Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dark Side of Consumer–Brand Relationship: Do Ideal Self-Congruence, Brand Attachment and Personality Factors Affect Negative Consumer Behaviors?

The present study aims to investigate the effect of ideal self-congruence, brand attachment and some personality factors on the negative behaviors of consumers such as compulsive buying, anti-brand actions, and trash talking. The research population was comprised of customers of four IT service brands including Samsung, HP, Sony, and Apple in Iran. Structural equation modeling approach and PLS software were used to test the research hypotheses. The results indicated that ideal self-congruence had a significant positive effect on compulsive buying and trash talking. In addition, ideal self-congruence influenced the negative behaviors of consumers toward the brand through brand attachment. Neuroticism had a significant positive effect on compulsive buying and trash talking. However, conscientiousness only influenced trash talking and did not have any significant effect on compulsive buying. The results of this study show the negative behaviors toward brand. The recognition of negative aspects of the relationship between consumers and brands will help practitioners such as marketing managers with appropriate policy making of brand impression based on the characteristics of the target population. This paper has three key contributions. Since brand is one of the most important social factors, the evaluation of its effects on consumers has been considered by many researchers in recent years. However, studying the effects of branding on the negative behaviors of consumers is an under-researched issue. Studying the effect of neuroticism and conscientiousness as two personality characteristics on the negative behaviors toward brands is another neglected area. The third contribution is evaluating the research model in an Eastern culture with specific characteristics and preferences of consumers which make their behaviors different from customers of other cultures such as European or American consumers.
Stress factors among caregivers of children with Thalassemia

Introduction: Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic diseases known to mankind. Children with Thalassemia require medical, surgical and nursing care. Family members and caregivers of the affected children play a vital role during treatment. Moreover, they also undergo abundant stress and emotional changes concerning their children’s lives. Objective: To identify factors associated with stress and to correlate the factors with selected demographic variables in caregivers of children with Thalassemia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted among sixty caregivers of children with Thalassemia, admitted in the Thalassemia ward of a selected hospital in Bangalore. Demographic data of the subjects, and the perceived stress were assessed using structured interview questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Results showed that caregivers experienced significant stress on the following domains: daily care stress (DM1) with a score of 2.82 +1.14 (mean±sd), family emotional stress (DM2) 24.43± 9.65, social stress (DM3) 3.30±1.59, financial stress (DM4) 0.90±0.30 and personal development stress (DM5) 3.77±1.73. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between the stress domains and age, (r=0.64, p<0.05) family size (r=0.58, p<0.05) and duration of contact (r=0.70, p<0.05) of the caregiver with the child. Conclusion: The study shows that stress among caregivers is significant in the domain of ‘family emotional stress’, indicating that family members certainly experience more burden in providing care to children with Thalassemia.
Tree Bark Phenols Regulate the Physiological and Biochemical Performance of Gladiolus Flowers

The postharvest physiology of cut flowers is largely dependent on vase life, which is the maximum number of days before flower senescence. The use of tree bark extracts (major forest plant residues), as an eco-friendly and natural antioxidant preservative in holding solutions, is a novel tool for extending flower longevity. The morphological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic responses of Gladiolus grandiflorus cut spikes to Magnolia acuminata and Taxus cuspidata bark extracts as additives in holding solutions were investigated. G. grandiflorus subjected to bark extracts as well as catechin and protocatechuic acid (main phenols) displayed significant increased longevity (up to 18 days), an increased number of open florets, and increased floret fresh weight. Increases in the relative water content, leaf chlorophyll, carotenoids, soluble sugars, and protein content were observed in addition to a reduction in microbial growth in the cut spikes. Gas exchange parameters were higher in the bark extract treatments than in the controls. Higher antioxidant activities were detected and associated with increased superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities and reduced H2O2 accumulation. The bark extract treatments associated with reduced expression of GgCyP1 (produces cysteine protease) and increased expression of both GgDAD1 (defends against apoptotic activity) and GgEXPA1 (regulates petal expansion). Several mechanisms were implicated in these effects, including maintenance of water content, enhanced management of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased sugar and protein composition, and control of microbial growth. Thus, bark extracts and isolated phenols could be developed as an eco-friendly, non-toxic, and cost-effective natural preservative for cut gladiolus flowers.
Outcome of Pediatric Low Grade Gliomas in Developing Countries: the Impact of Elimination of Radiotherapy

ackground: The care of pediatric low grade gliomas (LGG) of central nervous system in developing countries is still suboptimal. By introduction of chemotherapy and avoiding of radiotherapy in children, better outcome should be achievable. Objectives: to evaluate the impact of replacement of radiotherapy by chemotherapy on the survival rate for children with LGG. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of records of patients (n=85; 48 males; median age 6 years) with LGG from May 2003 to December 2009 at King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment plan, and outcomes were studied. Results: Five-year event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 60%±7.3% and 92%±4.1%, respectively. The most common tumor site was the Posterior fossa/cerebellum and the suprasellar/hypothalamic area (n=23 each). The most common pathologic diagnosis was pilocytic astrocytoma (n=62). Initial surgical interventions were gross total resection (n=21), subtotal resection (n=20), and partial resection/biopsy (n=39). Posterior fossa tumors were more likely to have gross total or subtotal resection (n=17) compared to tumors in other sites. The most commonly used chemotherapeutic regimen was carboplatin/vincristine (n=29) followed by Vinblastine (n=6). There was a significant difference in the 5-year EFS by the tumor location (P=0.048) and degree of surgical resection (P=0.023). There was no statistical significance in outcome by the type of chemotherapy used (P=0.57). Conclusions: LGG management in developing countries can be improved through a multidisciplinary approach. The main impact of this approach was the elimination of radiotherapy from the management of most patients with LGG. keywords: Low grade gliomas, chemotherapy, developing countries
Hak cipta dan penggunaan kembali: Lisensi ini mengizinkan setiap orang untuk menggubah, memperbaiki, dan membuat ciptaan turunan bukan untuk kepentingan komersial, selama anda mencantumkan nama penulis dan melisensikan ciptaan turunan dengan syarat yang serupa dengan ciptaan asli

Purpose – This study seeks to fill a gap by investigating the moderating effects of LOC on each model path across internals and externals. Design/methodology/approach – The sample comprised 242 professional staff across a wide range of departments of a large organization in metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan. Following data collection, structural equation modeling is applied to conduct data analysis for confirmatory factor analysis. Findings – Test results indicate that global job satisfaction influences turnover intentions and organizational commitment is more for internals than externals. Organizational commitment influences turnover intentions similarly for both internals and externals. Furthermore, the influence of perceived job stress on job satisfaction and organizational commitment is stronger for externals than internals. Finally, leadership support influences job satisfaction more for internals than externals. Practical implications – Support for the proposed model provides encouragement for health care leaders interested in creating stable and low turnover environments that benefit both employees and organizations. Creating enhanced work environments that strengthen leadership support for employees acting on their own expert judgment and relieving job stress are essential for fostering job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Moreover, boosting job satisfaction and organizational commitment will ultimately lead to reduced turnover intentions. Originality/value – This study suggests that employees differ in terms of their locus of control, and that the differences are manifested in perceptions of job stress and leadership support.
UTILIZATION OF SILICA FUME IN MANUFACTURING OF CEMENT BONDED PARTICLEBOARDS

Silica fume, which is a highly reactive pozzolanic byproduct of producing silicon metal or ferrosilicon alloys, is known to improve both the mechanical characteristics and durability of concrete. This study investigates the effect of using silica fume as cement replacement materials on some properties of cement bonded particleboard from Douglas fir woods [Abies mordmanniana (Stev.) Spach. Subsp. Nordmanniana]. For this purpose, the three-layer cement bonded particleboards [CBPBs] with 1200kg/m target density and 1/2 1/3 wood-cement ratios were produced by replacing cement with different percentages of silica fume (10, 15, 20%). As cement curing accelerator, CaCl2 was used at 5% ratio (based on cement weight) for all the boards. The CBPBs produced were tested, according to the related EN Standards, to determine their mechanical and physical properties including modulus of rupture, modules of elasticity, internal bond strength, screw withdrawal strength, density, moisture content, water absorption and thickness swelling. The modulus of rupture values ranged from 9 MPa to 13.6MPa, while the modulus of elasticity values ranged from 5000MPa to 6500MPa. The internal bond strength values ranged from 1.05MPa to 1.95MPa. It was recorded that silica fume performed the improvements up to 20% at modulus of rupture and up to 40% at internal bond strength of the CBPBs. The mechanical properties of all the board types were over the requirements by EN 634-2 standard. Silica fume provided an improvement up to 50% at the thickness swelling values of the CBPBs. The results demonstrated that silica fume had a significant effect on the properties of CBPBs.
Synthesis of Nano-TiO2 Thin Films by Sol-gel Dip-coating Method

Synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) Thin film on three microscope glasses using sol-gel method has been studied intensively. The starting materials were titanium(III)chloride, Ammonium Hydroxide. The components were mixed together to form the sol. Then, at 50 heating and ageing was applied to form stable sol-gel . Every glass substrate dipping in sol-gel beaker for period time (1,3,5)min respectively, for obtaining different thickness films. To evaluate the performance of films, After annealing at 500 the crystallinity of the films was determined by using the x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The change on the surface morphology was observed using Atomic Force Microscope(AFM). Finally, Optical properties measurements Absorbance (A) and transmittance(T)) for (TiO 2 ) films were studied by UV-Visible spectrometer. analysis on the films. It has been successfully shown that the anatase crystalline phase was observed when the TiO 2 thin film was annealing at 500°C. The roughness and the crystalline size of TiO 2 thin film changed with the thickness. The minimum grain size( 6.92) nm for thickness 1. 2µm UV-visible studying that absorption is maximum at UV spectrum (opaque) and the transmittance is maximum at the visible spectrum
Sustainability disclosure and earnings informativeness: evidence from Sri Lanka

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the communication that takes place through the sustainability disclosure (SD) route has an effect on earnings informativeness (EI) of firms in an emerging market. ,The sample consists of companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka, where SD is a new phenomenon and a voluntary reporting initiative. Regression analysis is executed on the panel data to achieve the study objective. ,The result reveals a positive association between SD and EI. Sustainability reports may provide useful information that supplements merely financial data, aiding the stakeholders to interpret the financial reporting better. The finding premises that SD enhances EI, communicating value relevant information to capital market participants. ,SD does much to reduce capital market participants’ uncertainties, thereby aiding them to assess financial information better. ,The findings of the study confirm earlier research findings that indicate a positive association between SD and EI, suggesting that capital market participants are gradually becoming aware of the value relevance of sustainability reports. ,This is the first study investigating SD and EI association that is specific to the Sri Lankan context. Owing to the sparse studies done on the SD and EI association, this study should contribute significantly to the existing literature by broadening the geographical coverage.
Predator co-evolution and prey trait variability determine species coexistence 1 2

4 Department of Microbiology, P.O. Box 56, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland 5 Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, P.O. Box 65, 00014 University of 6 Helsinki, Finland 7 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Community 8 Dynamics Group, August Thienemann Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany 9 Limnological Institute University Konstanz, Aquatic Ecology and Evolution. Konstanz, Germany 10 Department of Biology, 20014 University of Turku, Turku, Finland 11 12 13
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES PAYING A PREMIUM ON YOUR PREMIUM? CONSOLIDATION IN THE U.S. HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY Leemore Dafny

We examine whether and to what extent consolidation in the U.S. health insurance industry is leading to higher employer-sponsored insurance premiums. We make use of a proprietary, panel dataset of employer-sponsored healthplans enrolling over 10 million Americans annually between 1998 and 2006 to explore the relationship between premium growth and changes in market concentration. We exploit the differential impact of a large national merger of two insurance firms across local markets to estimate the causal effect of concentration on market-level premiums. We estimate real premiums increased by approximately 7 percentage points (in a typical market) due to the rise in concentration during our study period. We also find evidence that consolidation facilitates the exercise of monopsonistic power vis a vis physicians, whose absolute employment and relative earnings decline in its wake. Leemore Dafny Department of Management and Strategy Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University 2001 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60208-2001 and NBER l-dafny@kellogg.northwestern. edu Mark Duggan University of Maryland Department of Economics 3115L Tydings Hall College Park, MD 20742 and NBER duggan@econ.bsos. umd.edu Subramaniam Ramanarayanan UCLA Anderson School of Management 110 Westwood Plaza, D-513 Los Angeles, CA 90095 subbu@anderson.ucla. edu
Learning by modeling energy systems

Meeting the 2°C climate target would likely require reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the global energy system to virtually zero within 50-100 years, and within 30-50 years for the 1.5°C target. Both cases would involve a complete transition of the global energy system to zero-emission technologies like renewables or nuclear power at unprecedented rates. This complex challenge can only be analyzed with energy system models, i.e. large computer models that can generate future energy scenarios. This thesis presents five papers that develop methodology for modeling the global energy transition. In papers 1-2, we develop new methods for representing technological development of emerging technologies like solar or wind power in energy models. We use “experience curves”, empirical relationships that describe how costs tend to fall for new technologies as a function of their market growth. We find that by investing in solar and wind at a global scale we can drive down costs to a point where they compete with conventional fossil energy sources. Paper 3 is a study of meeting climate targets with bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) using an integrated energy-climate model. BECCS is a technology that can produce negative emissions; i.e., it can deliver energy while actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. We find that if BECCS is used on a global scale, it can significantly reduce costs of meeting the 1.5°C target and potentially reverse global warming in the long run. Paper 4 addresses another modeling problem. Many global energy models are too large to use an hourly time resolution which may be necessary to represent very high penetration levels of variable renewables like solar and wind power. We present a method called “resource-based slicing” that can capture sufficient variability in just 16 annual time periods. Finally, in paper 5, we develop an open-source code base that uses global meteorological datasets to generate all input data an energy model needs to study solar-, wind- and hydropower in arbitrary world regions. Our GIS-based approach produces both hourly capacity factors and regional potentials for installed capacity, and our simple generic model performs on par with more detailed dedicated models of European electricity generation.
Variation in crop zinc concentration influences estimates of dietary Zn inadequacy

Background Zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies worldwide. Accurate estimates of Zn intake would facilitate the design and implementation of effective nutritional interventions. Objective We sought to improve estimates of dietary Zn intake by evaluating staple crop Zn content and dietary Zn consumption by children under the age of 5 in 9 rural districts of Uganda. Methods We measured the Zn content of 581 crop samples from household farms and 167 crop samples from nearby markets, and administered food frequency questionnaires to the primary caretakers of 237 children. We estimated Zn consumption using 3 sources of crop Zn content: (i) the HarvestPlus food composition table (FCT) for Uganda, (ii) measurements from household crops, and (iii) measurements from market crops. Results The Zn content of staple crops varied widely, resulting in significantly different estimates of dietary Zn intake. 41% of children appeared to be at risk when estimates were based on market-sampled crops, 23% appeared at risk when estimates were based on the HarvestPlus FCT, and 16% appeared at risk when estimates were based on samples from household farms. Conclusion The use of FCTs to calculate Zn intake overestimated the risk of dietary inadequacy for children who primarily consumed staple crops that were produced on household farms, but underestimated the risk for children who primarily consumed staple crops that were purchased at market. More information on the Zn content of staple crops in developing countries could lead to more accurate estimates of dietary intake and associated deficiencies.
The Perception of Social Security Incentives for Labor Supply and Retirement: The Median Voter Knows More than You&Apos;D Think

The degree to which the Social Security tax distorts labor supply depends on the extent to which individuals perceive the link between current earnings and future Social Security benefits. Some Social Security reform plans have been motivated by an assumption that workers fail to perceive this link and that increasing the salience of the link could result in significant efficiency gains. To measure the perceived linkage between labor supply and Social Security benefits, we administered a survey to a representative sample of Americans aged 50-70. We find that the majority of respondents believe that their Social Security benefits increase with labor supply. Indeed, respondents generally report a link between labor supply and future benefits that is somewhat greater than the actual incentive. We also surveyed people about their understanding of various other provisions in the Social Security benefit rules. We find that some of these provisions (e.g., effects of delayed benefit claiming and rules on widow benefits) are relatively well understood while others (e.g., rules on spousal benefits, provisions on which years of earnings are taken into account) are less well understood. In addition, our survey incorporated a framing experiment, which shows that how the incentives for delayed claiming are presented has an impact on hypothetical claiming decisions. In particular, the traditional "break-even" framing used by the Social Security Administration leads to earlier claiming than other presentations do.
Mapping the potential occurrence of an invasive species by using CLIMEX: case of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in The Netherlands

The Asian hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax was introduced in southern France in 2004. During the inventory in 2009, nests were found in the vicinity of Paris. To predict the potential occurrence in The Netherlands, a CLIMEX study has been conducted. The results show the likely geographic origin of European populations of the hornet in Yunnan province (China), and the suitability of climate in The Netherlands for support their populations.
Crosstalk of the mTOR network with stress granules and the TGF-beta pathway

Tumors are prime examples of cell growth in unfavorable environments that elicit cellular stress. The high metabolic demand and insufficient vascularization of tumors cause a deficiency of oxygen and nutrients. Oncogenic mutations map to signaling events via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), metabolic pathways, and mitochondrial function. These alterations have been linked with cellular stresses, in particular endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. Yet tumors survive these challenges and acquire highly energy-demanding traits, such as overgrowth and invasiveness. In this review we focus on stresses that occur in cancer cells and discuss them in the context of mTOR signaling. Of note, many tumor traits require mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activity, but mTORC1 hyperactivation eventually sensitizes cells to apoptosis. Thus, mTORC1 activity needs to be balanced in cancer cells. We provide an overview of the mechanisms contributing to mTOR regulation by stress and suggest a model wherein stress granules function as guardians of mTORC1 signaling, allowing cancer cells to escape stress-induced cell death.