Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Networking the Brand—An Exploration of the Drivers of Brand Image in the South African Beer Market

Social network marketing has risen to the fore as an innovative and cost effective method of reaching a target audience. However, owing to the recentness of this marketing technique, there is little scholarly research in this area, especially in emerging markets. This study considered the impact of interactivity and media richness on brand attitude and brand image in the South African beer market. It also tested whether brand involvement has a moderating effect in this regard. The empirical work was conducted through an electronic survey of Facebook fan page users. The results revealed that interactivity had a positive effect on brand attitude, whilst media richness did not. Brand involvement, tested for a moderating effect on the above relationships, was not found to be significant. As expected, brand attitude was found to be strongly linked to brand image in this context. The findings stress the importance of bidirectional communication in favor of media rich design. This suggests that marketers of beer would be well advised to engage with customers on fan pages in routinely responding to their comments and allowing them to upload suitable content. If consumers feel that they have ‘ownership’ of these pages and are able to have a positive influence on brand evolution, fan pages are likely to yield positive results in social media campaigns.
Mental Health and the Built Environment

The built environment can promote or hinder mental health. Place attachment refers to the psychological and social connections people feel with certain places—their homes, the settings in which they grew up, and others. The conditions of modern life place great demands on—and often exhaust—our ability to pay attention. Green settings have the capacity to alleviate mental fatigue and help restore a person’s capacity to pay attention. Crowded, noisy, and dangerous places have a variety of negative impacts on people and their psychological states, fostering, for example, stress, anxiety, depression, and violent behavior. Some places draw people together and thus support the development of social ties and enhance the development of social capital. Places that encourage physical activity can both prevent and treat depression.
Role of Insider and Individual Ownership Structure in Dividend Payout Policy: Evidence from Pakistan

Corporate dividend policy has received a generous amount of attention by financial researchers since the last five decades. Researchers found dividends to be one of the important factors defining the firm's value. There are various cognitive factors of the dividend policy in the firms and among these, the ownership structure is found to be the most influential in devising the dividend policy in Pakistan. An agency theory plays a crucial role in explaining the relationship of dividend policy and ownership structure. This study articulates the relation of insider ownership and individual ownership with dividend payout policy of the firm. For this purpose data has been collected from 100 non-financial firms listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE 100 index) for the period of 2007 to 2011.Ordinary Least Square regression technique has been used to reveal empirical results. The results of current study revealed that insider ownership and individual ownership both have a significant negative influence on dividend payments. Profitability is significant and positively related with dividend payouts. Moreover, size and leverage are negatively related to corporate dividend policy.
A Comparative Study of the Credit with Education (CWE) and the Village Savings and Loans (VSLA) Methodologies of Microfinance Services on Rural Livelihoods

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS . v LIST OF TABLES . xi LIST OF FIGURES . xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 Concern Area . 1 1.3 Problem Statement . 3 1.4 Research Questions . 5 1.5 Research Hypothesis . 6 1.6 Objectives of the Study: . 6 1.7 Justification of the study . 7 CHAPTER TWO: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW . 10 2.
Determination of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Level in Patients with Severe Asthma

Background This descriptive study aimed to determine the serum level of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) in patients with severe asthma. Materials and Methods The serum level of AAT was determined in 43 patients with severe asthma. Pulmonary function tests were performed and data were analyzed by SPPS version 19 software. Result The mean age of patients was 41±13.8 years (range 14 to 78 years). The AAT level was within the normal range (90–200 mg/dl) in 38 patients (88.4%) and less than normal in 2 patients (4.7%). Conclusion No association was observed between the serum level of AAT and lung function in severe persistent asthmatic patients. The prevalence of AAT deficiency was low in patients with severe persistent asthma. These results must be confirmed by further longitudinal investigations using larger cohort studies.
Self-generated retrievals while multitasking improve memory for names

We used a translational research paradigm to investigate whether distributed retrievals could benefit name learning in social situations. Undergraduates (N=64) were trained to generate distributed retrievals while they were multitasking. Students learned to generate distributed retrievals according to either an expanding or a uniform schedule. Their self-generated distributed retrievals while they were multitasking were effective in improving name recall for both retrieval schedules. The increase with self-generated retrievals while multitasking was greater (η2=.76) than the increase that Helder and Shaughnessy (2008) found with experimenter-controlled retrievals while multitasking (η2=.42). These findings provide evidence that the beneficial effect of distributed retrievals can extend to learning names in a social situation.
Urban path-loss characteristics at 820 MHz

Results are presented of UHF propagation measurements conducted at 820 MHz in urban Philadelphia. The Philadelphia tests departed from previous path-loss measurements in that emphasis was placed on transmission from relatively low land-site antennas at heights of 40-70 feet above local ground level. Composite path-loss statistics have been derived for transmissions from five separate locations covering local environments considered typical of an urban area. This paper describes the measurement configuration, summarizes the data processing techniques, and presents results of the analysis.
Determinants of Financial Benefits of Inter-Organizational Relationship Marketing between International Travel Companies

This study examines the financial benefits of inter-organizational relationship marketing between two groups of international travel companies in Vietnam and Thailand. A quantitative approach with statistical techniques, including factor and multiple regression analyses were employed. The unit of analysis was at the corporate level with the target population of all Vietnamese international travel companies having relationships with Thai travel partners. The returned sample (n=114) had a response rate of 51.8%. The study found that in order to achieve better financial benefits of the relationship, travel companies should participate in planning and goal setting, show more commitment, have a high frequency of interaction, pay attention to organizational compatibility; formalize the relationship, and have good coordination of the relationship with partners. In addition, the results provide empirical evidence that factors of commitment, frequency of interaction, and coordination significantly contribute to predict the financial benefits of the relationship. Keywords: Relationship Marketing, Financial Benefits of Relationship, Vietnam- Thailand Tourism To cite this document: Mai Ngoc Khuong, "Determinants of Financial Benefits of Inter-Organizational Relationship Marketing between International Travel Companies", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.9, No.2, pp.193-210, 2013. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi. org/10.7903/cmr.11065
The Challenges of Public Sector Audit as an Effective Accountability Tool in PPP Arrangements in Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to explore some of the challenges constraining public sector audit from acting as an effective accountability tool in PPP arrangements in Nigeria and to proffer solutions. This is a conceptual paper and relies on extensive review of literature. We find, among others, that inadequate independence of the supreme audit institution (SAI), Poor accounting environment, lack of executive capacity, the unsatisfactory performance of the Public accounts committee (PAC) and poor use of technology pose serious challenges to public sector audit as an effective accountability tool in PPP arrangements in Nigeria. Some of our recommendations include the strengthening of the independence of the supreme audit institution, bestirring the PAC to be alive to its responsibilities and improving the accounting environment.
Do Web Mergers Create Value? An Examination of Mergers and Acquisitions of Internet Firms

While there is an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving internet firms, there is little research that has examined this phenomenon. The nature and the extent of the impact of such mergers and acquisitions on the firms involved in such deals is ambiguous. This research examines the value created by merger and acquisition activities involving internet firms using an event study methodology. We examine the stock market reactions to 84 M&A deals in 1999. The results indicate a significant and positive wealth creation for the shareholders of acquiring firms. The implications of the results and ideas for future research are discussed.
Consumer Savings in Complementary Product Bundles

Complementary bundling is a selling strategy whereby two or more products which are functionally related are sold at one combined price. Using a survey of prices, the findings indicate that while on average consumers save about 8% by purchasing bundles, in contrast to popular belief, they may at times pay significantly higher prices by purchasing the bundle, rather than buying the bundle items individually. Consumer savings in complementary bundles range from 57% to −18%, and may be affected by bundle characteristics such as the number of items in the bundle and the level of variation in the value of bundle items. The findings also indicate a significant amount of variation in savings, both within, and between categories.
Growth failure, intracranial calcifications, acquired pancytopenia, and unusual humoral immunodeficiency: a genetic syndrome?

We report on two children who may represent a novel syndrome consisting of a deficiency of immunoglobulin-bearing B lymphocytes and serum antibody, deficient intrauterine and/or postnatal growth, intracranial calcifications, and acquired pancytopenia. Poor growth, intracranial calcifications, developmental delay, and hematological abnormalities are common manifestations of congenital infection. However, humoral immunodeficiency is not characteristic in these infections, and no infection was found on extensive evaluation. Rare genetic syndromes may mimic intrauterine infections and may also include immunodeficiency. However the children reported here lack important characteristics or share distinctive manifestations not described in these disorders. Infants presenting with apparent congenital infections in whom a specific infectious cause cannot be identified should be followed carefully with immunological evaluations since this disorder may be progressive and considerable morbidity is attributable to hematological and immunological manifestations.
Service quality in the banking sector: the impact of technology on service delivery

The use of technology in the delivery of banking services is becoming increasingly prevalent as it is being employed to reduce costs and eliminate uncertainties. This research investigates the role that technology plays in Australian banking and its impact on the delivery of perceived service quality. A sample of 440 electronic banking customers was taken and 300 useable questionnaires were analysed. Using the Hemmasi et al. importance‐performance grid, results indicated that consumers have perceptual problems with some aspects of electronic banking. Some strategic implications are discussed.
Individual differences, motivations, and willingness to use a mass customization option for fashion products

Mass customization entails the mass production of individually customized goods and services. Co‐design is a mass customization option where a product's design is based on the customer's selections from a range of design feature offerings. A model comprised of relationships between individual differences, motivations for using co‐design, and willingness to use co‐design was proposed and statistically supported using 521 university subjects from different regions of the USA and the analysis of moment structures (AMOS) statistic. As hypothesized, optimum stimulation level (OSL) predicted two clothing interest factors: experimenting with appearance (EA) and enhancement of individuality (EI). As proposed, OSL and EA predicted the two motivations, trying co‐design as an exciting experience and using co‐design to create a unique product, whereas EI only predicted using co‐design to create a unique product. Both motives were mediating variables between individual differences and willingness to use co‐design, but using co‐design to create a unique product had a stronger effect. Theoretical and marketing implications were discussed.
Detection of Antisynthetic Mannoside Antibodies (AΣMA) Reveals Heterogeneity in the ASCA Response of Crohn's Disease Patients and Contributes to Differential Diagnosis, Stratification, and Prediction

OBJECTIVES:Anti-S. cerevisiae mannan antibodies (ASCA) are human antibodies associated with Crohn's disease (CD) reacting with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) mannan polymer. As mannan is a complex and variable repertoire of oligomannoses acting as epitopes, we chemically synthesized (Σ) two major oligomannose epitopes, Man α-1,3 Man α-1,2 Man (ΣMan3) and Man α-1,3 Man α-1,2 Man α-1,2 Man (ΣMan4), and then explored how antisynthetic mannoside antibodies (AΣMA) compare with ASCA as markers of CD.METHODS:The study involved different cohorts of CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and healthy controls who had been studied previously in several medical centers in Europe, the United States, and North Africa to determine the clinical value of ASCA in terms of differential diagnosis, evolution of indeterminate colitis (IC), and serotype-phenotype correlations. The comparison of AΣMA and ASCA included a total of 1,365 subjects: 772 CD, 261 UC, 43 IC, and 289 controls.RESULTS:The specificity of AΣMA was similar to that of ASCA (89% vs 93%), although the sensitivity was lower (38% vs 55%). Unexpectedly, 24% of the CD patients who were negative for ASCA and/or other CD-associated serologic markers were positive for AΣMA. AΣMA were associated with colonic involvement in CD (odds ratio [OR] 1.609, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.033–2.506, P = 0.03) and were 100% predictive of CD in patients with IC.CONCLUSIONS:AΣMA reveal the heterogeneity of the antioligomannose antibody response in CD patients and increase the sensitivity of CD diagnosis when combined with ASCA. The subset of ASCA-negative CD patients diagnosed by AΣMA had preferentially a colonic involvement, which confirms the high predictive value of AΣMA for determining IC evolution toward CD.
Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in bone. Pathologic and radiologic features with clinical correlates

Thirty‐seven lymphomas of bone were studied, including 33 diffuse large cell lymphomas, three undifferentiated (small noncleaved cell) lymphomas, and one well‐differentiated (small) lymphocytic lymphoma. The large cell lymphomas were subclassified as large cleaved, large noncleaved, multilobated cell, and immunoblastic sarcoma (large cell lymphoma, immunoblastic type). Eleven of 26 large cell lymphoma patients with adequate follow‐up were long‐term survivors (free of disease for more than 5 years). Nineteen of the 33 large cell lymphomas were localized to one bone. The stage and histologic pattern significantly correlated with long‐term survival among large cell lymphomas. Seventy‐three percent of patients with localized lymphoma were long‐term survivors, in contrast to 9% of those with disseminated disease. Sixty‐seven percent of patient with large cleaved and multilobated cell lymphoma were long‐term survivors, but only 21% of those with large noncleaved cell and immunoblastic sarcoma were. The tumors had a blastic, lytic, or mixed radiographic appearance and had either sclerotic, lytic, or permeative borders; none of the radiologic findings were diagnostically useful.
Sustainability in business from a marketing perspective

Why have the majority of companies not yet begun to integrate sustainability on a larger scale into their business strategies? In dealing with this question, we have developed and tested a theoretical model that combines a cognitive frame view with a capability perspective on company behaviour. Our analyses show that top management plays a conclusive role, provided they practise a transformational leadership style. Furthermore, the analyses show that marketing can act as a driver for the company's engagement in product responsibility and social issues. The potential for marketing to further strengthen its role in driving corporate sustainability is made apparent. The following courses are suggested: encompassing ideas and values that express a transformational perspective on leadership; integrating corporate brand management into marketing's portfolio of core capabilities; becoming further engaged in accomplishing an ambidextrous innovation strategy; and ensuring that marketing is practised on the basis of a compound marketing logic.
Transcriptional Profiling of Rapamycin-Treated Fibroblasts From Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars

AbstractExcess scar formation after cutaneous injury can result in hypertrophic scar (HTS) or keloid formation. Modern strategies to treat pathologic scarring represent nontargeted approaches that produce suboptimal results. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central mediator of inflammation, has been proposed as a novel target to block fibroproliferation. To examine its mechanism of action, we performed genomewide microarray on human fibroblasts (from normal skin, HTS, and keloid scars) treated with the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin. Hypertrophic scar and keloid fibroblasts demonstrated overexpression of collagen I and III that was effectively abrogated with rapamycin. Blockade of mTOR specifically impaired fibroblast expression of the collagen biosynthesis genes PLOD, PCOLCE, and P4HA, targets significantly overexpressed in HTS and keloid scars. These data suggest that pathologic scarring can be abrogated via modulation of mTOR pathways in procollagen and collagen processing.
Emergency Care Services: Trends, Drivers and Interventions to Manage the Demand

Emergency departments are the front line of health care systems and play a critical role in ensuring an efficient and high-quality response for patients in stress or crisis situations. A growing demand for emergency care might however reduce patients’ satisfaction (through waiting times), increase health provider workload and adversely affect quality of care. This working paper begins with an overview of the trends in the volume of emergency department visits across 21 OECD countries. It then explores the main drivers of emergency department visits in hospital settings, paying attention to both demand and supply side determinants. Thereafter, national approaches instituted by countries to reduce the demand for emergency care and to guarantee a more efficient use of emergency resources are presented.
Exposure at Default of Unsecured Credit Cards

Retail exposure at default (EAD) is one of the weakest areas of risk measurement and modeling in industry practices and in academic literature. The U.S. Basel II Final Rule is not specific about the approach to EAD. In this study, we use borrower and account information from a large national sample of unsecured credit card defaults to capture borrower and lender behavior as borrowers approach default and to measure and model loan equivalent (LEQ), a common approach to EAD estimation. Dynamic snapshots of account credit limits and balances indicate that borrowers are more active than lenders in the “race to default. ” We find that a little over a dozen borrower, account, and macro factors are significant drivers of EAD. Models incorporating these risk drivers show improved predictive accuracy. Our study offers a useful benchmark to banks’ EAD models and fills the void in the literature on retail EAD.
Diagnostic Utility of MOC-31, HBME-1 and MOC-31mRNA in Distinguishing Between Carcinoma Cells and Reactive Mesothelial Cells in Pleural Effusions

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the individual and combined diagnostic utility of MOC-31, HBME-1 and MOC-31mRNA in the differentiation of adenocarcinoma cells from reactive mesothelial cells in pleural effusions. STUDY DESIGN To subject the cells from 293 pleural effusions to immunocytochemical staining for MOC-31 and HBME-1 and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the expression of MOC-31. RESULTS MOC-31 and MOC-31mRNA expression were significantly higher in the cancer cell group and in 3 subgrouped as adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma than in the mesothelial cell group, whereas HBME-1 expression was obviously lower in those (p < 0.01). In single use, MOC-31mRNA had the highest sensitivity (90.8%) and accuracy (91.5%), whereas MOC-31 had the highest specificity (100%). When combinations of markers were evaluated together, MOC-31mRNA and HBME-1 gave a high diagnostic performance: sensitivity of 96.7% and accuracy of 95.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION The detection of MOC-31, HBME-1 and MOC-31-mRNA is helpful in distinguishing between cancer and reactive mesothelial cells in pleural effusions. MOC-31mRNA could be useful to the diagnosis of pleural micrometastasis.
Are Poverty and Illiteracy to Blame for Forests Degradation? A Case Study of Mbeya Range Forest Reserve. Mbeya-Tanzania

In this study, a total of 350 households contained 700 individuals in Iganzo village were surveyed to study their literate and poverty levels and their impacts to conservation of the Mbeya Range Forest Reserve. The study included 350 women and 350 men. The majority of respondents were between the ages of 31-40 years old (53%), while the rest were between 41-50 years old (25%) and 21-30 years old (22%). The total income per day per household was calculated and averaged to 4,570 Tanzanian shillings that is equal to about 3 U.S. dollars. The average number of members per household was seven. It was reported that, there is a tremendous decrease in biodiversity composition of the reserve mainly due to poverty (80%) and ignorance (76%) of the people on the importance of the reserve. Other causes for this decrease were reported to be grazing of livestock in the reserve (23%), poor farming systems (68%), which resulted in soil erosion, encroachment (64%) through expansion of farms towards the reserve boundary and charcoal burning (34%). Respondents from Mbeya Urban Water Supply Authority and District Forest Office mentioned lack of funds (49%) and lack of experts (56%) as challenges that face the conservation of the reserve. It was revealed that 25% of respondents had never gone to school, 53% had primary level of education as their highest level of education, 20% had secondary education and 2% had first degree. The null hypothesis that poverty and illiteracy have a positive correlation to forest degradation was accepted based on these findings at a probability of p >0.85. Thus, it was concluded that poverty and illiteracy among Iganzo village residents are the main causes for the degradation of biodiversity in Mbeya Range Forest Reserve.