Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Big brands versus small brands : matching and demand analyses

This thesis extends the study of consumer behavior analysis, a synthesis between behavioral psychology, economics, and marketing by applying a new method of handling the dataset of four fast-moving consumer goods collected through a panel of British consumers. Methodology: The aim of the study is to investigate the differences between big brand and small brand choice patterns of consumers in terms of matching, maximisation, and demand at both aggregate and individual level of analysis. Besides, it examines the differences between big brand and small brand groups in terms of demand elasticities with the use of both linear and non-linear models (calculating essential values). Results: For the former part, interestingly, there are striking differences in results between the two sets of matching analyses. For example, strong support is shown for matching in aggregate whilst undermatching is the rule at the individual level. Besides, demand patterns observed are downward sloping for aggregate analysis while upward-sloping demand curves are observed for all chosen individuals. Last but not least, maximisation at aggregate level is generally observed whereas diverse and inconclusive results of the maximisation patterns are found for individual analysis. For the latter - demand analyses, the results show that price, utilitarian and informational reinforcement - independent variables - all exert impacts on the quantity purchased. Besides, the demand for cheaper big brands is less elastic than that for cheaper small brands showing that consumers give more serious consideration to price reductions. Moreover, according to essential value’s analysis,buying and consuming big brands, which offer higher levels of informational rewards said to give consumers extra nonfunctional satisfactions as well as fulfilling their functional wants and needs. The “double jeopardy effect” is also confirmed when small brand groups that often have the lower price, utilitarian and informational benefits suffer from lower penetration rates as well as less frequency of purchase.
University Industry (U-I) Relationship: Evidence from an Egyptian University

The current study aims at identifying the causality relationships amongst (U-I) relationship’s variables i.e. demographics, communication, trust, satisfaction, functional conflict, afflictive commitment, expectation of continuity, willingness to invest, and collaboration. The experiences of 216 Egyptian internship’s companies were utilized to achieve these objectives. Throughout multivariate analytical technique (e.g. multiple regression), significant causality relationships have been supported these U-I relationships. However, only two significant relationships between demographics and both satisfaction, and commitment were found.
The role of producer organisations in the process of developing an integrated supply chain; experiences from Quinoa chain development in Bolivia

Producers in developing countries are increasingly becoming integrated in international supply chains. As individual producers are too small to make the connection with (international) consumer markets, collecting and marketing of farm products as well as bargaining with domestic and international customers is done by collective producer organisations (POs). By exploiting economies of scale and reducing transaction costs, POs improve the efficiency and efficacy of agrifood supply chains. In developing countries, the process of supply chain development is often facilitated by state agencies and international development NGOs. These facilitators, however, do not always appreciate the role of the PO in the supply chain, as they do not reckon with the special characteristics of a PO. Being an organisation that bases its efficiency on social relations, and having both an economic and an interest representation function, a PO should not be treated as just another commercial chain participant. This paper presents a case study of a chain development process for quinoa in Bolivia, showing how chain facilitators struggle with the special features of POs. The paper suggests that externally facilitated chain development processes will be more successful when the special features of a PO are taken into account.
Clinicohistopathological study of astrocytomas along with Ki-67 proliferative index

Background: Astrocytomas form the largest group of gliomas (>75%) and diffusely infiltrating accounting for more than 60% of all the primary brain tumors. The ki67 proliferative index is a potent biologic marker that estimates the growth of neoplasms quantitatively and thus will aid in identifying the prognosis for patients with neoplasms. The aim of the research work was to study various histopathological and clinical features of Astrocytomas in detail, to evaluate Ki-67 proliferative index in patients of Astrocytomas and to compare the results of Immunohistochemistry with histological grade of Astrocytomas. Methods: A total number of 40 cases of Astrocytomas were included in the study. Ki-67 immunostaining was done on all cases and compared with WHO histological grading of astrocytomas. Results: The mean Ki‐ 67 LI in Grade I astrocytomas was 4.66, range 4-5 , in Grade II astrocytomas mean was 8.07, range 5-12 ,in Grade III astrocytomas mean was 13.5 , range 8-20, in Grade IV astrocytomas mean was 22.93, range 15-50. There was a highly significant correlation between the histopathological grade of astrocytomas and Ki-67 LI (p<0.05). Conclusions: The monoclonal antibody Ki-67 has proven its prognostic and diagnostic power in astrocytic tumors. Ki-67 LI is the simplest and the most reliable method for evaluating cell proliferation. Ki-67 LI increased with histological grade and the difference between low grade (I and II astrocytomas) and high grade (grade III and IV) is significant. In the present study Ki-67 LI is not dependent on factors like age and sex and is solely dependent on histological grade.
Osteochondral injury and joint disease in the athletic horse

Joint disease is common in horses. The careers of many performance horses are impaired or prematurely curtailed as a consequence of lameness due to arthritides. Osteoarthritis, characterised by progressive and permanent disease of articular cartilage and associated bone and soft tissues of the joint, represents one end-stage of a series of pathological processes, which may be initiated by joint trauma (Mcllwraith 1996). In other cases, more acute injuries, such as osteochondral fracture, may arise as a consequence of weakening of the tissues of the joint following chronic, cyclical loading (Pool 1996). The fact that it is not possible to predict reliably the pathological outcome of similar injuries to different joints reflects our incomplete understanding of the disease processes involved. The diarthrodial joint can be considered as a complex organ in which several different tissue components, ligaments (intraand extra-articular), fibrous joint capsule, synovial membrane, hyaline cartilage (nonmineralised and mineralised) and bone, form a functional unit. It is increasingly recognised that there are complex biomechanical and biochemical interactions between all the components of the joint and the large number of permutations that can result from varying degrees of involvement of each tissue may partially account for the unpredictable pathological consequences of joint injuries. The complex interaction of different tissues is also a confounding factor in experimental studies designed to investigate mechanisms of joint disease, especially those conducted in vitro. Despite these limitations, significant advances have been made over recent years in understanding the pathological processes involved following joint injury. The purpose of this article is to review some of the more important pathological processes involved following traumatic injury to the osteochondral tissues of a joint, highlighting some outstanding issues which require further investigation.
Characterizing Toxicity of Pelargonium spp. and Two Other Reputedly Toxic Plant Species to Japanese beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Abstract The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman), a polyphagous scarab, feeds on certain palatable plants that are toxic, or reputedly toxic. Paralysis of the beetle after consumption of flowers of zonal geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum L. H. Bailey) has been documented, but factors affecting expression and range of this phenomenon are poorly known. Published anecdotes regarding toxicity of two other hosts, larkspur (Delphinium sp.) and bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora Walt.), have not been empirically tested. For zonal geraniums, we compared toxicity with P. japonica of flowers versus leaves, sun-grown and shaded plants, and different-colored flowers. The progression of paralysis and recovery, as well as survival of paralyzed beetles under laboratory and field conditions, also were evaluated. Beetles became paralyzed after feeding on flowers of zonal geranium, but not by consuming leaves, suggesting the active compound is unique to flowers. Shaded or sun-grown flowers, and red-, white-, or salmon-colored flowers, were equally active. Beetles generally became paralyzed within 3 h of the onset of feeding. Most of them recovered when held in the laboratory, but paralyzed beetles placed in the field for 3 h did not recover. Flowers of Pelargonium inquinins (L.) L’Héritier, and Pelargonium zonale (L.) L’Héritier, which are the parental species of P. × hortorum, as well as ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum [L.] L’Héritier), another member of the type section Ciconium, all were active. Pelargonium × scarborovia, which belongs to the type section Pelargonium, was the only geranium species that did not cause paralysis. Although the active compounds have not been identified, our results suggest that light-activated flavonoids or anacardic acids probably are not responsible for geranium-induced paralysis. Contrary to published anecdotes, neither flowers nor foliage or larkspur and bottlebrush buckeye were toxic to Japanese beetles.
Deposited in DRO : 21 March 2018 Version of attached

The distribution of flow topologies within the flame, and their evolution with flame quenching have been analysed using a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) database of head-on quenching of statistically planar turbulent premixed flames by isothermal inert walls for different values of turbulence intensity and global Lewis number. It has been found that dilatation rate plays a key role in determining the flow topology distribution within the flame and this dilatation rate field is significantly affected by the flame quenching in the vicinity of the wall. The influence of the wall on the dilatation rate field in turn affects the statistical behaviour of all three invariants of the velocity gradient tensor and the distribution of flow topologies. The effects of heat release and thermal expansion strengthen with decreasing Lewis number which give rise to an increase in the probability of obtaining topologies which are specific to high positive values of dilatation rate. As the magnitude of positive dilatation rate and the likelihood of obtaining it decrease with flame quenching, the probability of finding the topologies, which are obtained only for positive values of dilatation rate, decreases close to the wall. The interrelation between the flow and flame topologies has been analysed in terms of Gaussian flame curvature and mean of principal flame curvatures. The contributions of individual flow topologies on the mean behaviour of wall heat flux magnitude, and the scalar-turbulence interaction and vortex-stretching terms in the scalar dissipation rate and enstrophy transport equations, respectively have been analysed in detail and dominant flow topologies which dictate the mean behaviours of these quantities have been identified. Detailed physical explanations have been provided for the observed flow topology distribution and its contribution to the scalarturbulence and vortex-stretching terms. The nodal flow topologies have been found to be the significant contributors to the wall heat flux magnitude during head-on quenching of turbulent premixed flames irrespective of the value of global Lewis number.
Microclimate inside a Tropical Greenhouse Equipped with Evaporative Cooling Pads

Tropical greenhouses require active evaporative cooling system such as pad-and-fan to ensure a suitable microclimate for crop production. Excess heat causes indoor temperature to become hotter than desired resulting in detrimental effects to crop growth and production. Solar radiation intensity and outside temperature affect temperature and relative humidity level inside a greenhouse, while wide gradients in temperature and relative humidity can cause problems related to crop growth and production uniformity. A 300 m2 greenhouse, equipped with evaporative pad and four exhaust fans at each end walls, was used in the study. Horizontal and vertical profiles of the temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were investigated. Results showed that temperature increased from evaporative pad area to exhaust fans area in a horizontal plane, while relative humidity showed an inverse pattern from temperature. In the vertical plane, temperature increased, while relative humidity decreased from lower level to the upper level. ANOVA results showed that in overall, temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were uniform as there was no significant difference at 95% confidence interval. Thus, it was concluded that greenhouse cooling system by evaporative pad and exhaust fans are suitable for application in a tropical country such as Malaysia.
A New Sea-Ice Albedo Parameterization for ECHAM 5 General Circulation Model

Today we experience an accelerated melting of sea ice in the Arctic which global circulation models are inadequate to predict. We believe one of the reasons is the shortcomings in the sea-ice albedo schemes for these models. This paper investigate a physically based sea-ice albedo scheme for ECHAM5 GCM, which separates between snow covered sea ice, bare sea ice, melt ponds and open water (albedos and fractions separately). The new albedo scheme includes important components like albedo decay due to snow aging, bare sea-ice albedo dependent on the ice thickness and a melt pond albedo dependent on the melt pond depth. The explicit treatment of melt pond albedos has to our knowledge never been seen in general circulation models before, and represents a substantial improvement when simulating the annual cycle of sea-ice albedo. The new albedo scheme overall reduce the sea-ice albedo both in winter due to snow ageing and in summer due to melt ponds. The reduced sea-ice albedo leads to overall reduced sea-ice thickness, concentration and volume, with large temporal and spatial variations. In March, some areas experience increased albedo, resulting in thicker sea ice and higher ice concentration, but in August the pattern is more spatially homogeneous with reduced albedo, thickness and concentrations for all areas where the new scheme has a significant effect.
Chemical characterization of fine particulate matter in Changzhou, China, and source apportionment with offline aerosol mass spectrometry

Abstract. Knowledge of aerosol chemistry in densely populated regions is critical for effective reduction of air pollution, while such studies have not been conducted in Changzhou, an important manufacturing base and populated city in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China. This work, for the first time, performed a thorough chemical characterization on the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples, collected during July 2015 to April 2016 across four seasons in this city. A suite of analytical techniques was employed to measure the organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs), trace elements, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM2.5; in particular, an Aerodyne soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) was deployed to probe the chemical properties of water-soluble organic aerosol (WSOA). The average PM2.5 concentration was found to be 108.3 µg m−3, and all identified species were able to reconstruct ∼ 80 % of the PM2.5 mass. The WSIIs occupied about half of the PM2.5 mass (∼ 52.1 %), with SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ as the major ions. On average, nitrate concentrations dominated over sulfate (mass ratio of 1.21), indicating that traffic emissions were more important than stationary sources. OC and EC correlated well with each other and the highest OC ∕ EC ratio (5.16) occurred in winter, suggesting complex OC sources likely including both secondary and primary ones. Concentrations of eight trace elements (Mn, Zn, Al, B, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb) can contribute up to ∼ 5.0 % of PM2.5 during winter. PAH concentrations were also high in winter (140.25 ng m−3), which were predominated by median/high molecular weight PAHs with five and six rings. The organic matter including both water-soluble and water-insoluble species occupied ∼ 21.5 % of the PM2.5 mass. SP-AMS determined that the WSOA had average atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O ∕ C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H ∕ C), nitrogen-to-carbon (N ∕ C), and organic matter-to-organic carbon (OM ∕ OC) ratios of 0.54, 1.69, 0.11, and 1.99, respectively. Source apportionment of WSOA further identified two secondary OA (SOA) factors (a less oxidized and a more oxidized oxygenated OA) and two primary OA (POA) factors (a nitrogen-enriched hydrocarbon-like traffic OA and a local primary OA likely including species from cooking, coal combustion, etc.). On average, the POA contribution outweighed SOA (55 % vs. 45 %), indicating the important role of local anthropogenic emissions in the aerosol pollution in Changzhou. Our measurement also shows the abundance of organic nitrogen species in WSOA, and the source analyses suggest these species are likely associated with traffic emissions, which warrants more investigations on PM samples from other locations.
The Effect of Internet on Family Relationships: Current Theories and Controversies

There is an ongoing debate whether or not introduction of new technologies, such as Internet, into the household can potentially change the quality of family relationships. This paper examines the theoretical frameworks researchers used to understand the effect of modern technology on family relationship. It brings together work from different fields that examine the relationship between Internet usage and family time. Besides, this paper also aims to explore the perception of youth on Internet. To find out the perception of youth, whether Internet is changing their family relationship or not, this study used quantitative method of data collection. The sample consisted of 384 young Internet users of Dhaka city. Questionnaire was employed as a tool of data collection. This research also features different theories from social scientists regarding the usage of Internet, controversies that surround youth participation in these online communities and offer suitable areas for future research. Keywords: Internet, Family Relationship, Youth, Technology.
ESPAÇO TEMPO DA DEMANDA POR INTERNET : AS CIDADES DO FUTURO NO CENÁRIO BRASILEIRO DE TELECOMUNICAÇÕES SPACE-TIME INTERNET DEMAND DYNAMIC : FUTURE CITIES IN THE BRAZILIAN TELECOMMUNICATION SCENARIO

The needs of the digital society, such as connectivity and accessibility, are altered according to the time and space. These space-time demand dynamics turn the telecommunications infrastructure investment planning into a major challenge. Thus, predicting the needs of a digital society in the near future is a complex task, as the market performance is fraught innovations with uncertainties. So, how does one converge the supply and demand needs, cited in an environment that is constantly innovating, such as the future cities? Understanding the supply and demand of internet market behavior should include both expectations and the development of a long-term solution. This paper presents an experimental research where a methodology is developed. For this, it seeks to understand the phenomena that constitutes to the internet demand behavior and to evaluate the space-time effects on its dynamics. The proposed method indicates that temporal effects in the internet impacts demand differently as the analyzed city is changed. The results show that space-time may have an influence on telecommunications infrastructure investment decisions. Thus, the investment decision-making process would maximize profit when space-time analyses are considered. The contribution to telecommunications investment planning methods, will involve the digital society universalization in future cities. Key-words: digital society; connectivity; uncertainty market behavior; innovative environment. Recebido em: 01/04/2016 Aceito em: 26/02/2018 1 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: m4th32s@gmail.com 2 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: sandrolaudares@gmail.com 3 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: iarasibelesilva@gmail.com 4 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: rcc.br@hotmail.com 5 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: patriciabernardes@pucminas.br 6 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/MG, e-mail: psaviott@hotmail.com LIBORIO, M. P. et al. DINÂMICA ESPAÇO TEMPO DA DEMANDA POR INTERNET: AS CIDADES DO FUTURO NO CENÁRIO BRASILEIRO DE TELECOMUNICAÇÕES 9
The Socio-Economic Determinants of Crime in South Africa: An Empirical Assessment

South Africa possess some of the highest reported crime statistics in the world, making the study of crime and its determinants of particular interest in this context. Three socio-economic factors can initially be identified as playing an important role in our understanding of the incidence of crime: Unemployment, income levels, and the prevalent level of income inequality. This research uses small area level data from the South African census to derive socio-economic variables and link this to crimes reported by the South African Police Service (SAPS). We briefly discuss the literature surrounding crime and socio-economic indicators, both internationally and in South Africa. We then turn to an overview of the other factors that can influence crime rates, before presenting the classic economic theory of crime in more detail. Finally, we discuss our conceptual approach, which draws on the literature and the economic model to determine what we can expect from the results to follow.
‘We are against a multi-ethnic society’: policies of exclusion at the urban level in Italy

Abstract Local policies for immigrants in recent years have attracted a growing interest among scholars. It is increasingly accepted that they are distinct units of analysis in the governance of migration, with significant degrees of autonomy with regard to national policies. Most of the literature, however, deals with the inclusive role of local policies. The argument of this article, on the contrary, is the development of local policies aimed to exclude migrants from various kinds of benefits and rights. It is based on a pilot research, conducted in Lombardy (northern Italy), on seventy cases, referred to forty-seven different local authorities. Then, the outcome of these policies is analysed: the exclusion of migrants is a tool to seek political consent, but is also a battlefield, where anti-discrimination institutions, advocacy groups and courts react against the measures approved by local authorities.