Effects of real-time transit information services on the patronage behavior of passengers

Previous research regarding customer relationship management has shown that acquiring a new customer costs much more than retaining an existing customer. Thus, from the perspective of transit agencies, maintaining existing passengers is a cost-effective strategy. This paper investigates the patronage behavior of bus passengers when real-time transit information (RTTI) is made available. Survival analysis based on survey data collected in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, shows that the risk of RTTI users ceasing their use of transit was 32.9% that of RTTI non-users. Moreover, passengers using RTTI tended to use public transportation 0.15 years longer than those who did not use RTTI. This study found that RTTI helps to retain passengers and provides concrete suggestions regarding RTTI promotion and bus business management for administrators.     

Viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus in rice bran‐enriched stirred yoghurt and the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of product during refrigerated storage

This study was aimed at investigating the fortification of probiotic yoghurt with rice bran to increase nutritional properties of the product. The different levels of rice bran (0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9% and 1.2%) were incorporated into milk. The yoghurt samples were produced after pasteurisation, addition of starter culture and 1% Lactobacillus acidophilus suspension (6 × 10⁸ CFU mL^?1) and incubation. During sample storage in refrigerator, the viability of L. acidophilus, viscosity and physicochemical and sensory properties of product were investigated. Rice bran significantly increased the viability of L. acidophilus (P < 0.05). In addition, all probiotic yoghurts incorporating rice bran indicated higher viscosity and acidity and lower pH and syneresis compared to plain yoghurts. Furthermore, increments in rice bran incorporation levels resulted in a reduction in consumers' sample preferences. In general, the addition of rice bran at a suitable level could increase L. acidophilus viability and improve quality attributes of yoghurt.     

High Cytoplasmic Expression of Krüppel-like Factor 4 Is an Independent Prognostic Factor of Better Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. Hepatocarcinogenesis is complex, with an extraordinary molecular heterogeneity. Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) plays an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation, and it can function as a tumor suppressor or an oncoprotein, depending on tissue type. The role of KLF4 in HCC remains controversial. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical significance of KLF4 expression in HCC. The study included 205 patients with surgical resection. We performed immunostaining for KLF4 and Ki-67 to investigate the correlations of the clinicopathological parameters of HCC and to examine the proliferative index. KLF4 staining was observed in the cytoplasm of non-tumorous hepatocytes and tumor cells. We subdivided the immunohistological staining results for KLF4 into low expression (Staining 0 and 1+) and high expression (Staining 2+ and 3+) subgroups. The expression of KLF4 was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation (p = 0.001). The Ki-67 proliferative index was significantly lower in well-differentiated HCCs (0.781% ± 1.02% vs. 2.16% ± 3.14%, p = 0.012), but not significantly different between low-KLF4 expression and high-KLF4 expression (1.87% ± 2.93% vs. 2.51% ± 3.28%, p = 0.32). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that a high expression of KLF4 was significantly correlated with a longer disease-specific survival (p = 0.019). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high KLF4 expression was an independent predictor of a better disease-specific survival (p = 0.017; hazard ratio = 0.398; 95% confidence interval: 0.19–0.85). High cytoplasmic expression of KLF4 was associated with better disease-specific survival and was an independently favorable prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma. These promising results suggest that KLF4 may play an anti-oncogenic role in hepatocarcinogenesis.     

Markov transition model to dementia with death as a competing event

This study evaluates the effect of death as a competing event to the development of dementia in a longitudinal study of the cognitive status of elderly subjects. A multi-state Markov model with three transient states: intact cognition, mild cognitive impairment (M.C.I.) and global impairment (G.I.) and one absorbing state: dementia is used to model the cognitive panel data; transitions among states depend on four covariates age, education, prior state (intact cognition, or M.C.I., or G.I.) and the presence/absence of an apolipoprotein E-4 allele (APOE4). A Weibull model and a Cox proportional hazards (Cox PH) model are used to fit the survival from death based on age at entry and the APOE4 status. A shared random effect correlates this survival time with the transition model. Simulation studies determine the sensitivity of the maximum likelihood estimates to the violations of the Weibull and Cox PH model assumptions. Results are illustrated with an application to the Nun Study, a longitudinal cohort of 672 participants 75+ years of age at baseline and followed longitudinally with up to ten cognitive assessments per nun.     

Fertility traits of purebred Holsteins and 2- and 3-breed crossbred heifers and cows obtained from Swedish Red,Montbéliarde,and Brown Swiss sires

The objective of this study was to compare fertility traits of heifers and primiparous cows from Swedish Red × Holstein (SR × HO; n = 634 and 581, respectively), Montbéliarde × Holstein (MO × HO; n = 126 and 114, respectively), Brown Swiss × Holstein (BS × HO; n = 59 and 50, respectively), and MO × (SR × HO) (n = 241 and 139, respectively) crossbreds, versus those of Holstein heifers and cows (HO; n = 3,483 and 2,549, respectively). Animals were born between 2007 and 2011, and belonged to 4 herds located in northern Italy. Heifers were compared for age at first service (AFS), age at first conception (AFC), interval between first service and conception (IFC), nonreturn rate at 56 d after first service (NR56), conception rate at first service (CR), and number of inseminations required for conception (INS). The same traits were evaluated in primiparous cows, except that AFS and AFC were replaced with days at first service (DFS) and days open (DO). The AFS, AFC, IFC, DFS, and DO traits were continuous variables and were thus analyzed under a proportional hazards Cox model that properly accounted for censoring among cows that were culled or failed to conceive. The NR56, CR, and INS traits were analyzed as binary traits using logistic regression. Our results indicated that, among heifers, SR × HO crossbreds had a better chance of having an earlier first service and conceiving earlier than HO, with hazard ratios (HR) of 1.31 for AFS and 1.34 for AFC. Similarly, MO × (SR × HO) crossbreds differed from HO heifers in this regard (HR = 1.18 and 1.24, respectively). For the primiparous cows, all crossbreds showed significant differences for DFS, DO, and IFC relative to purebred HO, with the exception of the BS × HO crossbreds. The MO × HO, SR × HO, and MO × (SR × HO) crossbred cows showed increased chances of having fewer DFS (HR = 1.40, 1.30, and 1.27, respectively), fewer DO (HR = 1.59, 1.43, and 1.58, respectively), and fewer IFC (HR = 1.52, 1.26, and 1.39, respectively) than HO cows. All crossbred genotypes, including BS × HO cows, showed higher probabilities for higher NR56, higher CR, and lower INS than purebred HO cows. Together, these findings indicate that the studied crossbred cows have higher reproductive potential than Holsteins.     

Local demand shocks and firms' survival: An application to the Italian economy during the Great Recession

The Italian economy is characterised by a large number of micro-firms and small firms and by a long-lasting gap between North and South Italy. Therefore, global shocks – such as the Great Recession – have had a heterogeneous impact at the local level: the collapse in private demand was unequally distributed across different products, services and regions. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to evaluate the impact of the Great Recession on firm's survival for the universe of Italian firms in the light of two relevant indicators: local exposure to crisis and local demand shocks. The results suggest a strong negative impact of local demand shocks on the survival of firms, whereas the degree of exposure to the crisis generally has a weak effect.     

Growth,milk production,reproductive performance,and stayability of dairy heifers born from 2-year-old or mixed-age dams

Keeping replacement heifers that were the progeny of primiparous cows mated by artificial insemination enhances rates of genetic gain. Previous research has shown that heifers that were the progeny of primiparous cows were lighter at birth and grew at a slower rate to first calving compared with heifers born to multiparous dams. Furthermore, heifers that were heavier before first calving produced more milk than did lighter heifers. This study aimed to determine whether there were body weight, milk production, or reproductive disadvantages for heifers born from primiparous compared with multiparous dams. Data comprised body weight records from 189,936 New Zealand dairy heifers. Dams were allocated to 4 groups according to their age: 2 yr old (n = 13,717), 3 yr old (n = 39,258), 4 to 8 yr old (n = 120,859), and 9 yr or older (n = 16,102). Heifers that were the progeny of 2-yr-old dams were lighter from 3 to 21 mo of age than heifers that were the progeny of 3-yr-old and 4- to 8-yr-old dams. The progeny of 2- and 3-yr-old dams produced similar milk solids yields (± standard error of the mean) during their first lactation (304.9 ± 1.6 and 304.1 ± 1.5 kg, respectively), but more than that of 4- to 8-yr-old dams (302.4 ± 1.5). Furthermore, the progeny of 2-yr-old dams had similar stayabilities to first, second, and third calving to that of the progeny of 4- to 8-yr-old and ≥9-yr-old dams. Reproductive performance, as measured by calving and recalving rates was similar in first-calving heifers of all age-of-dam classes. Additionally, second and third calving rates were similar for the progeny of 2- and 3-yr-old dams. Interestingly, the progeny of dams ≥9 yr old had the lowest milk solids production in first (297.8 ± 1.6 kg), second (341.6 ± 1.8 kg), and third lactations (393.2 ± 2.4 kg). Based on the results of this study, keeping replacements from dams aged 9 yr and over could not be recommended. Furthermore, heifers born to 2-yr-old dams were lighter but produced more milk than heifers from older dams, in addition to having superior genetic merit.     

A feasibility study of Lactobacillus plantarum in fruit powders after processing and storage

The aim of this study was to develop fruit powders (apple, banana and strawberry) enriched with a probiotic strain (Lactobacillus plantarum 299v). Two methodologies were proposed: (i) drying of the fruit with probiotic culture incorporated (by convection) or (ii) drying of fruit (by convection) and addition of spray‐dried probiotic culture. In the first methodology, processing caused a notable reduction in probiotic viable counts in apple, but this reduction was lower during drying of banana and strawberry. A large reduction in viable cells was also recorded during storage. In the second methodology, the survival of L. plantarum 299v was considerably higher during spray‐drying, and fruit powders with a microbial content suitable for a probiotic food (10⁸–10⁹ cfu g^?1) were obtained. The fruit powders incorporating L. plantarum 299v can be stored at 4 °C or at room temperature, for at least 3 months. This preliminary study demonstrated that fruit powders are good carriers of probiotic cultures, but the techniques used to produce them should be carefully considered.