Previous research has shown that in the last 20 years, there has been discrimination againstindividuals with a foreign background in the Swedish labor market. Statistics illustrate thatpeople with a foreign background have weaker representation than Swedish-born inmanagerial positions. The purpose has been to describe how store managers with a foreignbackground experience their working conditions and professional role in Sweden, to presentstore managers 'perceptions of discrimination in retail and to highlight positive leadershipstories where store managers' foreign backgrounds have been an advantage. Throughsemi-structured interviews, the study sheds light on store managers' experiences of theexistence of discrimination and what it is like to be a manager with a foreign background inSweden. An image emerges that a foreign background often becomes a strength in themanagers' work, where their unique habitus enriches their leadership. At the same time, theSwedish labor market is mediated as formally equal but informally unequal. The storemanagers confirm the previous research in many respects; that discrimination occurs, often inthe recruitment process, due to name selection, that individuals have a linguistic break orthrough informal favoritism that occurs when individuals with a foreign background are notgiven access to network. A perspective of discrimination that has not been discussed inprevious discrimination research has been conveyed; that customers act discriminatorytowards store managers. The results of the study indicate that unequal informal structures insociety and in organizations are expressed when low social and cultural capital throughnetworks and language risks becoming a gatekeeper that hinders career development. Thisstudy has shown that despite laws and regulations on discrimination that have been added inthe last 15 years, inequality is still reproduced in organizations which can be understood asinequality regimes. / Tidigare forskning har visat att det under de senaste 20 åren skett diskriminering av individermed utländsk bakgrund på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Statistik visar att individer medutländsk bakgrund har svagare representation än svenskfödda i chefspositioner. Syftet harvarit att beskriva hur butikschefer med utländsk bakgrund upplever sina arbetsförhållandenoch sin yrkesroll i Sverige, att framställa butikschefers uppfattning om diskriminering inomdetaljhandeln samt att belysa positiva ledarskapsberättelser där butikschefers utländskabakgrund utgjort en fördel. Med semistrukturerade intervjuer belyser studien butikschefernasupplevelser om förekomsten av diskriminering och hur det är att vara chef med utländskbakgrund i Sverige. Genom informanterna framkommer en bild av att utländsk bakgrundmånga gånger blir en styrka i chefernas ledarskap. Samtidigt beskrivs den svenskaarbetsmarknaden som formellt jämlik men informellt ojämlik. Butikscheferna bekräftar imånga avseenden den tidigare forskningen; att diskriminering sker, ofta irekryteringsprocessen, på grund av namnselektion, att individer har en språklig brytning ellergenom informellt favoriserande som sker när individer med utländsk bakgrund inte fårmöjlighet till nätverkande. En bild av diskriminering som inte diskuterats i den tidigareforskningen har förmedlats; att kunder agerar diskriminerande gentemot butikscheferna.Studiens resultat indikerar att ojämlika informella strukturer i samhället och i organisationerkommer till uttryck då lågt socialt och kulturellt kapital genom nätverk och språk riskerar attbli en portvakt som hindrar karriärutvecklingen. Denna studie visar att trots lagar ochreglering om diskriminering som tillkommit de senaste 15 åren, reproduceras fortfarandeojämlikhet i organisationer vilka kan förstås som ojämlikhetsregimer.

Many endothelial cell (EC) functions depend on influx of extracellular Ca2+, which is triggered by a variety of mechanical and chemical signals. Here, we discuss possible pathways for this Ca2+ entry. The superfamily of cation channels derived from the "transient receptor potential" (TRP) channels is introduced. Several members of this family are expressed in ECs, and they provide pathways for Ca2+ entry. All TRP subfamilies may contribute to the Ca2+ entry channels or to the regulation of Ca2+ entry in EC. Members of Ca2+ entry channels in endothelium probably belong to the canonical TRP subfamily, TRPC. All TRPC1-6 have been discussed as Ca2+ entry channels that might be store-operated and/or receptor-operated. More importantly, knockout models of TRPC4 have proven that this channel is functionally involved in the regulation of endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation and in the control of EC barrier function. TRPC1 might be an important candidate for involvement of eodothelial growth factors. TRPC3 is unequivocally important for a sustained EC Ca2+ entry. ECs express different patterns of TRPCs, which may increase the variability of TRPC channel function by formation of different multiheteromers. Among the two other TRP subfamilies, TRPMV and TRPM, at least TRPV4 and TRPM4 are EC channels. TRPV4 is a Ca2+ entry channel that is activated by an increase in cell volume, which might be involved in mechano-sensing, by an increase in temperature, and perhaps by ligand-activation. TRPM4 is a nonselective cation channel, which is not Ca2+ permeable. It is probably modulated by NO and might be essential for regulating the inward driving force for Ca2+ entry. Possible modes of TRP channel regulation are described, involving (a) activation via the phospholipase (PL)Cβ and PLCγ pathways; (b) activation by lipids (diacylglycerol [DAG], arachidonic acid); (c) Ca2+ depletion of Ca2+ stores in the endoplasmic reticulum; (d) shear stress; and (e) radicals.

This study examines the within and between sex differences on the relative importances of merchandise quality and interaction quality as drivers of behavioral loyalty (share of wallet). A sample of customers of a national retail chain serves as the study setting. The results indicate that for female customers, interaction quality and merchandise quality have equally strong total influence on share of wallet. For male customers, the total effect of merchandise quality on share of wallet is significantly stronger than the total effect of interaction quality. Across sex comparisons reveal that the total effect of interaction quality on share of wallet is stronger for female customers. However, merchandise quality exerts a stronger total influence on share of wallet for male customers. Implications of the results are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.

En la presente investigación se realiza un estudio acerca de los factores in-store en relación a la intención de compra en tiendas de maquillaje en retails, pues no hay estudios realizados en el Perú que comprenda este tema a pesar que el sector está en continuo crecimiento en el mercado y donde el 50% de las compras de cosméticos se realizan en tiendas por departamento. Para determinar el grado de relación de los factores in-store y la intención de compra, la metodología utilizada fue un estudio de tipo regresión lineal múltiple y con un enfoque mixto. Para el desarrollo del estudio se realizó una investigación cualitativa, contando con dos mini groups y entrevistas al público primario y tres entrevistas a profundidad a expertos del tema. Además, se llevó a cabo una investigación cuantitativa de carácter concluyente, a través de 230 encuestas. A partir de ello, con la información obtenida y procesada permitió obtener data relevante acerca del comportamiento del público objetivo y obtener conclusiones acerca de la relación de las variables y la intención de compra. Finalmente, se pudo comprobar que los factores de mayor relación con la intención de compra para el público objetivo de acuerdo al modelo estudiado son la ambientación de la tienda, el pricing y la promoción. Y en caso de los factores menos relevantes quedaron la asistencia del personal de ventas y el atractivo de la tienda. Por ello, se recomienda poner mayores esfuerzos en las variables que se encuentran mayor valoradas por el público objetivo primario. / In the present investigation, a study is carried out on the in-store factors in relation to the purchase intention in makeup stores in retails, since there are no studies carried out in Peru that understand this topic despite the fact that the sector is in continuous growth in the market and where 50% of cosmetic purchases are made in department stores. To determine the degree of relations between in-store factors and purchase intention, the methodology used was a multiple linear regression study with a mixed approach. For the development of the study, a qualitative investigation was carried out, with two mini groups and interviews with the primary public and three in-depth interviews with experts on the subject. In addition, a conclusive quantitative investigation was carried out through 230 surveys. From this, with the information obtained and processed, it was possible to obtain relevant data about the behavior of the target audience and to draw conclusions about the relationship of the variables and the purchase intention. Finally, it was possible to verify that the factors with the highest relation to the purchase intention for the target audience according to the studied model are the store setting, pricing and promotion. And in the case of the least relevant factors, the attendance of sales personnel and the attractiveness of the store remained. Therefore, it is recommended to put greater efforts on the variables that are most valued by the primary target audience. / Tesis

Branding has become increasingly important in order to distinguish a brand from numerous competitors in the fashion industry. An effective way to differentiate the brand from others has shown to be through the brand image, which is why managers should work on sustaining a positive brand image. Managing brand image through different sales channels has become even more important due to the rise of multi-channels. The integration and effort of offline and online channels can result in both enhanced purchase intention and brand image. Previous literature has shown how purchase intention can be derived from the level of congruity between the consumer’s self-image and the brand’s image. Despite this, most previous research is conducted from a company perspective, why this research intends to provide theoretical contributions from a consumer perspective. This is particularly important for fashion brands, as for the ever-changing and highly competitive characteristics of the fashion market. Furthermore, an understanding of consumers’ perception of brand image in different sales channels has been missing in previous research. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate how consumers perceive brand image of multi-channel fashion companies for the purpose of providing insight into how brand image should be managed through different channels. Using a qualitative perspective, this explorative research conducts ten semi-structured interviews with women and men between the ages of 18 and 63, that are experienced within fashion consumption in online and offline channels. Analysis of the research findings indicates that there are 13 attributes that consumers consider as most prominent for brand image; six offline attributes and seven online attributes. For the offline image, it emerges that the surrounding environment, products and collections, price and value, store personnel and service, reputation are prominent attributes. For online, easy access and navigation, design and aesthetics, merchandise description, price and value, communication, services and reputation are prominent. It is also found that interviewees find it highly important that the image is consistent through different channels so that the brand conveys a holistic image.

Denna uppsats bygger på idén om att hacka det egna systemet före en utomstående hackare gör det för att upptäcka systemets läckor. Detta görs med ett automatiserat hackingverktyg som utför penetrationstester mot en utvecklad hemsida. Lagringstekniken som används är en eventdatabas med namnet Event Store som lagrar varje händelse som skedde mot hemsidan. Syftet med Event Store är att upptäcka de olika penetrationstesterna och lagra dess händelser för att sedan ge indikationer till administratören att hemsidan var under attack. Uppsatsen riktar sig främst på ifall Event Store är lämpligt att implementera tillsammans med en hemsida som blir attackerad med penetrationstester och vilka för- och nackdelar det finns med att använda Event Store. Resultatet visar att Event Store kan användas för att identifiera anomalier mot en hemsida vid hackingattacker. Med stor sannolikhet kan intrång mot hemsidan bevisas med hjälp utav det utvecklade systemet med Event Store. / This thesis is based on the idea of hacking your own system before an outside hacker does it to find the system vulnerabilities. This is done with an automated hacking tool that performs penetration tests against the created website. The database technology that is used is the event database Event Store that stores every event that take place against the website. The task of Event Store in this case is to discover the different penetration tests and to store the events and to give indications to the administrator that the website was under attack. The study is primarily aimed at finding out whether Event Store is advisable to implement with a website where different penetration testing shall be made, and what the advantages and disadvantages are to using Event Store. Results show that Event Store can be used to identify anomalies against a website during attacks. Intrusions against the website can with great probability be proven with the help of the developed system with Event Store.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science in the Department of Information Studies at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2017 / The need to manage tacit indigenous knowledge (TIK) through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools is imperative because it is at risk of becoming extinct without proper recordable and management systems. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is largely tacit in nature and is mainly preserved in the memories of elders which is a risk to its documentation and preservation. We argue that ICT can be used effectively for enabling documentation, access and use of IK in the modern society. The study mainly focused on the types of ICT tools used for capturing, storing and disseminating IK in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Specifically, the study investigated the use and types of ICT tools, in the management of indigenous knowledge, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. For the purpose of the study, five research objectives were used that guided the research questions. These research objectives included: discussing the nature of indigenous knowledge; evaluating the types of indigenous knowledge practices in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province; discussing the types of ICT tools currently used in the management of indigenous knowledge; discussing problems encountered in the availability and use of ICT tools in managing IK; and discussing strategies for improving the use of ICT tools in the management of indigenous knowledge. The theoretical basis of the study was informed by the Knowledge Creation theory (KC) by Nonaka as discussed in detail in chapter two. The study adopted a post-positivist research paradigm to enable multiple perspectives from participants/target population rather than a single reality. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were simultaneously used during a single phase of data collection. Quantitative data was gathered by survey method involving self-administered questionnaires with ICT users/beneficiaries. The qualitative data was gathered by both survey and qualitative content analysis largely through open-ended questions, which were embedded in the semi-structured interviews with owners or custodians of IK. In depth literature review and document analysis formed part of qualitative content analysis. The sample for the study was drawn from ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of indigenous knowledge in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Notably, the ICT users/beneficiaries consisted of researchers, information specialists and/or librarians, academic staff, students and/or trainees on IK, cultural officers, IK recorders, IK documentation centre managers, and journalists and artisans. Furthermore, respondents who were owners or custodians of IK consisted of traditional healers, diviners and herbalists, traditional farmers, traditional musicians, rural artisans, community elders, traditional midwifery, rainmakers, chiefs, and traditional food specialists and storytellers. The study employed probability and non-probability sampling where cluster, snowball and purposive sampling techniques were used at different stages to select the respondents. A total of 96 questionnaires were administered to ICT users/beneficiaries and 57 (59%) were returned. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the owners or custodians of IK. 224 owners or custodians of IK were sampled, however, 196 (88%) were interviewed. The quantitative data from the ICT users/beneficiaries was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The qualitative data from owners or custodians of IK was analyzed through the use of qualitative contents analysis. The study acknowledged the wealth, access and use of indigenous knowledge in the province and showed that indigenous knowledge is not only used by indigenous people, as it is also being used by professional people for their own benefit. Many categories of traditional roles of custodians of IK have brought about the sustainability of indigenous knowledge practices in KwaZulu-Natal as it is still vital in these modern times and highly relevant in the areas of medicine and agriculture. Although KwaZulu-Natal has proven to possess rich indigenous knowledge practices, the knowledge is not sufficiently recorded with relevant ICTs for future use. There is a growing use of multiple ICT tools by institutions, IK centres and individuals to record or capture, store and disseminate indigenous knowledge which is quite positive. It is observed that ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK require ICT literacy to improve access and use. The challenges facing IK access are not uniform between ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK. The most crucial challenges among ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK was related to access to relevant ICT infrastructure and resources and lack of digital skills. The existing IK policy should be revised to accommodate rapidly changing ICT requirements of the sector. This study contributes to current literature and discourses on IKS; interrogates the applicability of knowledge creation theory and models to IK research; adds fresh data, information, and knowledge on IK research, particularly in South Africa; and proposes practical solutions to ICT application for IK development. The full thesis is available in the University of Zululand Institutional Repository and other publications from the thesis.

This study examines the price differences of commonly consumed produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores in Utah. Our first objective is to compare price differences of a basket of produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores. We compare these price differences in terms of low-income consumer affordability and if an individual can afford a market basket of produce using a combination of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) dollars and Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) incentive dollars. Our second objective for this study is to establish the price premiums of individual produce items based on where the produce was sold, time of season, market channel (farmers’ market versus grocery store), as well as production method used (conventional versus organic). The findings from this research can inform policy makers of the affordability of farmers’ market produce and apply incentive programs more effectively. We can inform consumers of the price differences so they can maximize their food budgets. We can use the research to help producers make market strategies that can then maximize their profits.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(医学) / 乙第12920号 / 論医博第2095号 / 新制||医||1010(附属図書館) / 32130 / (主査)教授 髙橋 良輔, 教授 松田 文彦, 教授 瀬原 淳子 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19753号 / 工博第4208号 / 新制||工||1649(附属図書館) / 32789 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻 / (主査)教授 森 泰生, 教授 濵地 格, 教授 梅田 眞郷 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM