Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting satisfaction and loyalty to online group buying

Purpose – In 2008, a phenomenon emerged in online retail that attracted the attention of many people, creating a new virtual model of commerce. This phenomenon was called online group buying and arrived in Brazil in 2010. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect satisfaction and loyalty to group buying sites. Design/methodology/approach – Through structural equation modeling, the relationships between the attractiveness of discount rates, service quality, popularity, online brand image, antecedent word of mouth (WOM), creativity and trust in relation to consumer general satisfaction, declared loyalty, repurchase intention and positive WOM were observed. A total of 727 valid questionnaires were collected from online group buyers to test the 11 hypotheses proposed in this study. Findings – The main contribution of this study was that it identified the strong influence of service quality, popularity and online brand image on consumer general satisfaction, and the influence of service quality, trust and general satisfaction on repurchase intention. It also identified the influence of trust, creativity and general satisfaction on declared loyalty, and finally, the influence of trust and general satisfaction on positive WOM. Research limitations/implications – Because of the extensive and robust model, other statistical interactions among the constructs were gauged. It is possible that new structures and paths for alternative models can be proposed in the future with the inclusion of new relationships not analyzed in the present study. Furthermore, future studies should consider testing the generated model in other countries, as the particular features of collective purchasing in Brazil should be taken into account. Practical implications – In addition to being concerned with the attractiveness of discounts, marketing managers of group buying sites should concentrate their efforts on strengthening perceived quality, image, trust and the creativity of the site to ensure customer loyalty. Social implications – The online group buying business model that was established in Brazil differs significantly from the American and European models. As many online group buying studies have been conducted in these markets, Brazilian consumers will enjoy substantial gains in the quality of the service provided by collective purchasing sites through the development of actions that focus on improving the factors that affect these consumers. Originality/value – The originality of this study lies in the development of a single model that tests a set of factors gauged separately in other studies related to online purchase behavior in a broader perspective.
Green Dimensions, Environment Orientation and Size: Impact Assessment on Operational Performance of Manufacturing Firms

Rise in the environmental problems in past few years has led to discussions and debate concerning the actions required from government, corporate sector and society at large. Realizing that espousal of green marketing practices is now inevitable, all concerned stakeholders including the business firms are assuming responsibility to safeguard environment from further degradation by actively engaging in eco-friendly practices. It is in this backdrop that the current research delves into the green practices that specifically hold relevance for manufacturing firms. Using the technique of CFA on the response set obtained from 77 key officials, the study confirms the composition of green dimensions and examines the performance of each of the constituents on operational performance of sample firms. The study additionally contributes to the existing literature by analysing the role of management’s environment orientation and firm size in influencing the aforesaid impact and linkages. The insights provided in the article would be useful for the management of manufacturing firms in formulating appropriate mix of green activities that could enable them in effectively attaining their operational objectives. The limitations acknowledged in the present work pave way for future studies in the area of green marketing.
Strain Hardening and Dough Gas Cell-wall Failure in Biaxial Extension

Abstract Dough rheological properties were measured in biaxial extension using a modified Chopin Alveograph under conditions close to those of baking expansion. The resulting stress-strain curves showed power-law strain hardening, indicating an increase in stiffness with increasing inflation. This strain hardening was shown to be critical in determining the limit of bubble expansion, both in the Alveograph and in baking. A criterion for gas cell-wall instability and failure has been derived, which takes into account the strain and strain-rate hardening properties of dough during large extensional deformation. Differences in bubble stability were observed between different wheat cultivars at low rates of inflation close to those of baking expansion, but these differences disappeared at the higher rates normally associated with rheological testing.
Biochemical and microbiological studies on Kawal, a meat substitute derived by fermentation of Cassia obtusifolia leaves

Biochemical and microbiological changes during the fermentation of leaves of the tropical legume, Cassia obtusifolia, in the preparation of the traditional Sudanese food, kawal, are reported. The microflora during fermentation were dominated by two bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Propionibacterium sp. Other species present included Lactobacillus plantarum, Staphylococcus sciuri and two yeasts. No marked inter-special successional pattern was observed during fermentation. Sun-dried kawal possessed a mean crude protein content of 26.2% indicating negligible loss of N during fermentation. The overall chemical score of kawal protein was 73 with lysine as the most limiting amino acid. The main fermentation products were volatile fatty acids (VFA) principally n-butyric and acetic acids although propionic and isobutyric acids were also present. Total VFA content averaged 15% at the end of fermentation but fell to 10% during sun-drying. Lactic acid concentrations remained low throughout fermentation, the final product containing only 0.2% of this compound. Accumulation of ammonia-N closely paralleled VFA formation and similarly declined sharply in concentration during sun-drying. The major alcohols formed during fermentation were n-propanol and n-butanol which attained a maximum combined concentration of 3% although disappearing during the drying process. The insignificant change in pH during fermentation was ascribed to the buffering effect of the high calcium content of the leaves. Changes in chemical composition noted during sun-drying indicated that this process involved not only dehydration but secondary microbial action.
Towards Agile Public Sector: Analysing the Effects of IM and EM on WP

Most of the public managers are of the firm belief that extrinsic monetary rewards predominantly contribute to employee productivity and that the motivational strategies shall be aligned to sustain extrinsic motivation (EM) rather than intrinsic motivation (IM). A substantial body of literature on motivation does not endorse this perspective. A relook of the present motivational strategies in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in India and an evaluation of the suitability of these strategies as drivers of agility are quite appropriate at this juncture. The purpose of this article is to examine the effects of IM and EM on work performance (WP) in CPSEs, in the context of workforce agility. This article also analyses the relationship between EM and IM in public sector settings. Data collected from 371 employees of five selected CPSEs were analysed. We found that the effect of IM on WP is stronger than the effect of EM on WP in CPSEs. We also found that EM influences IM positively. The study offers insights to public managers to review the existing motivation strategies and to focus on enhancing the IM for an inevitable agile transformation.
Scented nectar and the challenge of measuring honest signals in pollination

Nectar scents are thought to function as honest signals of reward used by pollinators, but this hypothesis has rarely been tested. Using Penstemon digitalis, we examined honest signalling of the nectar volatile (S)‐(+)‐linalool and pollinator responses to linalool in both field and laboratory settings. Because our previous work showed that linalool emission was associated with higher female fitness and that nectar is scented with linalool, we hypothesized that linalool was an honest signal of nectar reward. To assess honesty, we measured linalool–nectar associations including nectar volume, sugar amount, concentration and production rate for inflorescences and flowers in several populations. We also assessed whether Bombus impatiens, the main pollinator of P. digitalis at our sites, can use linalool as a foraging signal. We supplemented real or artificial flowers in the field and laboratory with varying linalool–nectar combinations to measure pollinator behavioural responses. We found that an inflorescence's linalool emissions could be used to predict nectar rewards in P. digitalis, but this was driven by indirect associations with display size rather than directly advertising more profitable flowers. For flowers within inflorescences there was also no evidence for an association between signal and reward. Field tests of bumblebee behaviour were inconclusive. However, in laboratory assays, bumblebees generally used variation in linalool emissions to choose more profitable flowers, demonstrating they can detect differences in linalool emitted by P. digitalis and associate them with reward profitability. These results suggest experiments that decouple display size, scent and reward are necessary to assess whether (and when) bees prefer higher linalool emissions. Bees preferred nectars with lower linalool concentrations when linalool flavoured the nectar solution, suggesting the potential for conflicting pressures on scent emission in the field. Synthesis. Our results highlight the challenges of assessing function for traits important to fitness and suggest that the perception of floral signalling honesty may depend on whether pollinators use inflorescences or flowers within inflorescences when making foraging decisions. We conclude that future research on honest signalling in flowering plants, as well as its connection to phenotypic selection, should explicitly define honesty, in theoretical and experimental contexts.
Weddell Sea Phytoplankton Blooms Modulated by Sea Ice Variability and Polynya Formation

Seasonal sea ice retreat is known to stimulate Southern Ocean phytoplankton blooms, but depth‐resolved observations of their evolution are scarce. Autonomous float measurements collected from 2015–2019 in the eastern Weddell Sea show that spring bloom initiation is closely linked to sea ice retreat timing. The appearance and persistence of a rare open‐ocean polynya over the Maud Rise seamount in 2017 led to an early bloom and high annual net community production. Widespread early ice retreat north of Maud Rise in 2017, however, had a similar effect, suggesting that the polynya most impacted the timing of bloom initiation. Still, higher productivity rates at Maud Rise relative to the surrounding region are observed in all years, likely supported by flow‐topography interactions. The longer growing season in 2017–2018 also allowed for separation of distinct spring and fall bloom signals, the latter of which was primarily subsurface and associated with mixed‐layer deepening.
A REACTIVE SILICATE BUDGET FOR THE ARCTIC OCEAN1

Available data permit formulation of a reactive silicate budget for the Arctic Ocean. There is fairly good agreement between the jnput and removal terms. Arctic rivers do not appear to have unusually high reactive silicate concentrations and the budget indicates that the Arctic Ocean is not a major source for reactive silicate; it could even bc a sjnk. The results also lend some credcncc to the view that the Bering Strait inflow may exit primarily via the Canadian Archipelago. Cooper (1952) suggested that tundra drainage might introduce large quantities of reactive silicate to the Arctic Ocean and that as a result, reactive silicate-silicon concentrations in Arctic outflow waters might exceed 50 pg-atoms liter-l. Burton and Liss ( 1968) also believed that the contribution by tundra drainage might be important in the oceanic dissolved silicon budget. But they made no quantitative estimates, and the possible contribution was apparently not essential for their arguments. Stefansson ( 1968) questioned Cooper’s hypothesis because he observed low reactive silicate concentrations in Polar and Arctic waters in the Irminger Sea. Our work has also shown that Arctic outflow waters are not greatly enriched in reactive silicate and that the reactive silicate concentrations in Arctic rivers do not appear to be unusually high. Arctic outflow waters in the East Greenland Current do appear to be slightly enriched in rcactive silicate. However, despite the slight enrichment the reactive silicate transport of the East Greenland Current might even be less than the . transport of the considcrably smaller volume of Pacific waters entering through Bering Strait, and the contribution from the Arctic rivers is not likely to account for more than about 10% of the worldwide contribution from runoff. 1 Contribution No. 707 from the Department of Oceanography, University of Washington. This rcsearch was sponsored by Office of Naval Research Contract N-00014-67-A-0103-0014. We wish to thank Drs. K. Aagaard, J. D. Burton, L. K. Coachman, K. A. Fanning, and F. A. Richards for their helpful suggestions, the Arctic Institute of North America and the U. S. Naval Oceanographic Office for permission to use Figs, 2 and 3, and those in the U. S. Coast Guard and the Naval Oceanographic Office who participated in the surveys which obtained many of the data used here. Mr. K. A. Countryman was kind enough to provide us with some of the data.
Blackcurrant extract does not affect the speed–duration relationship during high-intensity running

Abstract Anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract (BC) has been shown to ergogenically aid high-intensity exercise. Capacity for such exercise is evaluated by the hyperbolic speed–tolerable duration (S–Dtol) relationship. Therefore, in double-blinded and cross-over randomised controlled trials, 15 males underwent treadmill running incremental exercise testing and were assessed for S–Dtol, quantified by critical speed (CS) and D’ (distance), and assessments of time to exhaustion performance to empirically test the limits of the S–Dtol relationship, after daily supplementation of 300 mg/d BC (105 mg/d anthocyanin) or placebo. Supplementation with BC did not change CS (placebo 12.1 ± 1.0 km/h vs BC 11.9 ± 1.0 km/h, p > .05) or D’ (placebo 918.6 ± 223.2 m vs BC 965.2 ± 231.2 m, p > .05), although further analysis indicated D’ increased in 60% of subject (p = .08), indicating a trend toward cohorts potentially benefiting from BC supplementation. BC supplementation did not change time to exhaustion at or above CS, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), lactate threshold (LT), submaximal running economy (CR), or substrate utilisation during exercise (all p > .05). In conclusion, we could not detect any beneficial effect of BC supplementation during high-intensity running exercise, including the determining factors S–Dtol relationship, VO2max, LT or CR. Hence, no ergogenic effect was observed.
The mortality of cadmium exposed workers

Epidemiological studies have sought an association between cadmium and adverse health effects following both general environmental and occupational exposure. Increased mortality has been observed in a number of studies, briefly reported here, in particular from chronic obbstructive respiratory disease including emphysema, chronic renal disease, hypertensive and cerebrovascular disease, cancer of the prostate and cancer of the lung. An ongoing cohort mortality study of cadmium exposed workers has shown a significant increased mortality from chronic bronchitis and from lung cancer related to intensity and duration of exposure, a significant excess mortality from stomach cancer not related to exposure, a small non‐significant excess risk from hypertensive disease, but no excess risk from cerebrovascular or chronic renal disease, or from cancer of the prostate. A case control study on lung cancer in a lead zinc cadmium smelter which formed part of the cohort has shown an increased lung cancer risk related to .
Parental care and brood division in a songbird, the black redstart

Sexual conflict over parental care can be mediated through differences in male and female overall feeding rates, brood division or both. At present, it is not clear whether post-fledging brood division occurs due to sexual conflict over parental investment or is due to bi-parental cooperation, e.g. increase offspring fitness. We provide evidence suggesting that brood division in the black redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros is due to sexual conflict. Males and females had similar feeding contributions during the nestling stage, which is common for most passerine species. After fledging, each parent showed long-term feeding preferences for particular chicks within the brood. In most cases (74%; 17/23) both parents provided care but males tended to feed less fledglings than females did and in about a quarter of cases (26%; 6/23) females fed the whole brood by themselves. The relative amount of male to female post-fledging feedings showed a significant negative relationship with the proportion of fledglings cared for exclusively by the male. These results suggest (1) a close link between the amount of parental care and brood division; (2) sexual conflict can be mediated through brood division; (3) female redstarts appear to loose this conflict more often than male redstarts, with in the extreme cases males showing post-fledging brood desertion. A literature review shows brood division to occur in at least a dozen of songbird species but male black redstarts have the lowest relative post-fledging parental investment, expressed either as feeding rates or number of chicks in care.
Phylogenetic relationship of 16 Oedipodidae species (Insecta: Orthoptera) based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences

Abstract The sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene of 16 Oedipodidae species were amplified and sequenced. All sequences were aligned and analyzed and the phylogenetic relationships were inferred. The properties of 16S gene in Oedipodidae showed typical patterns of many insects such as a high A+T content and variable distance‐dependent transition/transversion ratios. The 0.2 weight for sites of loops may be advisable for phylogeny reconstruction using the maximum parsimony method. The phylogenetic analysis results do not support the current subfamily classification systems of Oedipodidae. Bryodemellinae and Bryodeminae are closely related and should be merged as one subfamily. The status of Oedipodinae and Locustinae is also problematic.
A Color Atlas of Plant Structure

AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsPreface1. Introduction - The assortment of land plants, Transpiration and translocation in vascular plants, General morphology of angiosperms, Floral and reproductive features of angiosperms, Theme of the atlas.2. The plant Cell - Introduction, Cell membranes, Nucleus, Plastids, Mitochondria, Endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, Vacuoles, Microbodies, Ribosomes, Microtubules and microfilaments, The cell wall.3. Plant Histology - Distribution of cells and tissues, Parenchyma, Collenchyma, Sclerenchyma, Secretory tissues, Phloem, Xylem, Structure of Wood4. Apical Meristems: Genesis of Primary Shoot and Root - Introduction, Vegetative shoot apex, Early leaf and bud development, Tissue differentiation in the young stem, Root apex, tissue differentiation in the young root5. The Green Leaf - Introduction, Morphology and venation, Anatomy of the lamina, Anatomy of the petiole6 The Stem - Primary growth, Anatomy of the mature primary stem, secondary growth, Anatomy of the woody stem, Periderm, Thickened monocotyledonous stem7. The Root - Introduction, Anatomy of the mature primary root, Lateral and adventitious roots, Mycorrhizae and root nodules, Secondary growth in roots8. Sexual Reproduction - Introduction, General features of flowers, Perianth, Androecium, Gynoecium, Fertilisation, Development of the seed, The fruitSelected bibliographyGlossaryIndex
The Comparison of HHHFNC and NCPAP in Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Infants After Extubation: A Single-Center Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: To compare the clinical efficacy of heated, humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in extremely low-birth-weight preterm infants (ELBWI) after extubation. Methods: This trial included 94 extremely low-birth-weight infants (ELBWI), within 7 days after birth, and prepared for tracheal extubation and a change to non-invasive ventilation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2018, with 48 infants in the HHHFNC group and 46 infants in the NCPAP group. Reintubation rate within 72 h after initial extubation, total ventilation time, non-invasive ventilation time, total oxygen inhalation time, and the time to reach full enteral feeding were the primary outcome measures. Total intestinal feeding time, average weight gain rate, days of hospitalization, costs of hospitalization, and complication rates, including nasal injury, IVH, BPD, NEC, ROP, and PDA, were used as secondary outcomes. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney U-test with a Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate, in SPSS (25.0). Results: HHHFNC not only shortened the oxygen exposure time but also effectively reduced the incidence of nasal injury (6.25 vs. 36.96%) and NEC (10.42 vs. 28.26%) (P < 0.05). Additionally, HHHFNC achieved a significant advance in the time to reach full enteral feeding (31.24 ± 11.35 vs. 34.21 ± 14.09 days); increased the average weight gain rate (16.07 ± 3.10 vs. 13.74 ± 4.21) and reduced the days of hospitalization (73.45 ± 18.84 vs. 79.24 ± 19.75), with a lower cost of hospitalization (16.04 ± 3.64 vs.18.79 ± 4.13) thousand dollars (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: Compared with NCPAP, HHHFNC was effective in preventing extubation failure in mechanically ventilated preterm ELBWI. HHHFNC shortens oxygen consumption time and significantly reduces the incidence of nasal injury and necrotizing enterocolitis; moreover, it can also reduce the length of stay and the hospitalization costs.