An Empirical Assessment of Customer Lifetime Value Models within Data Mining

Customer lifetime value has been of significant importance to marketing researchers and practitioners in specifying the importance level of each customer. By means of segmentation which could be carried out using value-based characteristics it is indeed possible to develop tailored strategies for customers. In fact, approaches like data mining can facilitate extraction of critical customer knowledge for enhanced decision making. Although the literature has several analytical lifetime value models, comparative assessment of the existing models especially within the context of data mining seems a missing component. The aim of this paper is to compare two different customer lifetime value models within data mining. The evaluation was carried out within the context of customer segmentation using a database of a company operating in retail sector. The results indicated that two models yield the same segmentation structure and no statistical differences detected on the select control variables. However, the remaining model produced rather different segmentation results than their peers and it was possible to identify the most lucrative model according to the statistical analyses that were carried out on the select control variables

Çocuklarda influenza A ve B enfeksiyonlarının klinik ve laboratuvar özelliklerinin karşılaştırılması

Aim: In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory findings of Influenza A and Influenza B infections in children. Methods: The study included 1826 pediatric patients (aged <16 years) who were di¬agnosed with Influenza A (n=1400) and B (n=426) infections between 1 October 2019 and 30 April 2020. The patients were also divided into age groups: the age groups of 0–2 years, 3–9 years, and 10–16 years. The characteristic clinical and laboratory findings were compared. Results: Influenza A infection was significantly more common in patients aged <2 years and was significantly less common in patients aged 3–9 years. Body temperature was significantly higher in all age groups with Influenza A infection than in children with Influenza B infection. While leukocy¬tosis and lymphopenia were significantly more common in the Influenza A group, leukopenia and neutropenia were significantly more common in the Influenza B group. While acute otitis media was more common in Influenza A infection, myositis was more common in Influenza B infection. No significant difference was found between the Influenza A and B groups in terms of hospitalization rates. Of all patients, 98.3% were treated with oseltamivir. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Influenza A and B infections are, in general, very similar in terms of symptoms. However, Influenza A infection is more common in very young children. It progresses with higher fever and is more frequently associated with pharyngeal hy¬peremia and acute otitis media, while leukopenia, neutropenia, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, and myositis were found to be more common in Influenza B infection.Amaç: Bu çalışmada, çocuklarda İnfluenza A ve İnfluenza B enfeksiyonlarının klinik ve laboratuvar bulgularını karşılaştırmak amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Çalışma 1 Ekim 2019 ile 30 Nisan 2020 tarihleri arasında İnfluenza A (n=1400) ve B (n=426) enfeksiyonu tanısı almış 16 yaş altı 1826 çocuk hasta içerdi. Hastalar aynı zamanda yaş gruplarına ayrıldı: 0–2 (yıl) yaş grubu, 3–9 yaş grubu, ve 10–16 yaş grubu. Karakteristik klinik bulgu¬lar ve laboratuvar bulguları karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: İnfluenza A enfeksiyonu <2 yaşındaki hastalarda anlamlı biçimde daha yaygın, 3–9 ya¬şındaki hastalarda anlamlı biçimde daha enderdi. Vücut sıcaklığı İnfluenza A enfeksiyonlu tüm yaş gruplarında İnfluenza B enfeksiyonlu çocuklara göre anlamlı biçimde daha yüksekti. İnfluenza A grubunda lökositoz ve lenfopeni anlamlı biçimde daha yaygınken, İnfluenza B grubunda lökopeni ve nötropeni anlamlı biçimde daha yaygındı. Akut orta kulak iltihabı İnfluenza A enfeksiyonunda daha yaygınken, miyozit İnfluenza B enfeksiyonunda daha yaygındı. Hastaneye yatış oranı açısından ise İnfluenza A ve B grupları arasında anlamlı fark bulunmadı. Tüm hastaların %98,3’ü oseltamivir ile tedavi edildi. Sonuç: Bulgularımız İnfluenza A ve B enfeksiyonlarının semptomlar açısından genel olarak çok benzer olduğuna işaret etmektedir. Bununla birlikte, İnfluenza A enfeksiyonu çok küçük çocuklarda daha yaygındır. Daha yüksek ateşle ilerler ve farengeal hiperemi ve akut orta kulak ilti¬habı daha sık görülür. Lökopeni, nötropeni, konjonktivit, burun akıntısı ve miyozitin ise İnfluenza B enfeksiyonunda daha yaygın olduğu tespit edilmiştir

Cochlear implantation in inner ear malformations: Considerations related to surgical complications and communication skills

Introduction: There are particular challenges in the implantation of malformed cochleae, such as in cases of facial nerve anomalies, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, erroneous electrode insertion, or facial stimulation, and the outcomes may differ depending on the severity of the malformation. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of inner ear malformations (IEMs) on surgical complications and outcomes of cochlear implantation. Methods: In order to assess the impact of IEMs on cochlear implant (CI) outcomes, 2 groups of patients with similar epidemiological parameters were selected from among 863 patients. Both the study group (patients with an IEM) and control group (patients with a normal inner ear) included 25 patients who received a CI and completed at least 1 year of follow-up. Auditory performance, receptive and expressive language skills, and production and use of speech were evaluated preoperatively and at least 1 year after implantation. Types of surgical complications and rates of revision surgeries were determined in each group. Results: In the study group, the most common malformation was an isolated enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) (44.8%). Overall, the patients with IEMs showed significant improvement in auditory-verbal skills. In general, the patients who had normal cochleae scored significantly better compared to patients with IEMs (p < 0.05). The complication rate was significantly lower in the control group compared to the study group (p = 0.001), but the rate of revision surgeries did not differ significantly (p = 0.637). Conclusion: It is possible to improve communication skills with CIs in patients with IEMs despite the variations in postoperative performances. Patients with EVA, incomplete partition type 2, and cochlear hypoplasia type 2 were the best performers in terms of auditory-verbal skills. Patients with IEMs scored poorly compared to patients with normal cochleae. CSF leak (gusher or oozing) was the most common complication during surgery, which is highly likely in cases of incomplete partition type 3

Yeryüzünün halifeleri: Klasik ve çağdaş İslam düşüncesinde İslami çevrecilik

YÖK Tez No: 642531Bu tez çalışması, iki farklı döneme ait uzmanların Kur’an'daki bir kısım ayetleri yorumlamasını karşılaştırıyor. Birinci dönem yorumları için 4./10. yüzyılları ile 9./15. yüzyılları arasında yaşamış yedi müfessirin tefsir çalışmaları dikkate alınırken, ikinci dönem için modern “eko-İslam” hareketinin akademik savunucularının Kur’an-ı Kerim ayetleri hakkındaki yorumları dikkate alınıyor. Bu tezde incelenen ikinci dönem yazarlarına göre, İslam geleneği, özellikle Kur’an-ı Kerim, modern bir konsept olan “çevrecilik” ile uyumlu bir şekilde; gezegeninin korunması, hayvan ve bitki hayatlarının himaye edilmesi, ve doğal kaynakların ölçülü kullanımı hakkında öğretiler içeriyor. Bu tez günümüz ekoİslam savunucuları tarafından en çok referans yapılan Kur’an ayetlerini belirleyerek, onların Kur’an ayetlerine getirdikleri yorumlar ile, tarihten çeşitli klasik Sünni müfessirlerin yorumlarını karşılaştırıyor. Böylece eko-İslam’ın köklerinin klasik gelenekten mi geldiğini yoksa İslam düşüncesine yakın zamanda mı eklendiğini inceliyor. İki dönemin yorumlarını karşılaştırdıktan sonra, vardığım sonuç şu ki, bazı düşüncelerin devamlılığının sekteye uğramasına rağmen, İslami Çevreciliğin köklerini klasik İslam düşüncesi geleneğinde görebiliyoruz. Nihayetinde, bu tez yalnızca İslami Çevreciliğin tarihini, kökenini ve gelişimini incelemekle kalmıyor aynı zamanda modern İslam ve onun geleneksel kökleri arasındaki derin ilişkiye ve İslam’ın ana kaynağı olan Kur’an-ı Kerim’in tefsirinin, modern söylem ve güncel meseleler ışığında nasıl şekillendiğine de ışık tutuyor.This thesis studies the interpretations of a set of Qur'anic verses amongst two distinct groups: among traditional Sunni scholarship - represented by the exegetical works of seven scholars living from the 4th/10th to the 9th/15th century - and among modern academic studies of "eco-Islam." The latter group asserts that the Islamic tradition, and more specifically, the Qur'an, contains teachings that advocate for the preservation of the planet's environment, the safeguarding of animal and plant life and the rationed usage of its natural resources, all of which are in harmony with the modern concept of "environmentalism." Identifying the Qur'anic verses that these contemporary thinkers use as evidence for the idea of eco-Islam, this thesis compares their interpretations of the Qur'anic verses with the historical interpretations of a range of classical Sunni exegetes to study whether the idea of eco-Islam has roots within the classical tradition or is a recent introduction to Islamic thought. After comparing the two corpuses, I conclude that despite the existence of a number of discontinuities between them, we can indeed see the roots of Islamic environmentalism in the classical Islamic tradition. Ultimately, this thesis sheds light not just on the history, origins and development of "Islamic environmentalism" - a timely issue in and of itself - but also gives insight into the broader relationship between modern Islam and its traditional roots, and how the interpretative practices of Islam's primary textual authority (the Qur'an) have and have not changed in response to modern discourses and contemporary issues

Crowdshipping: The level of trust towards crowdshipping from the user’s perspective: A stated preference experiment

Thanks to growing online shopping, last mile logistics is becoming a more relevant problem for cities due to its negative impacts, such as congestion and environmental problems. In this research, one of the urban freight transport services aiming to tackle these externalities is analysed: crowdshipping. Crowdshipping is a service where the package is delivered via a traveller who is already making an unrelated trip. Trust is a key concept affecting the adoption of crowdshipping yet to be explicitly investigated . Thereby, this research aims to explore the effect of trust and examine how users' adoption can be achieved. To analyse the stated gap, a stated choice experiment is conducted to test the effect of travel time, travel cost, track and trace, insurance, damage and reputation. A Mediation Choice Model is applied to explore how the relevant attributes would impact trust towards the service adoption. Based on the findings, the direct effects of all the selected attributes were found significant, except for tracking and tracing. Regarding the indirect effects, all the main attributes were statistically significant, meaning that trust has a mediating effect on the adoption of the service. Additionally, the heterogeneity in preferences is explored through a Latent Class Choice Model resulting in a two-class latent model, crowdshipping sceptics and crowdshipping enthusiasts, the latter being more likely to be composed of younger women. Although enthusiasts consider more features while opting for crowdshipping, the delivery company's reputation and delivery cost were the most important factors in crowdshipping service adoption.Transport, Infrastructure and Logistic

The relationship between Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak related perceptions and health anxiety

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between health anxiety and the perceptions and attitudes of the individuals living in Turkey during COVID-19 outbreak. This research was carried out using a volunteer-based internet data collection technique with a sample of 448 people, aged between 15 and 71, who were reached by a simple random sampling method. In the study, the participants were asked to fill out "The Personal Information Form," "the Health Anxiety Scale," and "the Perception and Attitudes towards Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak Questionnaire" to determine their perceptions and attitudes toward coronavirus disease. For the analysis of the data, SPSS 25.0 program was used. In the study, a positive relationship was found between the participants' health anxiety and disease perception, causes perception, and avoidance behavior, and a negative relationship with control perception. It was detected that as the age of the participants increased, their health anxiety levels, and their behavior to avoid coronavirus disease decreased. Also, as the income of the participants increased, their health anxiety levels decreased. Lastly, the level of women's avoidance of personal contact and their health anxiety during the pandemic were significantly higher than men. This study revealed that the health anxiety levels were found to be low for the sample. The levels of avoidance behavior and health anxiety in women were higher than in men. The present study is expected to be beneficial for social workers, mental health professionals, health authorities and doctors while developing public health strategies

Physical Internet-driven last mile delivery: Performance requirements across people, process, and technology

The concept of the physical internet (PI) is changing and reshaping the business environment of logistics along with the cutting-edge technologies and innovations and is rapidly evolving towards last mile delivery (LMD). Implementing new solutions in LMD are particularly essential to meet growing demand, respond to increased operational complexity and enhance efficiency and sustainability. The PI-driven LMD requires new features and capabilities to combat all these challenges. Therefore, there is a need to understand the performance requirements that contextualize the relationships among people, process, and technology (PPT). In this study, a PI-driven LMD framework based on PPT theory is proposed. First, a systematic literature review is conducted to explore the state of the art of academic and practitioner articles and projects on LMD and PI. Then, a thematic analysis is carried out to analyze the requirements of the PI-driven LMD from the perspective of PPT to interpret performance challenges and successes. The main contribution of this study is to investigate the performance related requirements of PI-driven LMD according to PPT perspectives. The findings show that PI-driven LMD improves delivery performance, security, privacy, transparency, and traceability performance as well as customer service performance