Marquette University Slavic Institute Papers NO. 11

https://epublications.marquette.edu/mupress-book/1011/thumbnail.jp

The female innovation-generation consumer’s evaluation of traditional and virtual displays in South African clothing retail environments

Abstract: Using virtual displays in South African clothing retail outlets could be a marketing communication strategy that attracted consumers to products or the actual stores. This marketing communication influences consumers’ purchase decisions and consequently enhances the competitiveness of the clothing retailer in a dynamic fashion industry. Thus the use of virtual displays is increasing. Implementing digital and virtual display screens in the visual displays of South African physical retail outlets could appeal to particular consumer segments. The innovation-generation consumer segment is the largest and foremost global consumer segment to date, with massive buying power, and this group’s affiliation for the virtual world should not be ignored, as it may prove to be useful when applying omni-channel retailing that stimulates a certain consumer experience. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to report on the evaluation of the female innovation-generation consumer with regard to a static traditional visual display or a virtual representation of the display. Two stimuli (displays) were presented to 653 female respondents from the innovation-generation consumer in Johannesburg (Gauteng). One stimulus was a static traditional visual display and the other a virtual representation thereof which included movement and music. The findings in this paper indicate that although the respondents understood the message of the virtual display and could identify with the symbolic meaning thereof, there is also evidence that the respondents’ emotions were evoked by both the stimuli. Nevertheless, it seems that the traditional visual display still seemed to be preferred with regard to the emotions that it evoked, especially regarding pleasure. The paper concludes with recommendations on the use of virtual displays to support South African clothing retailers

MRI imaging of vein of Galen malformations at Steve Biko Academic Hospital: A mini case series

N/

Marker-Less Stage Drift Correction in Super-Resolution Microscopy Using the Single-Cluster PHD Filter

Fluorescence microscopy is a technique which allows the imaging of cellular and intracellular dynamics through the activation of fluorescent molecules attached to them. It is a very important technique because it can be used to analyze the behavior of intracellular processes in vivo in contrast to methods like electron microscopy. There are several challenges related to the extraction of meaningful information from images acquired from optical microscopes due to the low contrast between objects and background and the fact that point-like objects are observed as blurred spots due to the diffraction limit of the optical system. Another consideration is that for the study of intracellular dynamics, multiple particles must be tracked at the same time, which is a challenging task due to problems such as the presence of false positives and missed detections in the acquired data. Additionally, the objective of the microscope is not completely static with respect to the cover slip due to mechanical vibrations or thermal expansions which introduces bias in the measurements. In this paper, a Bayesian approach is used to simultaneously track the locations of objects with different motion behaviors and the stage drift using image data obtained from fluorescence microscopy experiments. Namely, detections are extracted from the acquired frames using image processing techniques, and then these detections are used to accurately estimate the particle positions and simultaneously correct the drift introduced by the motion of the sample stage. A single cluster Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter with object classification is used for the estimation of the multiple target state assuming different motion behaviors. The detection and tracking methods are tested and their performance is evaluated on both simulated and real data

Long-term neuropsychological effects of ecstasy in middle-aged ecstasy/polydrug users

RATIONALE: Studies reporting ecstasy-induced serotonin-toxicity and (neuro)psychological dysfunctions have been conducted in young adults. Little is known about ecstasy effects later in life, when serotonin levels and cognition decrease as a consequence of normal ageing. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess whether harmful effects of ecstasy only add to or also interact with age-related neuropsychological decline. METHODS: Attention, verbal and visual memory, visuospatial ability, self-reported depression, sensation-seeking and impulsivity were assessed in middle-aged moderate to heavy ecstasy/polydrug users (n = 17) and compared with none or very mild ecstasy using polydrug users (matched for age, gender, intelligence and other drugs; n = 16) and a group of drug-naive controls (n = 20). RESULTS: Moderate to heavy ecstasy/polydrug users performed significantly worse on a verbal memory task than none or very mild ecstasy using polydrug users and drug naives. Moderate and heavy ecstasy/polydrug users also differed significantly from drug-naives on measures of depression, sensation-seeking and impulsivity but not from none or very mild ecstasy-using polydrug users. CONCLUSION: This study in middle-aged ecstasy/polydrug users replicated findings of studies in younger ecstasy users, showing a harmful effect of ecstasy on verbal memory. There was no clear support for an interaction between harmful effects of ecstasy use and age-related memory decline or mid-life depressio

STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN USAHA KECAP (STUDI KASUS PERUSAHAAN KECAP MIROSO DI KABUPATEN KLATEN)

Abstrak : Perusahaan Kecap Miroso adalah salah satu perusahaan kecap yang berada di Kabupaten Klaten yang masih memiliki potensi untuk dikembangkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi kekuatan, kelemahan, peluang dan ancaman; merumuskan alternatif strategi; dan prioritas strategi untuk Perusahaan Kecap Miroso. Metode dasar yang digunakan adalah deskriptif analitik dengan teknik studi kasus. Alat analisis yang digunakan adalah Matriks IFE, Matriks EFE, Matriks SWOT dan Matriks QSP. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Perusahaan Kecap Miroso berada di kuadran I (Progresif). Alternatif strategi pengembangan untuk Perusahaan Kecap Miroso meliputi: Peningkatan mutu SDM melalui pelatihan guna menjaga kualitas produk, Diversifikasi kemasan produk kecap ke kemasan sachet guna menambah segmen pasar baru pada konsumen rumah tangga, Menetapkan SOP (Standar Operasional Prosedur) dalam menjalankan proses produksi guna menjaga kualitas kecap yang dihasilkan, Pemasaran kecap ke wilayah yang baru guna meningkatan kuantitas penjualan yang berdampak pada peningkatan omset perusahaan. Prioritas strategi berdasarkan Matriks QSP diperoleh skor 5,9635 adalah Diversifikasi kemasan produk kecap ke kemasan sachet guna menambah segmen pasar baru pada konsumen rumah tangga

A Scheme for the Detection and Tracking of People Tuned for Aerial Image Sequences

Abstract. This paper addresses the problem of detecting and tracking a large number of individuals in aerial image sequences that have been taken from high altitude. We propose a method which can handle the numerous challenges that are associated with this task and demonstrate its quality on several test sequences. Moreover this paper contains several contributions to improve object detection and tracking in other domains, too. We show how to build an effective object detector in a flexible way which incorporates the shadow of an object and enhanced features for shape and color. Furthermore the performance of the detector is boosted by an improved way to collect background samples for the classifier train-ing. At last we describe a tracking-by-detection method that can handle frequent misses and a very large number of similar objects