Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurial marketing: a strategy for the twenty‐first century?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the author's view of the role of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) as a strategy to address the dynamic marketing environment of recent times.Design/methodology/approach – The author reflects on some significant marketing changes and provides some contemporary example of companies that have successfully adopted EM approaches and challenged traditional marketing wisdom.Findings – EM is best conceived not as a nexus between marketing and entrepreneurship, but as an augmented process, where both the entrepreneur and the customer are the core actors, co‐creating value within the marketing environment.Originality/value – While this is an opinion piece, the paper provides evidence of how EM can be adopted and applied by entrepreneurial firms and challenges marketers to create and control their own‐marketing environment.
Microbiological safety and quality assessment of a very appreciate traditional ready to eat plantain food, sold in retails markets

The microbiological quality of “Dockounou”, a traditional appreciate ready to eat plantain food marketed in Cote d’Ivoire was investigated. Microbial load was estimated by plate count using decimal dilution method. Culture medium was made selective depending on the species. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria on principal component analysis (PCA) ranged from 32.104 to 44.104 cfu/g while yeast and moulds were estimated between 10 to 102 cfu/g. Enterococci and Lactobacilli counts ranged from 0 to 100 cfu/g and 41.103 to 68.103 cfu/g, respectively. Two thermotolerant bacteria were isolated: Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus macerans. Baked and boiled “dockounou” were free fromSalmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus and Clostridium. The microbiological analysis showed the presence of high counts of microorganisms probably due to poor sanitary practices from empiric traditional manufacturing procedures. Hence, it is recommended to apply good hygienic and storage practices with novel technology that offer full sanitary guarantees to the consumers. Key words: Plantain, ready to eat food, Dockounou, manufacturing process, microbiological quality.
The Effects of Sinus Bacteria on Human Ciliated Nasal Epithelium in Vitro

The mechanisms by which bacteria colonize and damage ciliated epithelium are important in understanding the pathophysiology of rhinitis, sinusitis, and otitis. Bacteria that have the ability to impair mucociliary clearance would be at an advantage in establishing infection of ciliated surfaces. This study investigates the effect of Hemophilus Influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Brahmanella catarralis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis on the ciliary activity of normal ciliated nasal epithelium in human beings. Ciliary activity of the nasal epithelium in the presence of each pathogen was assessed for more than 240 minutes with a photometric method of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) measurement. H. influenzae exerted significant effects on ciliary activity, with a 46% decrease in the CBF by 4 hours (with bacteria-containing broth) and a 32% decrease with bacteria-free filtrate. S. epidermidis decreased CBF by 44% with the bacterial broth. A sterile cell-free filtrate had no significant effect. S. pneumoniae and B. catarralis had no significant effect on CBF within a 240-minute period. H. influenzae and S. epidermidis disrupted normal synchronous ciliary motion, causing adjacent cilia to beat at different rates.
Internet (non-)use types and motivational access: Implications for digital inequalities research

Research into digital inequalities has shifted from a binary view of Internet use versus non-use to studying gradations in Internet use. However, this research has mostly compared categories of users only. In addition, the role of attitudes in digital inequalities has been largely overlooked. This article addresses these limitations by performing a systematic analysis of factors that distinguish low Internet users from non-users, regular users, and broad users. In addition to socio-demographic characteristics, we examine attitudinal variables. Results drawn from multinomial regressions indicate that attitudes play at least as large a role as socio-economic factors in determining the likelihood of belonging to specific (non-)user categories. This identifies positive attitudes toward technologies and the Internet as a crucial step toward Internet adoption. Hence, digital inequality research needs to consider factors other than traditional socio-economic ones to draw a complete picture.
Is the Quantification of Antigen-Specific Basophil Activation a Useful Tool for Monitoring Oral Tolerance Induction in Children With Egg Allergy?

OBJECTIVES To assess modifications in baseline specific IgE- and anti-IgE- and antigen-specific-mediated basophil activation in egg-allergic children. The values were compared before and after the children completed specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) with egg. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 28 egg-allergic children who completed SOTI with egg. The basophil activation test and specific IgE determinations with egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid were performed in all 28 children. RESULTS A decrease in antigen-specific activation with egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid was observed only at the 2 lowest concentrations used (5 and 0.05 ng/mL). Baseline activation was higher in patients with multiple food allergies and in those who developed anaphylaxis during SOTI; this activation decreased in both groups after completion of SOTI. A significant decrease was also observed in specific IgE values for egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid after tolerance induction. CONCLUSIONS Food tolerance induction is a specific process for each food that can be mediated by immunologic changes such as a decrease in specific IgE values and in specific and spontaneous basophil activation.
The Effects of Demand Characteristics in Auditor Independence Studies

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the claims by Pany and Reckers (PR) [1987] that prior studies on auditor independence which adopted a repeated measures design were suspect because the results were driven by demand characteristics (DCs). The present study was comprised of a series of experiments using 208 students as subjects. Results confirm the PR findings that DCs exist for repeated measures over four levels when the management advisory services (MAS) variable is manipulated. However, when MAS and financial condition of the client variables were manipulated over two levels with both a repeated and between-subjects design, only the effects of MAS appear to be DC-driven since no significant results were obtained in the between-subjects design. Significant results were obtained for both the repeated measures and the between-subjects design for the financial condition of the client, thus suggesting that DCs was not a serious problem in repeated measures for the financial condition variable. Hence, it appears .
Relative Impact of Patient and Clinic Factors on Adherence to Primary Care Preventive Service Guidelines: An Exploratory Study

Background.Preventive care service use is commonly compared across health plans, clinics, or individual providers, yet little is known about the influence of the clinic versus patient factors on utilization of these services. Objectives.To measure the relative influence of the facility (clinic) versus patient factors (demographic, behavioral and functional characteristics) on patients’ utilization of mammography, Pap smears, cholesterol screening, and retinal exams for those with diabetes. Research Design. Retrospective analysis, using administrative and patient survey data Subjects.Enrollees in 2 University-based clinics and a county hospital-based clinic serving a predominantly low-income population with limited access to health care. Eligibility for cervical cancer screening, screening mammography, cholesterol screening, or annual retinal exam (diabetes) was defined by age, sex, and diagnosis. Measures.Multivariate models, one using readily available administrative data, and another using detailed health status and behavior data gathered from a clinics-wide survey. Results.Unadjusted screening rates for three of four procedures were significantly and substantially lower at the county hospital based clinic than the two University-based clinics. After adjusting for patient characteristics, utilization of three screening services at the county hospital remained significantly below the University-based clinics (Odds Ratios [95% CI]: mammogram 0.15 [0.06–0.35]; Pap smear 0.32 [0.21–0.50]; cholesterol 0.19 [0.09–0.38]; diabetes retinal exam10.68 [0.93–3.01]). The models with detailed survey data performed only marginally better than the models using only administrative data. Conclusions.Patient characteristics were much less important than the clinic for predicting whether patients received primary care preventive services. Our results suggest that case mix adjustment is unlikely to explain away discrepancies in performance between clinics or provider groups.
SOCIAL NETWORK IN RELATION TO PLASMA FIBRINOGEN

Consistent findings about the inverse association of social network level with coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity suggest the importance of investigating biological pathways of association. Differences in plasma fibrinogen level were investigated among middle-aged men with weak and strong structural and functional social network ties. Men with low scores in the adequacy of social participation variable (structural) had higher mean values of plasma fibrinogen than those with high scores. The difference remained after adjustment for age, smoking and cardiovascular health status and after possible modifying factors were taken into account, but did not remain significant after allowing for physical fitness. Men with high scores in overall support (functional) had higher plasma fibrinogen levels compared to the men with low scores. This difference persisted after age and cardiovascular health status were taken into account but was explained by smoking. The data suggest that smoking and cardiorespiratory fitness are important mediating or modifying factors between structural and functional aspects of social network ties and plasma fibrinogen.
Intergrated risk management in the supply chain of essential medicines in Zambia

vi List of Figures . x List of Tables and Equations. xi List of Abbreviations . xii 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.0 Background and Justification of research . 1 1.1 Problem statement . 4 1.2 Aim of research . 6 1.3 Research Objectives . 6 1.4 Research Questions . 6 1.5 Delimitation . 7 1.6 Summary . 7 1.7 Dissertation outline . 7 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW. 9 2.0 Introduction . 9 2.1 Definitions . 9 2.1.1 Essential Medicines . 9 2.1.2 Risk . 10 2.1.3 Risk Management . 10 2.1.4 Risk identification . 11 2.1.5 Risk analysis and evaluation. 13 2.1.6 Risk response and control . 15 2.1.7 Risk review, monitoring and communication . 16 2.1. 8 Supply Chain . 16 2.1. 9 Supply Chain Management . 17 2.2 Risk Management in Medicines . 18
A dual perspective of customer orientation: a modification, extension and application of the SOCO scale

The importance of customer orientation has been widely discussed although few studies have specifically measured this construct. Describes a study that compares the service providers’ self‐perception of customer orientation with customer perceptions of this dimension in a health care setting where both nurses and patients are surveyed. Customer orientation is measured using a modified SOCO scale adapted to a hospital context. Finds significant differences between the nurses’ and patients’ mean scores for the customer orientation scale (COS). Discusses an analysis of scale item differences together with item variation between patient groups. Suggests that two dimensions may exist within the customer orientation construct, information exchange and professional relationship. Discusses the managerial implications of these results.
How Recovery Process Influences the Design of Debt Contracts

Literature on ex-ante efficiency of bankruptcy procedures investigates how these procedures influence the behavior of managers and creditors. We extend this literature by explaining how bankruptcy law can influence the design of debt contracts through the recovery process. We develop a model of a lending relationship with moral hazard with an active bank taking a decision regarding the continuation or the liquidation of the borrower in case of default. We show the impact of the recovery process on the design of debt contracts (loan rate, collateralized percentage of the loan).
The European Corporate Governance Framework: Issues and Perspectives

This is the first chapter in a volume on “Boards and Shareholders in European Listed Companies: Facts, Context and Post-Crisis Reforms” (M. Belcredi and G. Ferrarini eds., Cambridge University Press forthcoming 2013). We offer an overview of the volume, placing the same in the context of recent EU reforms and of corporate governance theory, and summarizing the main outcomes of the various chapters. In addition, we offer some policy perspectives based on the theoretical and empirical outcomes of the research project of which this volume is the product. We analyse four main topics in the corporate governance of European listed firms: board structure/composition and its interaction with ownership structure, board remuneration, shareholder activism and corporate governance disclosure based on the “comply-or-explain” approach. For each of them, this volume provides new evidence and derives specific implications, relevant for the policy debate. Basically, proposals aimed at increasing disclosure and accountability at the European level look generally well-grounded: this is true, in particular, for disclosure about managerial compensation and compliance with national governance codes based on the “comply-or-explain” principle. On the opposite, we suggest caution when evaluating proposals targeting specific governance arrangements, which may actually lead to unintended consequences. Even though the Commission has – so far – refrained from adopting an excessively intrusive stance, further analysis may be needed before intervening in the fields of board composition and shareholder activism.
Observation of Backward Guided-Acoustic-Wave Brillouin Scattering in Optical Fibers Using Pump–Probe Technique

We experimentally demonstrate the observation of backward (i.e., opposite of the direction of the pump) guided-acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering (GAWBS) using the pump-probe technique and investigate the spectral dependence on the pump-probe light power. We show that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the backward GAWBS measurement can be drastically improved by using this technique. We also observe a nonmonotonic dependence of the SNR on the probe power, which indicates that optimal probe power exists for implementing GAWBS-based distributed sensors.
Sphingosylphosphorylcholine activates dendritic cells, stimulating the production of interleukin‐12

Compared with other lysophospholipid mediators such as sphingosine‐1‐phosphate and lysophosphatidic acid, little is known about the physiological significance of the related bioactive lysosphingolipid sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), which is present in high‐density lipoprotein particles. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of SPC on human immature dendritic cells (DCs). Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry assays revealed that DCs express two putative receptors for SPC, ovarian cancer G‐protein‐coupled receptor 1 and G‐protein‐coupled receptor 4. Exposure to SPC induced a rapid and transient increase in intracellular free calcium concentrations but did not stimulate endocytosis or chemotaxis of DCs. SPC increased the expression of HLA‐DR, CD86 and CD83 and improved the T‐cell priming ability of DCs, as well as the ability of DCs to stimulate the production of interferon‐γ by allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells during the mixed lymphocyte reaction. Consistent with these results, we also observed that SPC stimulated the production of interleukin (IL)‐12 and IL‐18 by DCs. Taken together, our results support the notion that the accumulation of SPC in peripheral tissues during the course of inflammatory processes may favour the development of T helper type 1 immunity.
Developmental Dysgraphias

Two cases of developmental dysgraphia are presented. These ten-year-old children are of at least average intelligence and vocabulary, with normal speech and no known neurological abnormality. Psycholinguistic investigations reveal that although performance for the two cases is quantitatively similar, there are marked qualitative differences: The majority of R.B. 's spelling errors are phonologically plausible, and she is better at spelling regular than irregular words. Non-word spelling is as good as word spelling. The pattern of spelling deficit is consistent with the label surface dysgraphia. A phonological route to spelling has developed in relative isolation from a lexical–semantic route to spelling. A.H. 's spelling contrasts in a number of ways with R.B. 's. Fewer than 1/5 of his spelling errors are phonologically plausible, and the spelling of regular words is no better than the spelling of irregular words. A.H. may have impaired development of the segmentation component of the phonological route and therefore be overreliant on an, albeit imperfect, lexical–semantic spelling route. Normal children at the same spelling level display patterns of performance similar to R.B. but differ quantitatively from A.H.
Quality of Service in Hospitality Industry: An Empirical Study

The service industry today occupies a prominent position in the economy of the developed as well as developing nations. There is a perceived need for documented and organized literature on how to achieve quality in the delivery of service in organizations. Service quality is a measure of how well the level of service delivered matches customer expectations. Hospitality sector is a major service oriented sector in the economy of a nation. The present work studies the delivery of service quality in hotels in LudhianaAn industrial city in the state of Punjab in India.
First principles analysis of proton conduction behavior in electrolytes of protonic ceramic fuel cells

Proton conduction behaviors in oxides have theoretically been investigated in a first-principles manner, taking several proton-conducting oxides with various crystal structures as model systems. The local structures around proton sites and the migration mechanisms greatly depend on the types and connections of oxygen polyhedral units in the crystal lattices. Consequently, the proton mobilities have strong correlation with the dimension of oxygen polyhedral network and the number of crystallographic oxygen sites in the proton long-range conduction pathways.
Cytocompatibility of Y2O3 and CeO2 containing bioactive glasses to aid spinal cord recovery

SiO2-SrO-Na2O glasses containing incremental amounts of yttrium (Y) and/or cerium (Ce), previously developed and characterized, were assessed for cytocompatibility using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay with L929-fibroblast cells and MC3T3-osteoblast cells. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed LP-HY (78%-133% viability ) and LP-YCe (17%-194% viability) glass extracts maintained cytocompatibility at the majority of doses and time periods, in comparison with the osteoblast control cell population.
Internet use as a part of business strategy in small hotels in the Republic of Croatia

In this paper a survey was conducted on how much owners/managers of small hotels in Croatia know about the strategic use of the Internet for marketing purposes and whether they are satisfied with the benefits of Internet use in their business. This study helps analyse the situation in the Croatian tourist market of small hotels, which skills and knowledge owners/managers of small hotels have, so that they could use the Internet as a strategic marketing tool and successfully implement it through Internet marketing. Additionally, the survey included the following potential sources of competitive advantage by using Internet tools in small hotels that are important to Internet marketing: improving the services that small hotels offer, the transfer of necessary information to guests, advertising and promotion, small hotel image, loyalty, marketing and Internet knowledge, business partners, associations - 'National association of family and small hotels' and informal networks. Namely, in order to create sustainable competitive advantage, high level of involvement of owners/managers in Internet implementation in the business strategy of small hotels is essential. Therefore, this study examines the facts about the benefits that owners/managers believe to have by using the Internet for marketing purposes, i.e. how much the Internet can influence on the improvement of running small hotels.
Turnover of zinc-65 in oysters.

The uptake and loss of /sup 65/Zn by Pacific oysters are fitted by solutions to a first-order, linear differential equation that describes single- compartment isotope substitution kinetics. The rate constants for loss are related to the rate constants for uptake and to steady-state concentration factors for stable zinc and /sup 65/Zn. The single-compartment solutions adequately fit uptake and loss data from field experiments extended as long as several hundred days. The rate constant estimated from loss data is 5.49 x 10/ sup -3/ d/sup -1/ and that from uptake data is 4.93 x 1O/sup -3/ d/sup -1/. The apparent importance of multiple compartments can be affected in experiments where uptake times are short. (auth)
Audit committee reporting: current practices of companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange (Bursa Malaysia)

This study examines the disclosures contained in Audit Committee Reports (ACRs) and the level of compliance of current practices with the amended Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange listing requirements after the adoption of various recommendations made by the High-Level of Finance Committee on Corporate Governance and the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG) in 1999 and 2000 respectively. All firms listed on the KLSE’s main and second board, and MESDAQ counters were sampled. Consistent with the literature in developed markets, the findings reveal that very few companies provide more than what is expected by the ACRs in their listing requirements. Further, companies in finance, technology and IPC counters, and companies on the main board counter have greater initiative to provide value added (or termed as ‘non-boiler plate’) statements to information users.