Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing the adoption of internet banking: a case study of commercial banks in Mauritius

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of internet banking services in Mauritius. Drawing from the technology acceptance model, theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behaviour and the extensive literature on demographic profiling of internet banking users, trust and security aspects associated with adoption rate of internet banking, this paper combines various predetermined constructs in one model. The different constructs such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, attitudes, behavioural intentions, security and trust aspects, the level of awareness on internet banking services and demographic variables such as age, income, gender and education into one integrated framework. Hence, the paper will deepen understanding of the specific factors underpinning the adoption of internet banking in Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports upon the empirical findings of the customer survey on the various factors.
Managerial perceptions of marketing performance: efficiency, adaptability, effectiveness and satisfaction

While marketing as a field has researched how marketing behaviours can affect objective measures of performance, we know relatively little about how managers make performance judgements. This paper reports the results of a study on how managers evaluate the performance of marketing in terms of efficiency, adaptability to the environment and effectiveness (results versus expectations). A survey of 130 senior marketing managers reveals that managerial perceptions of marketing performance appear multidimensional both in terms of the number of measures used and the methods of evaluating those measures, with important implications for research and practice. Of all the perspectives, effectiveness is the most important concern of managers. It has not only a strong direct effect on perceived performance, but mediates the effects of a number of other variables.
Global sourcing: performance and competition: How to benefit from an international scope

The thesis “Global sourcing: performance and competition” is concerned with the effects of global sourcing on the purchasing performance of buying organisations. As a first step, it is demonstrated that the integration and accumulation of social capital with external suppliers can significantly increase the success of global sourcing projects. However, as the establishment of long-term cooperative buyer-supplier relationships is usually time-consuming and costly, a company’s capacities to engage in these intimate relationships are limited. Put in another way, it might not be possible (neither advisable) to engage in close relationships with all suppliers. It is argued that in supply markets with healthy competitive forces, also a more transactional nature of buyer-supplier relationships can result in satisfying outcomes. As a consequence, a simple and feasible method to evaluate the intensity of competition in the supply market is derived conceptually. To do so, insights from the field of economics on homogeneous product price dispersion are applied and framed for an application in the field of purchasing and supply management. Being able to assess the intensity of competition in the supply market, it is investigated whether the intensity of competition between suppliers is related to lower price levels. The data indicate a statistically significant positive relationship between the increase of competitive pressure during the negotiation process and the achieved price reductions. Having shown that competitive pressure can improve the purchasing performance, it is explored whether global sourcing activities can be used as a means to increase competition in the domestic supply market. It is argued that the consideration of suppliers from low-cost countries provokes competitive reactions of domestic suppliers. This phenomenon is classified as an indirect global sourcing effect. Knowing that global sourcing can enhance competition between domestic suppliers, it is explored whether this effect is persistent over time. It was expected that, with growing experience, domestic suppliers find a way to limit price competition with low-cost country suppliers. Surprisingly, the data indicate that the indirect competition-increasing effect of global sourcing is not a one-time novelty effect. The effect is somewhat persistent over time.
That's What Friends are for: Audit Quality and Accounting Employee Affiliations with Audit Firms

Non-executive accounting employees are ‘affiliated’, or alumni, if they previously worked for their companies’ audit firms. Using a unique data set consisting of biographical data on over 63,000 accounting employees working at S&P 1500 companies who were previously employed at public accounting firms, we study the effect of alumni affiliations on audit quality. We find companies with a larger proportion of alumni among their accounting employees are significantly less likely to issue financial misstatements, and have lower absolute abnormal accruals. We also divide employees into categories by job rank and find that only lower level accounting employees have positive effects on both measures of audit quality. Our results shed light on the way non-executives accounting employees affect audit quality, and are of practical importance to the hiring of accounting employees by public companies.
Operationalizing Mastery Experiences in E-mail-Based Fitness Walking Programs

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES v LIST OF TABLES vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Global Effectiveness versus Procedure Specific Effectiveness 1 Operationalizing Mastery Experiences 2 Program Structure 4 CHAPTER 2: METHODS 5 Participants 5 Procedure 5 Intervention 6 Standard Care Group 6 Mastery Experience Group 7 Measures 8 Physical Activity Measures 9 Demographic, Health, and Social Cognitive Measures 10 Hypotheses 12 Statistical Analyses 12 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS 13 Participants 13 Program Adherence and Participation 14 Physical Fitness and Body Mass Index 14 Social Cognitive Outcomes 15 Program Evaluation Outcomes 16 Additional Analyses 17 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION 19 Physical Fitness Outcomes and Program Participation 19 Self-Efficacy and Mastery Experiences 21 Mastery-Based Processes 22 Strengths and Limitations 23 BIBLIOGRAPHY 34 VITA 40
Universal screening of gestational diabetes mellitus: prevalence and diagnostic value of clinical risk factors.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) by using universal screening and to show the diagnostic value of the clinical risk factors at Lampang Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD This is a cross sectional study. Data were collected prospectively at the antenatal care clinic of Lampang Regional Hospital between January 4 and September 30, 2010. All pregnant women of appropriate gestational age (GA) were screened by glucose challenge test (GCT) then by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) if the GCT result was abnormal. Data were calculated for the prevalence of GDM and the diagnostic value of clinical risk factors. RESULTS Six hundred thirteen pregnant women enrolled into the present study with 593 women left for the analysis. The prevalence of GDM at antenatal care clinic of Lampang Hospital was 9.3%. Among GDM cases, 21.8% had no risk factor Having one risk factor double the chance of having GDM, while having three risk factors gives 42.9% chance of having GDM. Having at least one risk factor could allow better detection with sensitivity of 78.2, specificity of 49.8, PPV of 13.7, NPV of 95.7, LR+ of 1.6 and LR- of 0.4. This would produce 52.8% of pregnant women at risk. CONCLUSION With GDM prevalence of 9.3%, our population should be classified to the high prevalence group. Among GDM cases, 21.8% had no risk factor. Moreover with 95.7% NPV and 0.4 LR-, this would make this set of risk factors merely a fair screening test. This should prompt the re-evaluation of risk-based screening policy that is generally adopted throughout the country. Cost-effectiveness is the only major concern for the deployment of the universal screening program. It has to be further studied in an evidence-based manner.
FREAC-1 contains a cell-type-specific transcriptional activation domain and is expressed in epithelial-mesenchymal interfaces.

The forkhead transcription factor FREAC-1 is a potent transcriptional activator. We have localized a transcriptional activation domain in the C-terminus of FREAC-1 and another one to a stretch of approximately 60 amino acids in the central part of the protein. While the C-terminal activation domain activates in all cell lines tested, the activation domain in the central part of the protein is functional only in cell lines derived from lung. This cell-type-specific activity is retained when the activation domain is fused to the heterologous DNA binding domain of Gal4. The human FREAC-1 gene was found to consist of two exons separated by an intron of 1.2 kb. Exon 1 encodes the forkhead DNA binding domain and the cell-type-specific activation domain. Exon 2 encodes the general activation domain. The distribution of FREAC-1 expression during embryogenesis was investigated by in situ hybridization. FREAC-1 mRNA was found in mesenchyme in immediate proximity to endodermal epithelia throughout the digestive, urinary, and respiratory tracts. Mesenchyme surrounding the notochord and adjacent to the ectodermal epithelia of the oral cavity and developing teeth also expresses FREAC-1. The pattern of FREAC-1 expression, with highest levels in the mesenchyme next to the epithelium and gradually diminishing as the distance from the epithelium increases, suggests that FREAC-1 expression is a response to epithelial paracrine signaling and that FREAC-1 may play a role in epitheliomesenchymal interactions.
A new species of Helionothrips from China (Thysanoptera, Panchaetothripinae)

Abstract Helionothrips lushanensis sp. n. is described from China. The new species is characterised by the head entirely dark brown, antennal segments I–VIII almost uniformly yellowish brown and III–IV strongly vasiform, metascutellum without produced posterior margins, and male has no pore plate on the abdominal sternites.
Angiotensin II AT 1 receptors regulate ACE 2 and angiotensin-( 1 – 7 ) expression in the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Igase, Michiya, William B. Strawn, Patricia E. Gallagher, Randolph L. Geary, and Carlos M. Ferrario. Angiotensin II AT1 receptors regulate ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) expression in the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 289: H1013–H1019, 2005. First published April 15, 2005; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00068. 2005. —When increased in vascular tissues, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a carboxypeptidase that hydrolyzes angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1–7), may augment the growth inhibitory and vasodilatory effects of the heptapeptide. We investigated the regulation of ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) expression in aortas and carotid arteries of 12-wk-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by determining the effect of sustained angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor blockade with olmesartan (10 mg kg 1 day , n 13) compared with those that received atenolol (30 mg kg 1 day , n 13), hydralazine (10 mg kg 1 day , n 13), or vehicle (n 21). Systolic blood pressures were 30% lower (P 0.05) in rats treated for 2 wk with olmesartan compared with vehicletreated rats. Both atenolol and hydralazine produced similar decreases in systolic blood pressure. ACE2 mRNA in the thoracic aorta of olmesartan-treated rats (n 8) was fivefold greater (P 0.05) than that in vehicle-treated rats (n 16), whereas atenolol (n 8) or hydralazine (n 8) had no effect. Immunostaining intensities in rats treated with olmesartan (n 5) were also associated with increased (P 0.05) ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) in thoracic aorta media compared with vehicle-treated rats. In contrast, immunostaining intensities for both ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) were not different from vehicle (n 5) in carotid arteries of SHR medicated with either atenolol (n 5) or hydralazine (n 5). A comparison of vessel wall dimensions showed that olmesartan selectively reduced the thoracic aorta media-to-lumen ratio (P 0.05) and media thickness (P 0.05) without an effect on carotid artery morphometry. Compared with vehicle-treated SHR, vascular hypertrophy determined from media and lumen measurements was not changed in SHR given either atenolol or hydralazine. These data represent the first report of ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) expression in the aorta and carotid arteries of SHR. Increased ACE2 and angiotensin-(1–7) in association with altered dimensions of the thoracic aorta but not carotid arteries in response to olmesartan treatment provides evidence that this pathway is regulated by AT1 receptors and may be important in mediating the pressure-independent vascular remodeling effects of angiotensin peptides.
EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) WITH MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM SUBSP. PARATUBERCULOSIS

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis or Johne's disease, a chronic enteric disease of domestic ruminants as well as some nondomestic ruminants. Paratuberculosis is characterized by a protracted subclinical phase followed by clinical signs such as diarrhea, weight loss, and hypoproteinemia. Fecal shedding of Map is characteristic of both the subclinical and clinical phases, and it is important in disease transmission. Lesions of paratuberculosis are characterized by chronic granulomatous enteritis and mesenteric lymphadenitis. Animal models of paratuberculosis that simulate all aspects of the disease are rare. Oral inoculation of 9-day-old white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on 3 June 2002 with 1.87×1010 colony-forming units of Map strain K10 resulted in clinical disease (soft to diarrheic feces) as early as 146 days after inoculation; lesions consistent with paratuberculosis were observed in animals at the termination of the study. Intermittent fecal shedding of Map was seen between 28 and 595 days (4 March 2004) after inoculation. These findings suggest that experimental oral inoculation of white-tailed deer fawns may mimic all aspects of subclinical and clinical paratuberculosis.
Growth and reproduction of invasive Vincetoxicum rossicum and V. nigrum under artificial defoliation and different light environments

The exotic vines Vincetoxicum rossicum (Kleopow) Barbar. and Vincetoxicum nigrum (L.) Moench have become increasingly invasive in low- and high-light habitats in North America, and a biological control program is being developed. These plants experience little damage in North America, so it is unclear how they might respond to introduced herbivores. I conducted an artificial defoliation study on seedlings and mature plants of V. rossicum and V. nigrum grown under different light environments. Under high light, V. nigrum produced more seed and allocated more resources to aboveground tissue (root:shoot ratios 3 for seedlings. These differences disappeared with shading. Increasing frequencies of 100% defoliation caused greater reductions in biomass and seed production for both species and plant stages. Shading further reduced biomass and no seed was produced. Defoliation of shaded, but not unshad.
Bacterial indicators of recreational water quality.

measuring the quality of recreational waters in the United States is the fecal coliform group. This indicator was first proposed as a monitoring tool in 1 968 1 and since that time it has been adopted by more than 95% of the states and trust territories of the United States. A very small percentage of
Effectiveness of Community Health Workers in Providing Outreach and Education for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Appalachian Kentucky

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a community health worker (CHW)–delivered cancer education program designed to increase knowledge and awareness of colorectal cancer screening options. The study population was an extremely vulnerable and medically underserved geographic region in Appalachian Kentucky. CHWs enrolled participants in face-to-face visits, obtained informed consent, and administered a baseline assessment of knowledge of colorectal cancer risks and the benefits of screening and screening history. An educational intervention was then provided and participants were re-contacted 6 months later when a posttest was administered. The mean score of the 637 participants increased from 4.27 at baseline to 4.57 at follow-up (p < .001). Participants who reported asking their health care provider about colorectal cancer screening increased from 27.6% at baseline to 34.1% at follow-up (p = .013). Results suggest that CHWs were very effective at maintaining the study population; no loss to follow-up occurred. The results also showed increased knowledge and awareness about colorectal cancer screening education. Implications for social work practice, policy and research are discussed.
The Effects of Insulin Resistance and Inflammation on Renal Proximal Tubule Sodium Transport and Hypertension

Insulin resistance, closely linked to inflammation, is recognized as a key factor in the onset and aggravation of diabetes, cardio-renal syndrome, hypertension, and obesity. In the renal proximal tubule, insulin resistance may increase renal sodium reabsorption, leading to hypertension, edema and sometimes heart failure. Recently some anti-diabetic agents have been shown to have effects on the transporters in renal proximal tubule. Because renal proximal tubule mediates about 70% of sodium reabsorption, it is quite important to clarify the function of renal proximal tubule under insulin resistance and inflammation.
Factors Influencing the Usage of an Electronic Book Collection: Size of the E-book Collection, the Student Population, and the Faculty Population

This paper presents the results of a quantitative and systematic investigation exploring online e-book usage at the J.N. Desmarais Library of Laurentian University over a 9-year period. The size of an e-book collection was determined to show evidence of an extremely strong relationship with the level of usage e-books experienced. Of all factors examined during the course of this study, it was the size of the collection that exhibited the strongest association to usage levels and would suggest just how important the size and content of a collection can be to patron acceptance and utilization. Of all student academic levels, doctoral students exhibited the strongest relationship with e-book usage, while undergraduate students showed signs of the weakest. Faculty demonstrated the overall weakest relationship with e-book usage.
An Empirical Examination of the Structural Antecedents of Attitude toward the Ad in an Advertising Pretesting Context

Recent research has identified attitude toward the ad (AAd) as an important construct mediating the effects of advertising on brand attitude and purchase intention. To date, however, little attention has been directed toward explaining the origins of AAd. The authors present the latest version of a theory of AAd formation, report the results of an empirical test of a portion of that theory, and offer further refinements to the theory based on the observed results. Implications of the findings for advertising practice are discussed.
Ethical consumption behaviours in supermarket shoppers: determinants and marketing implications

ABSTRACT Understanding how consumers make ethical purchases has numerous benefits for firms and other stakeholders. Although several ethical decision-making frameworks seek to explain such purchasing behaviour, they typically focus on the content of such decisions, rather than considering how such decisions unfold in a given context. Yet, the complexities of consumer choice suggest that greater insight into how consumers make ethical purchases in store can enhance understanding. We report our findings from a survey of a geographically disperse sample of 688 UK shoppers and argue that a naturalistic theory of decision making, image theory, enhances our ability to explain consumer behaviour in this setting. As well as contributing to theoretical understanding of consumer choice, this has implications for the merchandising of ethical products, such as Fair Trade and ‘green’ goods.
[Prognostic factors in medullary breast cancer].

In 55 patients with medullary carcinoma of the breast follow-up data over an average period of 68.1 +/- 35.3 months were recorded. The histological slides of all tumors were retrospectively classified according to the same criteria. The parameters registered were: tumor-size, histological grading, receptor status, necrosis of tumor tissue, cellularity of the stroma, status of axillary nodes, reactive changes of axillary nodes and tumor invasion of lymphatic vessels. The importance of each parameter registered for disease-free survival and overall survival was calculated statistically using the log-rank-test. Of all parameters, only the nodal status of the axilla proved prognostically significant. Metastases of axillary nodes were demonstrable in only 31% of all MC. The incidence of nodal involvement proved to be less than in non medullary breast cancers. In 15 (27.3%) of the patients, progression of the tumor occurred. All women with distant metastases i.e. 12 (21.8%) died of the disease, whereas patients with only local recurrence of breast cancer are still alive. 72.7% of the patients showed relapse-free survival. Other parameters of proven prognostic value in breast cancers like receptor status and histological grading were of no relevance to the survival in MC. Prediction of prognosis depends on the correct classification of the tumor subgroup according to strict microscopical and macroscopical criteria.
Tissue Remodeling and Nonendometrium-Like Menstrual Cycling Are Hallmarks of Peritoneal Endometriosis Lesions

We identified differentially expressed genes comparing peritoneal endometriosis lesions (n = 18), eutopic endometrium (n = 17), and peritoneum (n = 22) from the same patients with complete menstrual cycles using microarrays (54 675 probe sets) and immunohistochemistry. Peritoneal lesions and peritoneum demonstrated 3901 and 4973 significantly differentially expressed genes compared to eutopic endometrium, respectively. Peritoneal lesions significantly revealed no correlation with a specific menstrual cycle phase by gene expression and histopathology, exhibited low expressed proliferation genes, and constant levels of steroid hormone receptor genes. Tissue remodeling genes in cytoskeleton, smooth muscle contraction, cellular adhesion, tight junctions, and O-glycan biosynthesis were the most significant to lesions, including desmin and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain 11. Protein expression and location of desmin, alpha-actin, and h-caldesmon in peritoneal lesions discriminated between smooth muscle hyperplasia and metaplasia. Peritoneal lesions demonstrate no menstrual cycle phasing but constant steroid hormone receptor expression where a slow but steady growth is linked with tissue remodeling. Our study contributes to the molecular pathology of peritoneal endometriosis and will help to identify clinical targets for treatment and management.