Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The new media and capacity development in Nigeria: The Anambra situation

This study evaluates the role of the new media in human capacity development/capacity building in Nigeria and Anambra State in particularly. The specific objectives here are to determine the role(s) the new media has and/or can play in Agricultural Development, Business Growth and Development, as well as Service Delivery in Anambra State. 600 respondents took part in the study out of which 65% are males and 35% females. 47.7% are farmers and 52.3% small business owners or petty traders. 66.7% of the respondents reside in urban areas, while 33.3% live in rural areas. Study findings reveal that many of the respondents have clear knowledge and understanding of the meaning of capacity building, as well as the new media. Most respondents also have access to, or own one of the following new media gadgets; computer and/or mobile phones like Nokia, Blackberry, Android Phone, etc. Many of the respondents significantly deploy the new media particularly mobile phones for occupational and other purposes. Also, it was found that majority of the respondents believe that the new media can serve as a capacity building tool in their business and that the new media can significantly serve as a capacity building tool for boasting efficiency in business particularly the Agricultural sector in
Brand Resonance Behavior among Online Brand Community

Brand commitment studies had gained considerable attention in today’s marketing practices. Sustaining the brand competitive advantages become challenging especially in the context of digital marketing. Development of Web 2.0 that enables interactive communication had offered a new mechanism for owner of the brand to strengthen the bond among their admirers and users via online brand community. Attitude and behavior of online brand community members can be crucial to overall brand competitive advantage. This is because brand image and reputation can be praised or tarnished just by one click from the members. Hence, owner of the brand should understand how online brand community commitment could affect overall brand performance. This study attempts to examine how brand trust and brand community commitment among online brand community will affect their brand resonance behavior namely brand referral and intention to purchase new product of the brand in the future. The study among 167 members of online brand community indicate that brand trust and brand community commitment play a significant roles in determining brand community behavior such as brand referral and intention to purchase new product. Discussion and recommendation for future research direction also were discussed in this article.
A six locus phylogeny reveals high species diversity in Botryosphaeriaceae from California almond

Botryosphaeriaceae are important pathogens on a variety of woody hosts, including almond, a major crop in California. Almond is susceptible to Botryosphaeria dothidea that forms band cankers on almond trunks, and the same fungus was also isolated from cankers of the canopy. To study the diversity and host range of B. dothidea and allied species from almond we used 132 isolates from 36 plant hosts from five continents, including 45 strains from almond in California. Species were identified by comparison to 13 ex-type strains with phylogenetic analyses based on six loci, including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene repeat and portions of the coding genes elongation factor 1-alpha, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, heat shock protein, histone-3 and beta-tubulin. Seven species were found from almond: Botryosphaeria dothidea, Neofusicoccum parvum, Neof. mediterraneum, Neof. nonquaesitum, Diplodia seriata and Macrophomina phaseolina were identified from band cankers, and B. dothidea, Neof. mediterraneum, Neof. parvum and Dothiorella sarmentorum from canopy cankers. All were capable of inducing cankers on inoculated almond branches in the field. All species found on almond also occurred on other hosts, suggesting that infected vegetation adjacent to almond orchards could serve as source of inoculum of virulent almond strains. Of the 19 monophyletic groups obtained at the species level, 13 contained ex-type strains, five were morphologically similar to established species and one was morphologically distinct from its closest relatives, Neof. andinum and Neof. arbuti, as well as from the more than 190 described species of Fusicoccum and Neofusicoccum, and thus was described as the new species, Neof. nonquaesitum. Evidence for cryptic speciation was found in B. dothidea, Neof. ribis and Spencermartinsia viticola. Botryosphaeria dothidea and Neof. ribis comprised lineages that formed the morphologically distinct Dichomera anamorph not found in any other isolates recognized as B. dothidea and Neof. ribis. An S. viticola isolate from California was phylogenetically divergent and had conidia that differed morphologically from the type. Neofusicoccum parvum was diverse but lacked any morphological features correlating with molecular diversity. Phylogenetic analyses of combinations of datasets showed that pooled analyses of all six datasets resulted in the highest number of supported branches, suggesting that addition of more data might yet improve phylogenetic resolution.
Parameter optimization and field validation of the functional-structural model GREENLAB for maize.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS There are three reasons for the increasing demand for crop models that build the plant on the basis of architectural principles and organogenetic processes: (1) realistic concepts for developing new crops need to be guided by such models; (2) there is an increasing interest in crop phenotypic plasticity, based on variable architecture and morphology; and (3) engineering of mechanized cropping systems requires information on crop architecture. The functional-structural model GREENLAB was recently presented that simulates resource-dependent plasticity of plant architecture. This study introduces a new methodology for crop parameter optimization against measured data called multi-fitting, validates the calibrated model for maize with independent field data, and describes a technique for 3D visualization of outputs. METHODS Maize was grown near Beijing during the 2000, 2001 and 2003 (two sowing dates) summer seasons in a block design with four to five replications. Detailed morphological and topological observations were made on the plant architecture throughout the development of the four crops. Data obtained in 2000 was used to establish target files for parameter optimization using the generalized least square method, and parameter accuracy was evaluated by coefficient of variance. In situ plant digitization was used to establish 3D symbol files for organs that were then used to translate model outputs directly into 3D representations for each time step of model execution. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Multi-fitting against several target files obtained at different growth stages gave better parameter accuracy than single fitting at maturity only, and permitted extracting generic organ expansion kinetics from the static observations. The 2000 model gave excellent predictions of plant architecture and vegetative growth for the other three seasons having different temperature regimes, but predictions of inter-seasonal variability of biomass partitioning during grain filling were less accurate. This was probably due to insufficient consideration of processes governing cob sink size and terminal leaf senescence. Further perspectives for model improvement are discussed.
Antigenic Comparison of Lelystad Virus and Swine Infertility and Respiratory Syndrome (SIRS) Virus

This study reports the antigenic relatedness of isolates of Lelystad virus collected in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. The binding of antibodies directed against these isolates was tested in a set of field sera collected during outbreaks of porcine epidemic abortion and respiratory syndrome in Europe and outbreaks of swine infertility and respiratory syndrome (SIRS) in North America. Two sets of sera from pigs experimentally infected with Lelystad virus or SIRS virus were also tested. Although all 7 isolates reacted with anti-Lelystad virus sera, antigenic variation was considerable. The 4 European isolates resembled each other closely, but differed from the American isolates, and the 3 American isolates differed antigenically from each other. To reliably diagnose Lelystad virus infection, a common antigen must first be identified.
A Consumer-Surplus Standard in Merger Approvals, Foreign Direct Investment, and Welfare

This study scrutinizes the ramifications of a consumer-surplus standard in approvals of mergers & acquisitions (i) on an investor's choice between acquiring a firm's existing assets (via negotiations or auctions) and investing in new assets under both complete and incomplete information; and (ii) on welfare. Any firm acquisition fulfilling the consumer-surplus standard is in the best interest of the investor, who prefers to be well informed on acquisition gains and prefers sequential offers. A local firm appropriates a bigger share from acquisition gains in an auction, and prefers generating information asymmetries. Welfare improves with a larger scope for ex-post firm heterogeneity.
Information Security Culture: Fusion of Professional and Personal Lives

This annotated bibliography explores the core values organizations must possess in order to implement information security cultures that incorporate information security awareness and develop information security behaviors while maximizing productivity and reducing the number of security incidents created from end users. The bibliography is based on literature published from 2005 to 2015. Conclusions drawn from the literature describe the different corporate culture frameworks and training methodologies needed to cultivate an information security culture.
Onset of NIDDM occurs at Least 4–7 yr Before Clinical Diagnosis

Objective To investigate duration of the period between diabetes onset and its clinical diagnosis. Research Design and Methods Two population-based groups of white patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) in the United States and Australia were studied. Prevalence of retinopathy and duration of diabetes subsequent to clinical diagnosis were determined for all subjects. Weighted linear regression was used to examine the relationship between diabetes duration and prevalence of retinopathy. Results Prevalence of retinopathy at clinical diagnosis of diabetes was estimated to be 20.8% in the U.S. and 9.9% in Australia and increased linearly with longer duration of diabetes. By extrapolating this linear relationship to the time when retinopathy prevalence was estimated to be zero, onset of detectable retinopathy was calculated to have occurred ∼ 4–7 yr before diagnosis of NIDDM. Because other data indicate that diabetes may be present for 5 yr before retinopathy becomes evident, onset of NIDDM may occur 9–12 yr before its clinical diagnosis. Conclusions These findings suggest that undiagnosed NIDDM is not a benign condition. Clinically significant morbidity is present at diagnosis and for years before diagnosis. During this preclinical period, treatment is not being offered for diabetes or its specific complications, despite the fact that reduction in hyperglycemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk factors is believed to benefit patients. Imprecise dating of diabetes onset also obscures investigations of the etiology of NIDDM and studies of the nature and importance of risk factors for diabetes complications.
Smart home control devices: summary and assessment of energy and lifestyle marketing claims

This content analysis of smart home control marketing materials indicates that the promoted benefits of these devices are not strongly aligned with energy policy objectives. Only one of 11 themes identified relates to energy and cost savings. Further, load shifting was not mentioned or promoted by any companies selling smart home control products. In contrast, several other themes identified in the analysis may undermine energy and cost savings for households (e.g. promoting higher levels of comfort, convenience and entertainment). Middle-class aspirational consumers, who represent the target market for these devices, are likely to be more interested in these 'other' benefits than energy savings. It is currently unclear whether these products will assist households in the current or future energy market. The subsequent empirical research being conducted as part of the Smart Home Control project will seek to understand how smart control devices are being integrated into everyday practices in households. The project will identify what benefits are realised for Australian households and how these devices may support or undermine the intended benefits of enabling technologies in the energy sector.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia enhances depression outcome in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and insomnia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Insomnia impacts the course of major depressive disorder (MDD), hinders response to treatment, and increases risk for depressive relapse. This study is an initial evaluation of adding cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) to the antidepressant medication escitalopram (EsCIT) in individuals with both disorders. DESIGN AND SETTING A randomized, controlled, pilot study in a single academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS 30 individuals (61% female, mean age 35 +/- 18) with MDD and insomnia. INTERVENTIONS EsCIT and 7 individual therapy sessions of CBTI or CTRL (quasi-desensitization). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Depression was assessed with the HRSD17 and the depression portion of the SCID, administered by raters masked to treatment assignment, at baseline and after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. The primary outcome was remission of MDD at study exit, which required both an HRSD17 score < or =7 and absence of the 2 core symptoms of MDD. Sleep was assessed with the insomnia severity index (ISI), daily sleep diaries, and actigraphy. EsCIT + CBTI resulted in a higher rate of remission of depression (61.5%) than EsCIT + CTRL (33.3%). EsCIT + CBTI was also associated with a greater remission from insomnia (50.0%) than EsCIT + CTRL (7.7%) and larger improvement in all diary and actigraphy measures of sleep, except for total sleep time. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study provides evidence that augmenting an antidepressant medication with a brief, symptom focused, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is promising for individuals with MDD and comorbid insomnia in terms of alleviating both depression and insomnia.
A dynamic model for estimating changes in health status and costs

We develop an innovative method to assess total treatment costs over a finite period of time while incorporating the dynamics of change in the health status of patients. Costs are incurred through medical care use while patients sojourn in health states. Because complete ascertainment of costs and observation of events are not always feasible, some patient utilization will be incomplete and events will also be censored. A Markov model is used to estimate the transition probabilities between health states and the impact of patient variables on transition intensities. A mixed‐effects model is used for sojourn costs with transition times as random effects and patient variables as fixed effects. The models are combined to estimate net present values (NPVs) of expenditures over a finite time interval as a function of patient characteristics. The method is applied to a data set of 624 incident cases of cancer. Physical functioning after cancer diagnosis was assessed periodically through structured interviews. The outcomes of interest are normal physical function, impaired physical function, or the terminal state, dead. Charges were obtained from Medicare claim files for 2 years following cancer diagnosis. For demonstration purposes, we estimate NPVs for charges incurred over 2 years by cancer site and cancer stage. Our method, a joint regression model, provides a flexible approach to assessing the influence of patient characteristics on both cost and health outcomes while accommodating heteroscedasticity, skewness and censoring in the data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Association Between Auditor Switching and the Inclination of Audit Opinion Report toward Unqualified Mode in the Companies Listed in Tehran Stock Exchange Market

Unqualified audit opinion report takes on a considerable importance in the capital market and typically results in increased stock quotes. Thus, in order to obtain unqualified audit report or reduce audit paragraphs, companies may take measures to influence auditors’ reports. Considering the competitive audit market and companies’ employment of auditors, one of the measures is to change the independent auditors. The present study investigates the effect of independent auditor switching on auditors’ opinions and audit report paragraphs. The study adopts an applied-descriptive method assuming a secondary analysis design. The data was collected through field study whereby notes were taken from Tehran Stock Exchange Market archive. The populations of the study consisted of the companies enlisted in Tehran Stock Exchange Market, which had experienced independent auditor switching in 2010. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was run to examine the normality of the data. Bimodal test and Wilcoxon test were run to analyze the qualitative data and non-parametric quantitative data, respectively. The results showed that companies with qualified audit opinion reports mostly tended to change their independent auditors; however, auditor switching did not typically result in the inclination of audit opinion toward unqualified reports, reduced audit paragraphs and elimination of annual audit paragraph.
Nonparametric Simultaneous Test Procedures

In this research we propose several nonparametric simultaneous test procedures for location and scale parameters. We construct test statistics based on linear rank statistics choosing a suitable combining function. We obtain the overall p -values by applying the permutation principle. We compare the efficiency amongst combining functions by obtaining empirical powers through a simulation study. We discuss some interesting aspects of our procedure as concluding remarks.
Management of acute subdural hematoma in a patient with portopulmonary hypertension on prostanoid therapy

Background: Treprostinil is a prostacyclin analog used to treat portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) and is one of several drugs shown to increase survival, but results in platelet dysfunction. Little is known about the management of patients on treprostinil who present with an acute subdural hematoma (aSDH). We describe such a case and offer our recommendations on management based on our experience and review of the literature. Case Description: A 63-year-old, right-handed female with a history of PPHTN presented with severe headache and was found to have a large left aSDH with midline shift on imaging. She was admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU) where she developed hemiparesis and subsequently underwent emergent decompression. Postoperatively she improved, but several hours after became obtunded and imaging showed reaccumulation of the aSDH, which required reoperation. At 6 months postoperatively she had only a mild hemiparesis and was being reconsidered for treprostinil therapy as a bridge to liver transplant. Only one paper in the literature thus far has reported a patient with an aSDH managed with treprostinil. The authors achieved adequate intraoperative hemostasis without the use of platelet transfusion and lack of complications intraoperatively. Conclusion: While concerns related to the risk of bleeding in surgery are valid, intraoperative hemostasis does not appear to be profoundly affected. Surgical intervention should not be delayed and prostanoid therapy discontinued, if possible, postoperatively. Patients should be placed in an intensive care setting with assistance from pulmonary specialists and close monitoring of neurological status and blood pressure.
Dissimilarity of E-marketing VS traditional marketing

The revolution of information technology (IT) and communications has changed the way people conduct business today.Nowadays, most of the businesses are related to electronically instruments especially internet. Implementation of E-marketing can change the shape of business all over the world. Because of the rapid proliferation of the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic communication has created fast growing new electronic channels for marketing. If we surf through the internet, we will find many advertisements which their goals are to persuade visitors to purchase their goods or use their services. The new method to advertising and selling goods in the globe which is much cheaper, useful and suitable for producers and suppliers is using the internet. Different types of modern marketing like internet marketing, email marketing, and online advertising are all drive businesses to be successful. Nowadays, there is no need to entering a market place to find our needs. We can find whatever we need, neither wasting time nor wasting cost, just with a quick click and use internet search engine.
Does breast-feeding protect against infections in infants less than 3 months of age?

To determine whether breast-feeding protects infants from infections, a case-control study was conducted. The cases were previously healthy children who were admitted to Yale-New Haven Hospital for an infectious illness at or before 90 days of age. The controls were chosen from the log of births and matched to the cases for five important demographic variables. In addition, logistic regression models were used to adjust the results for other potential confounders. To minimize the potential surveillance bias that might occur if formula-fed and breast-fed infants with the same degree of illness have a different probability of being hospitalized, the case-control pairs were stratified by the severity of the medical condition of the case at the time of hospitalization. For the 281 case-control pairs, the matched odds ratio was . 50 (95% confidence interval .32, .77; P less than .005), which indicates that breast-feeding is protective against infections. However, this apparent protective effect was diminished substantially when the data were stratified according to the severity of illness: the matched odds ratio for the 164 infants with serious illnesses was . 79 (.47, 1.32; P less than .50), and for the 117 infants with mild illnesses it was . 17 (.03, .44; P less than .001). These stratified results suggest that breast-feeding protects infants from hospitalization rather than from infections. Failure to consider the problem of surveillance bias may lead to erroneous conclusions about the protective effect of breast-feeding.