Pengaruh Kualitas Produk Dan Kualitas Pelayanan Terhadap Loyalitas Pelanggan Melalui Kepuasan Pelanggan Sebagai Variabel Intervening (Studi Kasus Pada Pelanggan Larissa Aesthetic Center Semarang)

The research was motivated by the increasing number of beauty clinics which offer various kinds of products and treatments to meet the needs of community in the field of beauty. Larissa Aesthetic Center Semarang is one of the beauty clinic that seeks to meet the needs of consumers in the field of beauty care with the concept using natural ingredients. Customer visits in Larissa Aesthetic Center Semarang each year has not reached the target. It indicates a problem with Larissa's customer loyalty.The purpose of this research is to find out the influence of product quality and service quality toward customer loyalty through customer satisfaction as an intervening variable. The type of this research is explanatory research. The population is all of Larissa Aesthetic Center Semarang customers. While the sample of this study are 100 customers. Data collection is using a questionnaire with purposive sampling. The analytical method used in this study is two-stage regression analysis using the software SPSS for Windows version 17.0, where the validity test, reliability test, coefficient of correlationt, simple and multiple regression, the determination coefficient, significance test (t test and F test) are done first. Based on two-stage regression analysis results show that variable product quality (X1) and service quality (X2), whether partially or simultaneously have a positive and significant toward customer satisfaction (Z). Partially, variable customer satisfaction (Z) also has a positive and significant toward customer loyalty (Y). Based on the research results, the company is expected to improving customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by maintain the quality of products and quality of services provided. Larissa had to control all the composition of the ingredients used in the manufacture of each product. In addition, Larissa should hold routine evaluation for employees in providing treatment to make employees more skilled in providing outstanding service. It is also a good idea that Larissa can add the variety of products and treatment in order to increase the completeness type of beauty treatment in Larissa

Automatic Quality Control and Enhancement for Voice-Based Remote Parkinson’s Disease Detection

The performance of voice-based Parkinson’s disease (PD) detection systems degrades when there is an acoustic mismatch between training and operating conditions caused mainly by degradation in test signals. In this paper, we address this mismatch by considering three types of degradation commonly encountered in remote voice analysis, namely background noise, reverberation and nonlinear distortion, and investigate how these degradations influence the performance of a PD detection system. Given that the specific degradation is known, we explore the effectiveness of a variety of enhancement algorithms in compensating this mismatch and improving the PD detection accuracy. Then, we propose two approaches to automatically control the quality of recordings by identifying the presence and type of short-term and long-term degradations and protocol violations in voice signals. Finally, we experiment with using the proposed quality control methods to inform the choice of enhancement algorithm. Experimental results using the voice recordings of the mPower mobile PD data set under different degradation conditions show the effectiveness of the quality control approaches in selecting an appropriate enhancement method and, consequently, in improving the PD detection accuracy. This study is a step towards the development of a remote PD detection system capable of operating in unseen acoustic environments

Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan, Reputasi Perusahaan Dan Promosi Terhadap Keputusan Pengambilan Kredit Multiproduk (Studi Kasus Pada PT. Astra Multi Finance “Spektra” Semarang)

Financing Institution was a non-bank finance institution that provides a credit service for items or goods. This research was located in PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang. The growth of the multiproduct credit in PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang distributed since 2009 until 2013 was always increase in demand for credit. The increasing number of the credit growth was not equipoised by the number of complaints in PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang which always increase. The number of complaints was increased since 2009 until 2013. The type of this research was Explanatory Research. The population of this research was the customers of PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang which took the multiproduct credit with 100 people as the sample. The sampling method used in this research was Accidental Sampling while interview and questionnaires method were used as the techniques in collecting the data. The techniques used in processing the data were validity test, reliability test, a simple linear regression, multiple linear regression, hypothesis test using the (t test and F test) and the coefficient of determination which were done by using the SPSS 17 for Windows computer programs. Based on the analysis results, it can be concluded that there were any positive and significant influences between the service quality and the decision for taking the credit, between the company reputation and the decision for taking the credit, between the promotion and the decision for taking the credit, between the service quality, company reputation, as well as the promotion and the decision for taking the credit. The suggestions proposed were that the company should improve the employee ability in understanding the customer's needs and improve the service pace of credit application process on PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang. In additions, the company is expected to improve quality of the company itself, especially for the quality of the Human Resources in PT. Astra Multi Finance Semarang, and improve the advertising activity, especially for the design of advertisement as well as improving the variety of the promotion, so the information of the products can be understood and accepted by the general public

A Software Reliability Model Combining Representative and Directed Testing

Traditionally, software reliability models have required that failure data be gathered using only representative testing methods. Over time, however, representative testing becomes inherently less effective as a means of improving the actual quality of the software under test. Additionally, the use of failure data based on observations made during representative testing has been criticized because of the statistical noise inherent in this type of data. In this dissertation, a testing method is proposed to make reliability testing more efficient and accurate. Representative testing is used early, when the rate of fault revelation is high. Directed testing is used later in testing to take advantage of its faster rate of fault detection. To make use of the test data from this mixed method approach to testing, a software reliability model is developed that permits reliability estimates to be made regardless of the testing method used to gather failure data. The key to being able to combine data from both representative testing and directed testing is shifting the random variable used by the model from observed interfailure times to a postmortem analysis of the debugged faults and using order statistics to combine the observed failure rates of faults no matter how those faults were detected. This shift from interfailure times removes the statistical noise associated with the use of this measure, which should allow models to provide more accurate estimates and predictions. Several experiments were conducted during the course of this research. The results from these experiments show that using the mixed method approach to testing with the new model provides reliability estimates that are at least as good as estimates from existing models under representative testing, while requiring fewer test cases. The results of this work also show that the high level of noise present in failure data based on observed failure times makes it very difficult for models that use this type of data to make accurate reliability estimates. These findings support the suggested move to the use of more stable quantities for reliability estimation and prediction

PENGARUH BRAND EQUITY DAN KUALITAS PRODUK TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN MOBIL TOYOTA YARIS (Studi Kasus Pada Konsumen PT. New Ratna Motor di Kota Semarang)

PT. New Ratna Motor as Toyota car ATPM in Central Java and DIY areas also entered into the hatchback segment. Toyota launched the Yaris brand to explore the hatchback car market. Toyota Yaris managed to become one of the automotive car brands in the hatchback in Indonesia after the Honda Jazz. For 3 consecutive years from 2013-2015 Toyota Yaris sales experience fluctuating movement. Toyota Yaris sales in 2014 decreased to 17.57%. This research was conducted to determine the effect of brand equity (X1) and product quality (X2) on purchasing decision (Y) of Toyota Yaris car at PT. New Ratna Motor Semarang. This type of research is explanatory research, with 87 respondents who buy and use Toyota Yaris car. The sample selection in this study used non-probability sampling. Sampling technique using purposive sampling. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis method used by validity test, reliability test, cross tabulation, correlation, coefficient of determination, simple regression, multiple regression, t test and F test by using SPSS application. The results showed that brand equity variables have a significant influence on Toyota Yaris car purchase decision of 47.8%. Product quality variables also have a significant influence on Toyota Yaris car purchase decision of 39.6%. Variables of brand equity and product quality have a mutual influence on purchasing decision of 54.1%. Based on the result of the research, it can be concluded that consumer perception about brand equity and product quality in strong and good category and purchasing decision are quite high. So companies are advised to strengthen brand equity by improving marketing strategy especially on improving the quality of Toyota Yaris car product

Efficacy of spa-therapy, mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy and mud-bath therapy in the management of knee osteoarthritis. A systematic review

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the world. OA is the result of an inflammatory and degenerative process affecting the entire joint. Osteoarthritis, especially involving the knee, has a relevant socio-economic impact in terms of drugs, hospital admissions, work absences and temporary or permanent invalidity. Therapy of knee osteoarthritis is based on pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the studies published between 2002 and 2017 on spa-therapy, mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy and mud-bath therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in order to investigate the evidence of the efficacy of such treatment on pain, functional limitation, drug use and quality of life. Overall, 35 studies were examined among which 12 were selected and included in the review if trial comparative. Each report was reviewed to identify the criteria used for study enrolment and for assignment to experimental vs control groups, sample size, type and characteristics of treatment, features of mineral water, control intervention, assessment point, endpoints, outcome measures, tests used for statistical analysis of the results. We have been able to illustrate the main results obtained in the individual studies and to elaborate these results in order to allow as much a unitary presentation as possible, and hence an overall judgment. Results: Because the studies we reviewed differed markedly from one another in terms of the methods used, we were unable to conduct a quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) of pooled data from the 12 studies. For the purposes of the present review, we re-evaluated the results of the different studies using the same statistical method, the Student’s t test, which is used to compare the means of two frequency distributions. Among all the studies, the most relevant indexes used to measure effectiveness of spa therapy were improved including VAS, Lequesne’s and WOMAC Score. Conclusions: The mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy, mud-bath therapy and spa therapy has proved to be effective in the treatment and in the secondary prevention of knee osteoarthritis, by reducing pain, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug consumption, functional limitation and improving quality of life of affected patients. Is a noninvasive, complication-free, and cost-effective alternative modality for the conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis

Assessment Literacy Profile of Science Teachers in SMAN 1 Gubug

Assessment is an integrated part of the planning and implementation process of learning. The transition from KTSP to the 2013 curriculum is a problem for teachers in applying assessment skills in learning, because teachers still have difficulty implementing authentic assessments and still use assessments in terms of cognitive tests only (Setiadi, 2016). This study aims to determine the literacy profile of science teacher assessments at SMA Negeri 1 Gubug and the assessment used by science teachers. This is because there is no source of research on teacher awareness of assessment in SMA Negeri 1 Gubug. This research uses descriptive quantitative research method, with purposive sampling. The instruments used in this research are the assessment literacy test, interview guidelines, questionnaires, and check list sheets. Based on the results of data analysis and discussion, it can be concluded that the assessment literacy profile of science teachers at SMA Negeri 1 Gubug is based on PAP Type II is in the "Very Low" category (assessment literacy questionnaire) and "Low" category (interview results). The teacher has the highest score with a score of 86% on the aspect of the difficulty of using the assessment, while the lowest score is on the aspect of attitude assessment by getting a score of 18%. The implication of this study is that by knowing the literacy assessment profile, teachers can understand and implement the importance of assessment so that this can be used as a benchmark in improving the quality of learning

Survey of "Improving Productivity of Clinical Staffs’ Law" Enforcement in Hospitals Affiliated to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences

Background & objectives: Achievement on improving nursing care quality has always been considered by administrators. "Improving the productivity of clinical staffs’ law" has been adopted to address nurses' problems and providing better services to the patients. This study aimed to investigate the situation of this law enforcement. Methods: The study population is all the administrators and clinical staffs employed in 4 hospitals affiliated to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected by both census (for administrators; n=52) and simple random sampling (for clinical staffs: n=300) methods. Data were collection using a researcher made questionnaire. Data collection tools reliability and validity were evaluated through content validity and test–re-test method, respectively. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and spearman, Mann-Whitney & Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Mean attitude scores among administrators and clinical staffs were 3.27±0.70 and 3.35±0.64, respectively. Among the factors affecting attitude, improving working conditions (3.48±1.00) in perspective of managers and increasing the quality of services (3.45±0.87) in perspective of clinical staffs were the most important factors on creating a positive attitude. The most important weakness of the law enforcement in perspective of both staffs and administrators was shortage of clinical staffs. Clinical staffs’ age, sex, marital status, employment history, education level, and type of employment had significant relationships with the attitude and satisfaction scores (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Enforcement of "improving productivity of clinical staffs’ law" has had advantages for the majority of clinical staffs and it can resolve many of their concerns subject to modification made in employment system, improving work conditions based on the needs, and implementing incentive programs. It can also be effective on improving productivity of nurses and thereby improves the health syst

Rehabilitation interventions for improving balance following stroke: an overview of systematic reviews

Background The aim of this study was to synthesize evidence from systematic reviews, to summarise the effects of rehabilitation interventions for improving balance in stroke survivors. Methods We conducted an overview of systematic reviews (SRs). We included Cochrane Systematic Reviews and non-Cochrane Systematic Reviews of randomized-controlled clinical trials and not-randomized clinical trials, in all types of stroke, comparing the effects of interventions, control interventions and no interventions on balance-related outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases, from inception to December 2017. Data extracted included: number and type of participants, type of intervention, control intervention, method of assessing risk of bias of primary studies, balance outcome measures and results of statistical meta-analyses. Methodological quality of included reviews was assessed using AMSTAR 2. A narrative description of the characteristics of the SRs was provided and results of meta-analyses summarised with reference to their methodological quality. Results 51 SRs (248 primary studies and 10,638 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the overview. All participants were adults with stroke. A wide variety of different balance and postural control outcomes were included. 61% of SRs focussed on the effectiveness of physical therapy, 20% virtual reality, 6% electromechanical devices, 4% Tai-Chi, whole body vibration and circuit training intervention, and 2% cognitive rehabilitation. The methodology of 54% of SRs were judged to be of a \u201clow or critically low\u201d quality, 23% \u201cmoderate\u201d quality and 22% \u201chigh\u201d quality. Conclusions There are 51 SRs of evidence relating to the effectiveness of interventions to improve balance in people with stroke, but the majority of these are of poor methodological quality, limiting our ability to draw clear implications. Only 22% of these SRs were judged to be of high quality, highlighting the need to address important methodological issues within rehabilitation research

A heuristic-based approach to code-smell detection

Encapsulation and data hiding are central tenets of the object oriented paradigm. Deciding what data and behaviour to form into a class and where to draw the line between its public and private details can make the difference between a class that is an understandable, flexible and reusable abstraction and one which is not. This decision is a difficult one and may easily result in poor encapsulation which can then have serious implications for a number of system qualities. It is often hard to identify such encapsulation problems within large software systems until they cause a maintenance problem (which is usually too late) and attempting to perform such analysis manually can also be tedious and error prone. Two of the common encapsulation problems that can arise as a consequence of this decomposition process are data classes and god classes. Typically, these two problems occur together – data classes are lacking in functionality that has typically been sucked into an over-complicated and domineering god class. This paper describes the architecture of a tool which automatically detects data and god classes that has been developed as a plug-in for the Eclipse IDE. The technique has been evaluated in a controlled study on two large open source systems which compare the tool results to similar work by Marinescu, who employs a metrics-based approach to detecting such features. The study provides some valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the two approache