Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Marketing Essays: Evolution of Attribute-Specific Preferences through Consumer Learning and the Effect of Gift Exchange on the Purchase Behavior

Min, Ji Hong. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. Two Marketing Essays: Evolution of Attribute-Specific Preferences through Consumer Learning and the Effect of Gift Exchange on the Purchase Behavior. Major Professor: Subramanian Balachander. The first essay investigates the evolution of attribute-specific preferences through consumer learning. Most extant consumer learning models allow for learning about alternative-specific preferences such as brand preference in a brand choice model. However, there exist product categories which offer many varieties of products with different attributes. In such cases, it is important to model consumer learning of attributespecific preferences rather than simply modeling alternative-specific preferences in order to more accurately and parsimoniously describe consumer behavior. In this paper, we propose a structural model of consumer’s Bayesian learning of attribute-specific preference, using scanner panel data. We show that the proposed model and empirical results can enable marketing researchers to identify whether a certain attribute is characterized by significant consumer learning, and to capture the possible separate learning processes of preferences for multiple attributes. Moreover, the model results provide insights into the dynamics of preferences of different product attributes. We conduct policy evaluations of marketing strategies such as free sample promotions and the introduction of a new line extension and obtain interesting implications for managers. ix The second essay examines the effect of gift exchange on the purchase behavior. While the marketing manager’s interest in the gift behavior is increasing, there has been little empirical research on the gift exchange of consumers in the marketing literature. In this essay, we analyze the effect of gift exchange on the consumer’s purchase by analyzing a social network service dataset. More specifically, our proposed model operationalizes the item experience as a combination of accumulated purchase, gift giving and receiving experiences. The empirical findings include that the shapes of preference evolutions vary across different item experience variables, and that the gift receipts from individuals and those from corporations have quite different influences on the consumers’ preferences. For managerial implications, we suppose a situation that a marketer is searching for an optimal target strategy for cross-selling by sending item gifts to the target. Among various possible marketing decisions, targeting based on our empirical results show the best performance with the least input. As shown in this managerial application example, our proposed model enables marketers to optimize their marketing plans through the insights on the influence of gift exchange on the dynamic preferences.
Real time Haptic data transferring

The improvement of the Internet's network conditions have made possible for the real time Haptic data transferring over the Internet. With the word Haptic we refer to the sense of touch that the user feels when he uses a Haptic service. This paper deals with the transfer of real time Haptic data over the Internet. It presents the related work on Haptic data transferring. It outlines the Haptic data transmission characteristics and the necessary QoS requirements for the maximization of the Quality of Experience for Haptic users. It describes a proposed Haptic system architecture. It analyses the metrics that have to be taken into consideration for the evaluation of Haptic transferring. It also presents experiments for real time Haptic data transferring that have been carried out by the authors through different networks and locations.
Physical Space Requirements for Redirected Walking: How Size and Shape Affect Performance

Redirected walking provides a compelling solution to explore large virtual environments in a natural way. However, research literature provides few guidelines regarding trade-offs involved in selecting size and layout for physical tracked space. We designed a rigorously controlled benchmarking framework and conducted two simulated user experiments to systematically investigate how the total area and dimensions of the tracked space affect performance of steer-to-center and steer-to-orbit algorithms. The results indicate that minimum viable size of physical tracked space for these redirected walking algorithms is approximately 6m x 6m with performance continuously improving in larger tracked spaces. At the same time, no "optimal" tracked space size can guarantee the absence of contacts with the boundary. We also found that square tracked spaces enabled best overall performance with steer-to-center algorithm also performing well in moderately elongated rectangular spaces. Finally, we demonstrate that introducing translation gains can provide a useful boost in performance, particularly when physical space is constrained. We conclude with the discussion of potential applications of our benchmarking toolkit to other problems related to performance of redirected walking platforms.
Changes in Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Scores Among Opiate Addicts as a Function of Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment and Recent Drug Use

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was administered to 144 men and 86 women within 1 month of admission to methadone maintenance treatment and was readministered 18 months following admission. Based on prior research, we hypothesized there would be significant decreases on scales measuring affective disturbance, anxiety, and social isolation and little change in scales measuring antisocial and narcissistic traits. In addition, it was hypothesized that changes on the MCMI would be related to retention in treatment and illicit drug use during the interim between initial assessment and follow-up. Data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for repeated measures. There was an overall decrease in MCMI scores, indicating less psychopathology between initial assessment and follow-up. MCMI scales did not change as a function of retention status, but decreases in MCMI scale scores were greater for subjects who were light drug users in the 6 months prior to the follow-up compared to heavy users. Inspection of individual MCMI scales supported our hypothesis; there were decreases on scales measuring affective disturbance, anxiety, and social isolation, but not on scales measuring antisocial and narcissistic traits.
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

Transmembrane signalling by extracellular agonists is generally mediated by specific receptors and often results in alterations of the intracellular concentrations of either cyclic AMP, calcium, inositol polyphosphates or diacylglycerol. These intracellular regulatory molecules affect many physiological processes by mechanisms which often involve covalent phosphorylation of appropriate rate-limiting enzymes, ion channels or other proteins [1,2]. Three multifunctional protein kinases are thought to mediate many of these phosphorylation reactions, namely cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP-kinase), calcium/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II). CaM-kinase II is a member of a family of Ca2"/ calmodulin-regulated protein kinases which also includes Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases I and III, myosin light chain kinases and phosphorylase kinase [3,4]. Unlike the other members of this family, CaMkinase II can phosphorylate a large number of proteins, at least in vitro. For this reason CaM-kinase II was independently identified in the early 1980's by a number of laboratories studying diverse physiological processes such as neurotransmitter exocytosis [5], catecholamine biosynthesis [6], cytoskeletal interactions [7], and glycogen metabolism [8]. Although most investigators now use the terminology of calcium/calmodulindependent protein kinase II, the literature also refers to this kinase as calmodulin-dependent synapsin I kinase, calmodulin-dependent glycogen synthase kinase or the multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. This review will attempt to summarize most of the features of CaM-kinase II, with particular emphasis on recent investigation of the structure/function properties of the kinase.
Adolescent cybersurfing for health information: a new resource that crosses barriers.

OBJECTIVE To examine adolescents' use of and attitudes toward accessing health information through the Internet. DESIGN Cross-sectional, school-based survey. PARTICIPANTS A socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 412 suburban New York 10th graders (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [0.68] years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Accessing the Internet for health information. RESULTS Half (49%) of the sampled adolescents had used the Internet to get health information. Topics most often explored through the Internet included sexually transmitted diseases; diet, fitness, and exercise; and sexual behaviors. Adolescents found Internet information to be of high value (using a composite gauging worth, trustworthiness, use, and relevance), with no significant differences related to sex, ethnicity, or mother's education. When considering 11 separate health topics, girls found it more valuable to have information on birth control, diet and nutrition, exercise, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and dating violence. Only for alternative medicine were there differences by ethnicity, and there were no differences based on mother's education for the value of having specific health information available through the Internet. CONCLUSION For adolescents, the Internet is an accessed and valued information source on a range of sensitive health issues.
Women Workers and their Status in Mgnreg Programme: A Study in Jharkhand

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) is a programme of rural development which aims at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. In this programme a minimum of 33 percentage participation of women is envisaged. However, the participation has wide inter-State variation ranging between 94 in Kerala and 19 per cent in Uttar Pradesh during the financial year 2012-13. Participation percentage of Jharkhand is 32 which is 1 percentage below the minimum requirement. Under this backdrop the paper makes a critical enquiry of the status of women in MGNREGA in the State of Jharkhand. Based on the State level data on implementation of this scheme, this paper examines the status of women participation in MGNREGA in Jharkhand. The paper presents inter-district variation drawing on secondary source and forwards reasons for the same.
How Do Globally Distributed Agile Teams Self-organise? - Initial Insights from a Case Study

Agile software developers are required to self-organize, occupying various informal roles as needed in order to successfully deliver software features. However, previous research has reported conflicting evidence about the way teams actually undertake this activity. The ability to self-organize is particularly necessary for software development in globally distributed environments, where distance has been shown to exacerbate human-centric issues. Understanding the way successful teams self-organise should inform distributed team composition strategies and software project governance. We have used psycholinguistics to study the way IBM Rational Jazz practitioners enacted various roles, expressed attitudes and shared competencies to successfully self-organize in their global projects. Among our findings, we uncovered that practitioners enacted various roles depending on their teams’ cohort of features; and that team leaders were most critical to IBM Jazz teams’ self-organisation. We discuss these findings and highlight their implications for software project governance.
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effect and inorganic constituents of Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn. ash

This study investigated the -glucosidase inhibitory effect and determined the concentration of some inorganic constituents in P. amarus ash. Oral glucose and sucrose tolerance test were performed on normal mice. In vitro -glucosidase inhibitory activity was evaluated by using yeast a-glucosidase. The element concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. Single oral administration of P. amarus ash did not show antihyperglycemic effect after glucose administration, but decreased blood glucose level after sucrose administration. The ash showed -glucosidase inhibitory activity in vitro with IC 50 of 982 mg/mL. The concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni and Co in P. amarus ash were 35049.80±340.64, 3337.24±52.10, 1368.52±13.29, 90.81±1.34, 87.68±1.15, 18.28±0.22, 4.69±0.07, 1.07±0.15, 0.29±0.03, 0.20±0.04 and 0.10±0.02 mg/g, respectively. These results indicate that the antihyperglycemic effect of P. amarus ash might be partly due to the -glucosidase inhibitory activity of the inorganic constituents.
The Effect Of Earnings Per Share Categories On Share Price Behavior: Some South African Evidence

Earnings per share (EPS) is considered as an important accounting indicator of risk, entity performance and corporate success. It is used to forecast potential growth in future share prices, because changes in EPS are often reflected in share price behaviour. Companies listed on the Johannesburg Share Exchange (JSE) are required to publish three different categories of EPS: basic, diluted and headline EPS. It has become apparent that there is no indication as to which category explains share price behaviour best. The study therefore aimed to determine which category of EPS is best associated with share prices of the top 40 JSE listed companies in South Africa. No South African studies have previously attempted to answer this question. The top 40 JSE listed companies were selected as the research sample and the relationship between different categories of EPS and share prices was analysed empirically for the period 2005 to 2013. This study demonstrated that basic EPS correlated best with the changing behaviour of share prices. Furthermore, the study established that headline EPS proved to deliver lower correlation coefficients than other EPS categories. Based on the findings of this study some useful recommendations and areas for further research were also identified.
Relationship between intraocular pressure and angle configuration: an anterior segment OCT study.

PURPOSE To assess the relationship between intraocular pressure (IOP) and anterior chamber angle (ACA) configuration as assessed by gonioscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). METHODS A total of 2045 subjects aged 50 years and older, were recruited from a community clinic and underwent AS-OCT, Goldmann applanation tonometry, and gonioscopy. A quadrant was classified as closed on gonioscopy if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. A closed quadrant on AS-OCT was defined by the presence of any contact between the iris and angle wall anterior to the scleral spur. Customized software (Zhongshan Angle Assessment Program, Guangzhou, China) was used to measure AS-OCT parameters on AS-OCT scans, including anterior chamber depth, area, and volume; iris thickness (IT) and curvature; lens vault; angle opening distance; and trabecular-iris space area. IOP values were adjusted for age, sex, diabetes and hypertension status, body mass index, central corneal thickness, and presence of peripheral anterior synechiae. RESULTS Mean age of study subjects was 63.2 ± 8.0 years, 52.6% were female, and 89.4% were Chinese. Mean IOP was 14.8 ± 2.4 mm Hg (range 826). IOP (mean ± SE) increased with number of quadrants with gonioscopic angle closure (none: 14.6 ± 0.2; one: 14.7 ± 0.3; two: 15.0 ± 0.3; three: 15.0 ± 0.3; four: 15.6 ± 0.3 mm Hg; P < 0.001), and on AS-OCT (none: 14.7 ± 0.2; one: 15.0 ± 0.2; two: 14.8 ± 0.2; three: 15.1 ± 0.3; four: 16.0 ± 0.3 mm Hg; P < 0.001). IOP also increased in association with most of the ACA quantitative parameters measured on AS-OCT images, except for IT and lens vault. CONCLUSIONS There was an association between the extent of angle closure, as assessed on AS-OCT and gonioscopy, with increasing IOP.
Collaborative Knowledge Management: Examining the Challenges in the Rural Banking Industry in the Eastern Region of Ghana

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Frequency and Significance of Minor Clinical Features in Various Age‐Related Subgroups of Atopic Dermatitis in Children

The frequency and significance of minor clinical features for the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) were evaluated in different age‐related subgroups of 100 children (up to 12 yrs) with AD and an equal number of controls. Additional features studied were infraauricular fissuring, diffuse scaling of the scalp, and Hertoghe sign. Features found to be nonspecific were ichthyosis, nipple eczema, cheilitis, keratoconus, anterior subcapsular cataract, pityriasis alba, anterior neck folds, and food intolerance. Other minor features were of variable significance in different age groups. Seasonal variation of AD was observed in 44% of patients, with worsening during winter in 29% and in summer in 15%. Of the additional features, diffuse scaling of the scalp and infraauricular fissuring were significant, but Hertoghe sign was not. It was therefore concluded that minor clinical features for the diagnosis of AD need modification, with deletion of some of the present features and addition of newer ones.
An ecological approach to understanding barriers to employment for youth with disabilities compared to their typically developing peers: views of youth, employers, and job counselors

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which youth with physical disabilities encounter different barriers to finding employment compared to their typically developing peers. Methods: This study draws on 50 qualitative in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 31 youth (16 typically developing and 15 with a disability), and youth employers and job counselors knowledgeable about employment readiness among adolescents (n = 19). We utilize Bronfrebrenner’s ecological framework to reveal the complex web of factors shaping youth’s labor market outcomes. Results: Only half of youth with a disability were working or looking for work compared to their peers. The findings show this was a result of different expectations of, and attitudes toward, youth with disabilities. For many youth with a disability, their peers, family and social networks often acted as a barrier to getting a job. Many youth also lacked independence and life skills that are needed to get a job (i.e. self-care and navigating public transportation) compared to their peers. Job counselors focused on linking youth to employers and mediating parental concerns. Employers appeared to have weaker links to youth with disabilities. System level barriers included lack of funding and policies to enhance disability awareness among employers. Conclusions: Youth with physical disabilities encounter some similar barriers to finding employment compared to their typically developing peers but in a stronger way. Barriers to employment exist at several levels including individual, sociostructural and environmental. The results highlight that although there are several barriers to employment for young people at the microsystem level, they are linked with larger social and environmental barriers. Implications for Rehabilitation Clinicians working with youth should promote the development of skills that can lead to improved self-confidence and communication skills for youth. Encourage the development of extracurricular activities and social networking to build these skills and to make contacts for finding employment. Clinicians should support youth with disabilities and their parents in practicing independence skills (such as self-care, self-advocacy and navigating public transportation) they need prior to seeking employment. Vocational rehabilitation professionals should educate youth on how to disclose their condition to a potential employer, how to ask for ask for accommodations and how to market their abilities. Clinicians should help to link youth with disabilities to volunteer opportunities and to employers. Advocate for disability awareness training for employers regarding how to accommodate people with disabilities and the potential they offer in the workplace.
The Impact of Horizontal Mergers on Market Structure: Evidence from the Semiconductor Industry

The U.S. and EU Merger Guidelines strongly emphasize the relevance of the “ease of entry” argument in merger evaluations. Up to now, very little is known empirically about how mergers affect entry and exit, and the resulting number of firms in the markets. We empirically test this aspect of mergers using a comprehensive database that contains detailed firm-level information on mergers, production, and innovation in the dynamic random access memory semiconductor market from 1985 to 2004. Our reduced-form regression results show that mergers dominated by efficiency effects have a negative impact on the number of firms in the product market. Mergers dominated by market power effects result in a higher number of firms than efficiency dominated mergers. Interestingly, we also find that mergers foreclose potential entry in other product markets and reduce the number of firms in related product markets. Finally, our results confirm that postmerger changes in the equilibrium number of firms directly impact market prices.