What makes passengers continue using and talking positively about ride-hailing services? The role of the booking app and post-booking service quality

Ride-hailing services are increasingly consolidating their role in the transport sector in low- and middle-income countries where there is limited investment in public transport. However, much is unknown about the determinants of ride-hailing service use and quality of the service. The present study investigates the direct and indirect influences of perceived quality of ride-hailing service including perceived booking app and perceived post-booking service quality on continuous usage intention and word-of-mouth (WOM) of ride-hailing passengers. Emerging research has aimed to understand the hierarchical structure of ride-hailing service quality (including booking app and post-booking service). Therefore, this study proposes a formative hierarchical component model of perceived booking app quality consisting of seven dimensions (i.e., privacy and security, ease of use, functionality, design, information accuracy, route detection, and service). Likewise, the perceived post-booking service quality is comprised of four dimensions (i.e., reliability, personal, convenience, and tangibility). Data used for testing the model was collected from 536 ride-hailing service users in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. The results provide insights into attributes forming perceived quality of ride-hailing booking apps and perceived post-booking service quality and how these constructs affect passenger loyalty. The results are also useful for ride-hailing companies in their efforts to prioritise critical service attributes and ensure their service quality meets or exceeds passengers’ expectations.</p

Factors influencing intention to use on-demand shared ride-hailing services in Vietnam : risk, cost or sustainability?

Transport sustainability has become a major challenge worldwide. On-demand shared ride-hailing (OSR) is an alternative transport mode to private motorized mobility which allows passengers to share a vehicle and driver to their respective destination. OSR is more flexible than buses and cheaper than taxis. Additionally, ride-hailing services such as OSR play an important role in servicing communities with poor access to public transport (e.g., buses or trains) and people with increased vulnerabilities (e.g., women with children or people with disabilities). The present study investigates the impact of psychological factors on passengers' intention to use OSR services. To achieve this, the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used and extended with perceived risk, price sensitivity, and perceived green value. Data were collected from 520 ride-hailing passengers in Vietnam. The results confirm the relevance of the original TPB constructs, i.e., attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and social norms. Concerning the three additional constructs, only perceived risk negatively and directly influences usage intention, while the two other constructs (i.e., price sensitivity and perceived green value) influence the intention to use OSR via attitudes. The results also reveal that the impact of perceived green value on usage intention is higher among females than males. Additionally, among middle- and high-income people, there is a significant negative association between perceived risk and intention, while this association is not significant among low-income participants. The findings from the present paper provide evidence of the importance of psychosocial factors such as perceptions of risk, price sensitivity, and sustainability when considering intention to use on-demand shared transport services.</p

Surface third-harmonic generation at a two-photon-polymerized micro-interferometer for real-time on-chip refractive index monitoring

A micro-interferometer based on surface third-harmonic generation (THG) at twophoton- polymerized SU-8 cuboids for real-time monitoring of the refractive index changes of target fluids, which can be easily integrated into microfluidic photonic systems, is demonstrated. The third-harmonic (TH) interferogram is selectively generated only from the target volume by a simple vertical pumping, thereby eliminating the needs for complicated coupling and alignments. The dependence of the generated TH to the input pump polarization state is thoroughly investigated. The THG efficiency by linearly polarized excitation is found to be 2.6 × 10−7, which is the most efficient at the SU-8-air interface and independent of the input polarization direction. The THG efficiency from the SU-8-air interface is 12.17 times higher than that from the glass-air interface and 4.93 times higher than that from the SU-8- glass interface. Real-time monitoring of argon gas pressure is demonstrated using the microinterferometer. The surface TH from two-photon-polymerized 3D structures offers novel design flexibility to the nonlinear optical light sources for microfluidic and microelectronic devices.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)Published versio

Susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein particles to aggregate depends on particle lipidome, is modifiable, and associates with future cardiovascular deaths

Abstract Aims: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) through their retention, modification, and accumulation within the arterial intima. High plasma concentrations of LDL drive this disease, but LDL quality may also contribute. Here, we focused on the intrinsic propensity of LDL to aggregate upon modification. We examined whether inter-individual differences in this quality are linked with LDL lipid composition and coronary artery disease (CAD) death, and basic mechanisms for plaque growth and destabilization. Methods and results: We developed a novel, reproducible method to assess the susceptibility of LDL particles to aggregate during lipolysis induced ex vivo by human recombinant secretory sphingomyelinase. Among patients with an established CAD, we found that the presence of aggregation-prone LDL was predictive of future cardiovascular deaths, independently of conventional risk factors. Aggregation-prone LDL contained more sphingolipids and less phosphatidylcholines than did aggregation-resistant LDL. Three interventions in animal models to rationally alter LDL composition lowered its susceptibility to aggregate and slowed atherosclerosis. Similar compositional changes induced in humans by PCSK9 inhibition or healthy diet also lowered LDL aggregation susceptibility. Aggregated LDL in vitro activated macrophages and T cells, two key cell types involved in plaque progression and rupture. Conclusion: Our results identify the susceptibility of LDL to aggregate as a novel measurable and modifiable factor in the progression of human ASCVD