Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis and investigation of the role of brand in keeping and increasing purchase portfolio of customers of air freshener industries in Pars Rayehe Saz Company in Iran

This research aims to analyze and investigate the role of brand in keeping and increasing the buying portfolio of customers. In this respect, three hypotheses have been developed. In carrying out this research after exploration of models and approaches in brand, questionnaire was used for customers of the company, Pars Rayehe Saz. Based on the hypotheses of the research, a questionnaire form consisting of 24 questions was made, and statistical population was enveloped as company’s customers in the first months of the year that was available for the company. Then, this questionnaire form was delivered and gathered after filling. Result was analyzed by SPSS software and all hypotheses examined and the final result was in line with all three hypotheses. It means there is a significant relationship between purchase decision-making and loyalty oriented decision-making (first hypothesis). There is a significant relationship between product quality and future supposed brand extended product quality perceived by customers (second hypothesis). There is a significant relationship between product proportion and future supposed brand extended product proportion perceived by customers (third hypothesis). Statistical population for this research is limited to customers of the first several months of the year that was available for the company to send and receive questionnaire form; the research hypotheses were tested by correlation test. Sign test and simple regression and all the hypotheses were verified. Finally, based on the above three hypothesis, it was concluded that there is a relationship between customers and brand, and it means by using brand, customers would be kept and their purchase basket would increase. Key words: Marketing strategy, brand, customer keeping, customer loyalty, customer purchase basket.
Optimal Bank Management Under Capital and Liquidity Constraints

We propose a model of a bank that invests in both liquid and illiquid assets and whose goal is to maximize its shareholders' profit while satisfying some regulatory constraints. We study the sensitivity of the shareholders' gain and optimal portfolio allocations, as well as the associated bondholders' payoff, to the minimal capital requirement and liquidity ratio. We find that tightening the liquidity constraint adversely affects their rates of return, while preventing some large losses that occur when the portfolio is very illiquid. Stiffening the minimal capital requirement penalizes the shareholders but seems to have little influence on the bondholders.
Entry into turbulent business networks ‐ The case of a Western company on the Estonian market

Adopts a holistic network approach to analyse a company’s entry into a turbulent market. The entry is examined as a process. The analysis focuses on the temporal context of business interaction; it inspects how the company copes with uncertainty, and proposes that the concept of a focal net be applied for strategic analysis of the context. In the empirical part, the Estonian market exemplifies a turbulent environment, and the entry process of one Western high‐technology company is analysed. It is concluded that, while all interaction on any business market involves elements of the historic background as well as the participants’ expectations of the future, history now seems to dominate the markets of Eastern Europe.
Nutritive value of cereal and cassava diets for growing and fattening pigs in Nigeria

In a previous report (Oyenuga & Opeke, 1957) the nutritional and economic importance, real and potential, of cassava root (Manihot utilissima Pohl) to man and in livestock production in Nigeria was stressed. Cassava is not only the most widely grown vegetable in Nigeria (it accounted for nearly 50% of the total root crops produced in the country in I ~ ~ o I ) , it is also the most productive farm crop, yielding edible nutrients equivalent to an average of over 13 million kcal/acre compared with 9 million from yam (Dioscorea sp.), I million from guinea corn (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) and I million from maize (Zea mays L.). It is therefore the cheapest source of calories for man and livestock in the country. Information on the chemical constituents of cassava root is scanty. Its nutritive value and the availability and metabolic usefulness to farm animals of its more important chemical constituents are little known. It would appear that qualitative and quantitative studies of some of its more important chemical constituents and of the requirements of the animal body for them would contribute to a clearer appraisal of its nutritive value for livestock. In the experiments reported now the nutritive value for pigs of raw and boiled cassava roots was compared and, in the first experiment, both forms of cassava were compared with a standard guinea-corn diet. In the second experiment the metabolism of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus in growing pigs fed on raw or boiled cassava was studied. The second experiment also compared the effect of the simple mineral mixture hitherto included in diets used in this Department with a commercial I.C. I. iodized mineral mixture.
Dedication address.

presided, with the address of welcome being delivered by Henry F. Tenney, JD '15, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the University (see p. 5), and the Chief Justice of the United States presenting the principal dedication address. The formal dedication was followed by brief ceremonies in front of the building, after which it was open for inspection. The headquarters of the Association moved into the
Considering Specializations: An Alternative for Ranking Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Programs

The rapid growth of the hospitality and tourism education has intensified a competition among national and international academic programs. Stakeholders in this competitive environment often seek benchmark information for their decisions to participate in the education system. Program/school rankings serve this purpose. However, the most popular and cited sources on such rankings as reported by Business Week and US News & World Report have not recognized hospitality and tourism disciplines in their annual ranking reports. Although some measures have been developed by academic researchers to assess the hospitality and tourism schools/programs, the results have raised much controversy. This paper suggests a need for better ranking systems and attempts to make further contributions in the context of the hospitality and tourism education. The purposes of this study were to (1) review past efforts of school ranking, (2) recommend an alternative approach to rank hospitality and tourism graduate programs by specializations, and (3) explore and suggest meaningful categories of ranking criteria for more effective ranking studies in the future.
Quality, Efficiency Premia, and Development

Improving quality is an important element of the transfer of production to low wage countries. Higher quality requirements are part of complex contracting arrangements in global supply chains. This paper analyzes how weak contract enforcement institutions and imperfect factor markets are affecting contracting for quality products; what the implications are for growth and equity; and how this changes with development.
Pregnancy loss in dairy cattle in the Waikato region of New Zealand

Abstract AIM: To define the incidence rate of pregnancy loss and risk factors for those losses in pasture-fed dairy cattle in the Waikato region of New Zealand. METHODS: Cows (n=2,004) from 10 pasture-fed, spring-calving dairy herds in the Waikato were enrolled following confirmation of pregnancy 29–45 days after insemination, for inseminations that occurred within the first 16 days of the seasonal breeding period. Transrectal ultrasonographic examinations for pregnancy were conducted at approximately 6, 8, 10, 14 and 22 weeks gestation, and subsequent calving data were recovered. Pregnancy loss was defined as having occurred when a confirmed pregnancy was not rediagnosed, when gross abortion was detected, or when a cow calved <265 days after the confirmed conception date. Data were analysed using reverse stepwise logistic regression and Cox's proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: A total of 128 (6.4%) pregnancy losses were detected. The incidence rate was higher in early compared to late gestation (10.9 vs 2.8 losses/10,000 cow-days between Weeks 6–10 vs Weeks 10–14, respectively; p<0.001). Higher rates of loss were associated with the occurrence of clinical mastitis (Hazards ratio (HR)=1.57; p=0.071), being treated for anoestrus (HR=1.69; p=0.007), and in cows that had calving-to-conception intervals ≤63 days compared with those that had calving-to-conception intervals >92 days (HR=2.49; p=0.06). In addition, the rate of pregnancy loss differed between herds (p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The highest rate of pregnancy loss occurred in early gestation. Clinical mastitis, anoestrus and calving late in the calving season were risk factors for pregnancy loss. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Pregnancy diagnosis using ultrasonography can be undertaken from 28 days post-insemination. However, due to the high rate of pregnancy loss at this stage of gestation, herdowners need to be warned of possible losses, and cows should be re-examined to confirm pregnancy before certification of pregnancy status is given.
In vivo recombination between two strains of the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus in its natural host, Spodoptera exigua

The DNA restriction map for the enzymes BamHI, BglII, PstI, and XbaI of SeMNPV-US (Se-US), the best-studied Nucleopolyhedrovirus strain isolated from Spodoptera exigua in California, was used as a reference to construct that of SeMNPV-SP2 (Se-SP2), a closely related Spanish strain of the same virus. After coinfection of S. exigua with both the Se-US and Se-SP2 strains per os, a recombinant virus (SeMNPV-SUR1 [Se-SUR1]) was detected after one passage which quickly replaced the parental viruses. A physical map of Se-SUR1 DNA was constructed for BamHI, BglII, PstI, and XbaI and compared to that of the parental viruses, Se-US and Se-SP2. Se-SUR1 is the result of at least four crossover events between Se-US and Se-SP2 and not of selection of a minor variant in one of the parental viruses. Bioassays of the recombinant and parental strains against L2 beet armyworm larvae demonstrated that their 50% lethal dose values were not significantly different. The differences in median lethal time values are too small to explain the replacement of the parental viruses by the recombinant virus upon successive passage in vivo, although it cannot be ruled out as an explanation for the selective advantage of the recombinant strain, Se-SUR1. The consequences of the release of nonindigenous or recombinant baculovirus strains in agro-ecosystems are discussed.
PENGARUH CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN PADA SUB SEKTOR INDUSTRI METAL, PAKAN TERNAK, KERTAS, DAN KAYU YANG TERDAFTAR DI BEI 2009-2013

The objective of this research was to identify the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility, which was measured based on Global Reporting Initiative 3.1 on firm value, which was measured by Tobin’s Q. The sample is taken from 105 observations in metal industry, animal feed, pulp and paper, and wood companies listed in BEI in 2009-2013. The result showed that CSR significant influence on firm value. Whereas, the control variables of firm value and debt to equity ratio had no significant influence on firm value. While market share, had significant influence on firm value.
Impact of store environment on impulse buying behavior

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the process by which four store environment (music, light, employee, and layout) and two individual characteristics (shopping enjoyment tendency (SET) and impulse buying tendency (IBT)) influence impulse buying behavior through positive and negative affect, and urge to buy impulsively. Design/methodology/approach – The data were obtained using a structured questionnaire from 733 respondents in a mall survey conducted in Chennai, South India. Findings – In the structural model tested with AMOS, the authors found that store environment drove impulse buying (IB) through positive affect and urge. Results also showed that the personality variables (SET and IBT) influenced IB through positive affect and urge. This paper did not find support for the relationship between negative affect and urge. Research limitations/implications – Theoretically, the authors add to the list of antecedents of impulse buying, and to the outcomes of store environment. From a managerial viewpoint,.
Modelling software corrective maintenance productivity using an analytical economic model and simulation

In this paper an economic productivity model for software corrective maintenance process is presented. The productivity is analytically modelled using economic value of the maintenance process as the output, and the pre-committed fixed cost and variable cost as input. The Analytical Theory of Project Investment is used to model the relationship of the economic value and these cost components. The values of corrective software maintenance process are analysed. A simulation approach is investigated to analyse the influences to the productivity in software corrective maintenance. This simulation approach provided a tool to identify and analyse the optimal parameters in productivity using the economic model.
SURVEY: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN CLOUD ENVIRONMENT

Cloud computing is an on demand technology as it offers dynamic and supple resource allocation for trustworthy and guaranteed services in pay as-you-use way to public. The speciality of this technology is that the any number of cloud services can be concurrently accessed by any number of users. So it is indispensable that every user should get the sufficient resources in a proficient manner. The resource allocation in cloud computing is nothing but integrating the cloud provider deeds in order to exploit and allocate scarce resources. The service level agreement satisfaction is very significant concerning the user as well as the service provider. Bare minimum SLA violation brings utmost customer satisfaction. Here in this paper a survey is carried out on the area of resource allocation strategies which tries to preserves the customer satisfaction to its maximum. The merits and demerits of each technique are also discussed.
Transformation and Multiple Choices in Suppliers of Public Services

The government is an authoritative supplier, private enterprise is a commercial supplier, and non-profit organization is a voluntary supplier. The suppliers of public services can change because of the influence of some constraint factors such as technical progress, transaction costs, path dependence, and so on. At present, as a single authoritative supplier, the government can"t meet the diversified and multi-level public demand. Therefore, the government should guide nonprofit organizations and private enterprises to supply public services, construct the diversified suppliers pattern to guarantee the effective supply of public services.
Identification of Consumer Decision-making Styles of Youth in Shopping Malls

Purpose The main purpose of this research article is to identify decision-making styles of Indian youth using consumer style inventory. Design/methodology/approach A survey was done on Indian youth to understand decision-making styles in shopping malls. A total sample of 223 youth was taken from two different universities of Punjab. Findings One of the key finding that consumer scale inventory (CSI) is not confirmed to Indian youth who like to go to shopping malls for recreation, and best value deals. Youth are mostly impulsive in nature. The research also revealed that they get confused by over choice hence they seek opinion before buying anything in shopping malls either by family members, friends or salesman. CSI scale has reliability and validity issues. Young India is more loyal towards brands and less loyal towards store. Practical implication This research will not only contribute in a theoretical literature but it will help stores in the shopping malls in many ways: (a) to customise their assortment according to the need of the consumer, (b) to position and advertise as per their targeted segment, (c) to make them understand what type of consumers are coming to their stores, (d) to understand the buying pattern of the young shoppers in the malls and (e) to frame strategies to improve the operational efficiency of their store.
Characterization of the sat Operon in Streptococcus mutans: Evidence for a Role of Ffh in Acid Tolerance

ABSTRACT An essential protein translocation pathway in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis involves the signal recognition particle (SRP), of which the 54-kDa homolog (Ffh) is an essential component. In a previous study, we found that a transposon insertion in the ylxM-ffh intergenic region of the designated secretion and acid tolerance (sat) operon ofStreptococcus mutans resulted in an acid-sensitive phenotype. In the present study, we further characterized this genomic region in S. mutans after construction of bonafidesat operon mutants and confirmed the role of the SRP pathway in acid resistance. Northern blot and primer extension analyses identified an acid-inducible promoter upstream of ylxMthat was responsible for upregulating the coordinate expression of all five genes of the sat operon when cells were grown at acid pH. Two constitutive promoters, one immediately upstream ofsatD and one just 3′ to the acid-inducible promoter, were also identified. Except for Ffh, the functions of thesat operon gene products are unknown. SatC, SatD, and SatE have no homology to proteins with known functions, although YlxM may function as a transcriptional regulator linked to genes encoding SRP pathway proteins. Nonpolar mutations created in each of the five genes of the sat locus resulted in viable mutants. Most striking, however, was the finding that a mutation inffh did not result in loss of cell viability, as is the case in all other microbial species in which this pathway has been described. This mutant also lacked immunologically detectable Ffh and was severely affected in resistance to acid. Complementation of the mutation resulted in restoration of acid tolerance and reappearance of cytoplasmic Ffh. These data provide evidence that the SRP pathway plays an important role in acid tolerance in S. mutans.
Inter-provincial Employees in Alberta

In spite of much anecdotal evidence and some case studies regarding the size and characteristics of the inter-provincial workforce in Alberta, comprehensive information remains scarce. This is due in part to the many challenges faced in trying to enumerate a mobile population. Drawing on administrative data from several sources, including T4 (Statement of Remuneration Paid) and T1 (General Tax Form) files, this report provides comprehensive information on inter-provincial employment in Alberta between 2003 and 2010.
Cadmium biosorption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Cadmium uptake by nonliving and resting cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae obtained from aerobic or anaerobic cultures from pure cadmium-bearing solutions was examined. The highest cadmium uptake exceeding 70 mg Cd/g was observed with aerobic baker's yeast biomass from the exponential growth phase. Nearly linear sorption isotherms featured by higher sorbing resting cells together with metal deposits localized exclusively in vacuoles indicate the possibility of a different metal-sequestering mechanism when compared to dry nonliving yeasts which did not usually accumulate more than 20 mg Cd/g. The uptake of cadmium was relatively fast, 75% of the sorption completed in less than 5 min.
Hypermethylation of the human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) gene correlates with telomerase activity

DNA methylation is an epigenetic process involved in embryonic development, differentiation and aging. It is 1 of the mechanisms resulting in gene silencing in carcinogenesis, especially in tumor suppressor genes (e.g., p16, Rb). Telomerase, the DNA polymerase adding TTAGGG repeats to the chromosome end, is involved in the regulation of the replicative life span by maintaining telomere length. This enzyme is activated in germ and stem cells, repressed in normal somatic cells and reactivated in a large majority of tumor cells. The promoter region of the hTERT gene, encoding for the catalytic subunit of human telomerase, has been located in a CpG island and may therefore be regulated at least in part by DNA methylation. We analyzed the methylation status of 27 CpG sites within the hTERT promoter core region by methylation‐sensitive single‐strand conformation analysis (MS‐SSCA) and direct sequencing using bisulfite‐modified DNA in 56 human tumor cell lines, as well as tumor and normal tissues from different organs. A positive correlation was observed among hypermethylation of the hTERT promoter, hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity (p < 0.00001). Furthermore, this correlation was confirmed in normal tissues where hypermethylation of the hTERT promoter was found exclusively in hTERT‐expressing telomerase‐positive samples and was absent in telomerase‐negative samples (p < 0.00002). Since tumor tissues contain also nonneoplastic stromal elements, we performed microdissection to allow confirmation that the hTERT promoter methylation truly occurred in tumor cells. Our results suggest that methylation may be involved in the regulation of hTERT gene expression. To our knowledge, this is the first gene in which methylation of its promoter sequence has been found to be positively correlated with gene expression. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fuzzy Sarsa Learning and the proof of existence of its stationary points

This paper provides a new Fuzzy Reinforcement Learning (FRL) algorithm based on critic‐only architecture. The proposed algorithm, called Fuzzy Sarsa Learning (FSL), tunes the parameters of conclusion parts of the Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) online. Our FSL is based on Sarsa, which approximates the Action Value Function (AVF) and is an on‐policy method. In each rule, actions are selected according to the proposed modified Softmax action selection so that the final inferred action selection probability in FSL is equivalent to the standard Softmax formula. We prove the existence of fixed points for the proposed Approximate Action Value Iteration (AAVI). Then, we show that FSL satisfies the necessary conditions that guarantee the existence of stationary points for it, which coincide with the fixed points of the AAVI. We prove that the weight vector of FSL with stationary action selection policy converges to a unique value. We also compare by simulation the performance of FSL and Fuzzy Q‐Learning (FQL) in terms of learning speed, and action quality. Moreover, we show by another example the convergence of FSL and the divergence of FQL when both algorithms use a stationary policy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
Corruption, eﬃciency wage and union leadership

This paper develops a model of determination of unionized wage in the presence of both collective bargaining and e¢ciency wage. The e¢ciency of each worker is positively related to both the wage and the unemployment rate in the economy. The unionized wage is greater than the e¢ciency wage. The (cid:133)rm (cid:133)nds it pro(cid:133)table to keep the unionized wage as close as possible to the e¢ciency wage. The union leader who is entrusted with the task of determining the unionized wage charges a bribe from the (cid:133)rm to keep the wage close to this level. The corrupt trade union leader and the management of the (cid:133)rm play a two-stage Nash bargaining game from where equilibrium unionized wage and the bribe are determined. The analysis leads to some interesting results which are important for anticorruption policy formulation.