppm elemental zinc. The serum ALP and CuZnSOD activity decreased significantly (P<0.01) in T1 group from day 15 (18.49 ± 0.51KAU/100 ml and 29.67 ± 0.68U/mgHb) of treatment but increased significantly (P<0.01) in T2 group from day 15 (20.39 ± 0.58 51KAU/100ml and 32.32 ± 1.09 U/mgHb) till day 120 (28.91 ± 0.27 KAU/100ml and 53.32 ± 0.95 U/mgHb) respectively. Serum levels of ceruloplasmin ranged between 85.15±1.86/ig/100ml and 87.11 ± 1.35 µg/100ml but did not differ significantly. SGOT and SGPT concentration increased significantly (P<0.01) in T2 group from day 30 (47.14 ± 1.09 U/L and 43.02 ± 1.50U/L) and day 45 (50.59 ± 1.27 U/L and 44.33 ± 1.62 U/L) respectively. The SGPT concentration in T1 group decreased significantly (P<0.01) from day 75 (41.35 ± 0.29 U/L) onwards but no alteration was observed in T1 group.
Corporate Governance in the Swedish Banking Sector

This paper studies the corporate governance structure among Swedish banks. Who controls the Swedish banks and what characteristics does the Swedish banking sector have? Issues related to corporate governance such as ownership structure, board of directors and control-enhancing mechanisms will be studied. The Swedish banking law, how Swedish banks handled the financial crises and government measures to deal with the financial crisis is also analyzed.
The effects of monetary and social rewards on task performance in children and adolescents: Liking is not enough

The current study compared the effects of reward anticipation on task performance in children and adolescents (8–16 years old) using monetary and various social rewards. Eighty‐five typically developing children undertook the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task. Of these 44 also undertook the Social Incentive Delay (SID‐basic) task where social reward was operationalized as a smiling face and spoken compliments. Forty‐one children participated in the SID‐plus where points were added to a pictogram with written compliments. In a preparatory validation study participants were asked howmuch they liked the SID‐basic rewards.Results showed that there was an effect of reward size on accuracy and RT in both the MID task and SID‐plus, but not SID‐basic. Subjective value of the SID‐basic rewards was rated higher with hypothesized increasing reward intensity. In conclusion, although the social rewards in SID‐basic were liked by children andadolescents in the validation study, they had no effect on the behaviour. Only when points were added (SID‐plus), anticipated social reward affected task performance. Thus our results highlight (i) the difference between likeability andreinforcing quality and (ii) the need for a quantifiable element to rewards for themto be reinforcing for children. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Women after the tsunami: Impact, empowerment and changes in post-disaster situations of Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia

December 26, 2004 will always be remembered by communities in the Indian Ocean region when the tsunami tidal wave swept away the coastal areas of several countries in the region. Among others, Aceh—one of the provinces of Indonesia—and Sri Lanka had the most tragic devastation and had a major death toll. Indeed, the disaster changed several aspects of people's lives and their livelihood activities. This study focuses on how the disaster and post-disaster recovery and development affected women's lives. It seeks to examine the situation of women in the post-disaster situation and how they gained resilience and rebuilt their lives in the contexts of Aceh and Sri Lanka. It also looks at the consistency of change and its impact after ten years and how the development intervention programs affected the societies, particularly women.
Cemented ceramic YMCK total knee arthroplasty in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Total knee arthroplasty (cemented) using a ceramic Yokohama Medical Ceramic Knee (YMCK) (Kyocera Corp; Kyoto, Japan) prosthesis was evaluated in 90 knees of 64 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, with a mean age of 59 +/- 11 years. The mean follow-up period was 56 +/- 20 months (range, 27 to 97 months). Larsen's grading of rheumatoid arthritis revealed grade 2 in 3, grade 3 in 36, grade 4 in 36, and grade 5 in 15 of 90 knees. Of 64 patients, 9 were judged to have class 1, 30 were judged to have class 2, and 25 were judged to have class 3 functional disability. The American Knee Society knee score and function score improved from 41 +/- 16 and 29 +/- 22 preoperatively to 83 +/- 14 and 50 +/- 29 at the final follow-up (P <.0001) even in patients with multiple joint involvement. Radiographs at the final follow-up showed satisfactory insertion of all prostheses, with no osteolysis. A radiolucent line measuring <1 mm was observed around the tip of the pegs of the patellar dome in 3 knees. Complications consisted of infection (1 case) and femoral fractures (3 cases). There were no cases of ceramic fractures.
An end-to-end assessment of range uncertainty in proton therapy using animal tissues

Accurate assessment of range uncertainty is critical in proton therapy. However, there is a lack of data and consensus on how to evaluate the appropriate amount of uncertainty. The purpose of this study is to quantify the range uncertainty in various treatment conditions in proton therapy, using transmission measurements through various animal tissues. Animal tissues, including a pig head, beef steak, and lamb leg, were used in this study. For each tissue, an end-to-end test closely imitating patient treatments was performed. This included CT scan simulation, treatment planning, image-guided alignment, and beam delivery. Radio-chromic films were placed at various depths in the distal dose falloff region to measure depth dose. Comparisons between measured and calculated doses were used to evaluate range differences. The dose difference at the distal falloff between measurement and calculation depends on tissue type and treatment conditions. The estimated range difference was up to 5, 6 and 4 mm for the pig head, beef steak, and lamb leg irradiation, respectively. Our study shows that the TPS was able to calculate proton range within about 1.5% plus 1.5 mm. Accurate assessment of range uncertainty in treatment planning would allow better optimization of proton beam treatment, thus fully achieving proton beams’ superior dose advantage over conventional photon-based radiation therapy.
Early auditory deprivation alters expression of NMDA receptor subunit NR1 mRNA in the rat auditory cortex

The expression of NMDA receptor NR1 subunit mRNA was studied in rat auditory cortex (AC) on different postnatal days using digoxigenin‐labeled oligonucleotide probes. The results showed that NR1expression increased from birth to postnatal day 35 (P35) and remained constant until P56. The most significant increases occurred between P7 and P14. Changes in NR1 mRNA expression in rats subjected to monaural hearing deprivation on P7, P21, P35, and P49 were examined on P56. Between P7 and P21, when the rat auditory system was still in a critical period of development, NR1 mRNA expression was lower in the contralateral AC, which received auditory signals from the plugged ear, than in the ipsilateral AC. However, no significant difference was observed between the rats deprived of hearing on P35 and those deprived of hearing on P42, the end of the critical period of auditory development. These results showed that monaural hearing deprivation during early postnatal development was associated with decreased NR1 mRNA expression in the contralateral AC and suggested the involvement of NR1 in auditory function during development. They also indicated that, during postnatal development, environmental factors changed the functional plasticity of neurons in the AC through NR1 receptor expression. Taken together, these findings provide a possible underlying mechanism for the development of postnatal auditory function. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
VR and spatial awareness in disabled children

limit their movement are known to develop relatively poor spatial skills. Children with cerebral palsy, childhood arthritis, and other motoric disorders frequently experience difficulty in finding their way about buildings and towns. Spatial research in this area has been conducted at the University of Leicester over many years, showing, for example, that when disabled and able-bodied pupils are asked to make directional pointing judgements about landmarks on their school campus, the able-bodied pupils do this with much greater accuracy [1]. This may be because reliance on others for spatial displacements deprives them of the autonomous spatial exploration necessary to develop accurate “cognitive maps” of their surroundings. This has implications for their general intellectual development, personal safety, and confidence in approaching new situations. The VR research group at Leicester University has investigated the use of VR to enhance spatial awareness in children with motor disorders by allowing such children independent exploration in desktop 3D simulated environments. The group is supported by the charity Action Research and British Telecom. Virtual environments have been created that represent the psychology department at Leicester University and Ash Field School in Leicester (the image appearing at the beginning of this article is a depiction of a view from the virtual wheelchair). Disabled children were given exploratory experience of the simulations, and then tested using standard tests of spatial cognition such as route-tracing, mapping, pointing, shortcut, and detour tasks. Given the predominantly visual nature of current VR simulations, and the absence of vestibular and kinesthetic feedback during virtual
An innovation diffusion model of TQM implementation

Researchers and practitioners have acknowledged the need to understand causal relationships among various elements of total quality management (TQM). In this paper, the authors model TQM as an organizational innovation. Using the innovation diffusion perspective from the information systems and organizational innovation literature, they theorize that TQM implementation translates top management's quality intent into plant-level operational performance through a four-stage process of adoption, adaptation, acceptance, and use. The top management adopts the TQM philosophy in the first stage. This commitment influences the adaptation of the organizational members' ability and attitude to the new quality management philosophy. In the acceptance stage, the organizational members demonstrate acceptance of the new quality focus through cooperative teamwork, relationships with suppliers, and quality-related learning. The diffusion of the new philosophy is confirmed through routinization of core quality improvement through effective design, tracking, assurance, and improvement of quality. The four-stage transformation process leads to plant-level measures of product and process quality. The authors tested this framework on a sample of 407 plants in the automobile parts suppliers industry and found good support for the model. Their results suggest that firms should ensure appropriate technical and behavioral preparation of employees and suppliers before and concurrent to actual TQM implementation. Furthermore, the results also suggest that firms should implement TQM in an integrated fashion covering all sociotechnical elements detailed in their framework. Implications of these findings for TQM practice and research are discussed.
Bacterial isolates from the semen of rams with suspected infertility

BACTERIAL infections of the reproductive tract associated with infertility in rams have been described, most notably infections with Brucella ovis ([Buddle 1956][1]), an organism that has not been found in the UK, and Actinobacillus seminis ([Heath and others 1991][2], [Low and others 1995][3]).
Hughes syndrome and Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) share common clinical, laboratory and radiological features. We reviewed all the English papers on MS and APS published in the literature from 1965 to 2014 using PubMed and Google Scholar. We found that APS can mimic antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL)-positive MS in many ways in its clinical presentation. Nevertheless, APS diagnosis, clinical manifestations and management differ from those of MS. aPL were found in MS patients with titers ranging from 2% to 88%. The distribution and volume of lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may help to differentiate MS from primary APS. In addition, atypical MS presentation can guide physicians toward an alternative diagnosis, especially when features of thrombosis and/or history of connective tissue disease are present. In that case, an anticoagulation trial could be worthwhile.
Implementation of misoprostol for postabortion care in Kenya and Uganda: a qualitative evaluation

Objective Evaluate implementation of misoprostol for postabortion care (MPAC) in two African countries. Design Qualitative, program evaluation. Setting Twenty-five public and private health facilities in Rift Valley Province, Kenya, and Kampala Province, Uganda. Sample Forty-five MPAC providers, health facility managers, Ministry of Health officials, and non-governmental (NGO) staff involved in program implementation. Methods and main outcome measures In both countries, the Ministry of Health, local health centers and hospitals, and NGO staff developed evidence-based service delivery protocols to introduce MPAC in selected facilities; implementation extended from January 2009 to October 2010. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews evaluated the implementation process, identified supportive and inhibitive policies for implementation, elicited lessons learned during the process, and assessed provider satisfaction and providers’ impressions of client satisfaction with MPAC. Project reports were also reviewed. Results In both countries, MPAC was easy to use, and freed up provider time and health facility resources traditionally necessary for provision of PAC with uterine aspiration. On-going support of providers following training ensured high quality of care. Providers perceived that many women preferred MPAC, as they avoided instrumentation of the uterus, hospital admission, cost, and stigma associated with abortion. Appropriate registration of misoprostol for use in the pilot, and maintaining supplies of misoprostol, were significant challenges to service provision. Support from the Ministry of Health was necessary for successful implementation; lack of country-based standards and guidelines for MPAC created challenges. Conclusions MPAC is simple, cost-effective and can be readily implemented in settings with high rates of abortion-related mortality.
Oct-4: Lessons of Totipotency from Embryonic Stem Cells

The Oct-4 transcription factor is expressed in embryonic stem cells and germ cells of the mouse embryo. Cells that are driven into embryonic and extraembryonic somatic differentiation lose Oct-4 expression. Oct-4 is crucial for the maintenance of the totipotency of embryonic cells at early developmental stages as demonstrated recently by homologous recombination. Since during embryogenesis Oct-4 is restricted to germ cells, it is possible that it plays a key role for the germline lineage by preventing differentiation of these cells during gastrulation. Thus, Oct-4 appears to be a key regulator of totipotency during the life cycle of mammals.