An empirical investigation of the factors affecting customer lifetime value

Purpose. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting customer lifetime value (CLV) for Internet service providers in Jordan, namely, technical quality, functional quality, brand credibility, confidence benefits, special treatment benefits, customer satisfaction and commitment. Design/methodology/approach. An online survey was conducted involving a sample of 481 respondents. SPSS was used to analyse the data and test the proposed relationships, while SmartPLS was used to examine the robustness of our results. Findings. Results showed that confidence benefits, special treatment benefits and brand credibility had a significant and positive impact on customer satisfaction and commitment, with brand credibility appearing as the most influential factor leading to customer satisfaction and commitment, and ultimately CLV. Furthermore, research reveals an insignificant relationship between functional quality, technical quality and customer satisfaction. Practical implications. Services' providers seeking to increase CLV need to build strong and sustainable relationships with their customers. Originality/value. This study incorporates a set of crucial customer relationship management strategies that could be universally applied to enhance customers benefits and business performance. This is also the first study of its kind conducted in the Middle East, particularly in Jordan

Genetic Engineering of Trypanosoma (Dutonella) vivax and In Vitro Differentiation under Axenic Conditions

Trypanosoma vivax is one of the most common parasites responsible for animal trypanosomosis, and although this disease is widespread in Africa and Latin America, very few studies have been conducted on the parasite's biology. This is in part due to the fact that no reproducible experimental methods had been developed to maintain the different evolutive forms of this trypanosome under laboratory conditions. Appropriate protocols were developed in the 1990s for the axenic maintenance of three major animal Trypanosoma species: T. b. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax. These pioneer studies rapidly led to the successful genetic manipulation of T. b. brucei and T. congolense. Advances were made in the understanding of these parasites' biology and virulence, and new drug targets were identified. By contrast, challenging in vitro conditions have been developed for T. vivax in the past, and this per se has contributed to defer both its genetic manipulation and subsequent gene function studies. Here we report on the optimization of non-infective T. vivax epimastigote axenic cultures and on the process of parasite in vitro differentiation into metacyclic infective forms. We have also constructed the first T. vivax specific expression vector that drives constitutive expression of the luciferase reporter gene. This vector was then used to establish and optimize epimastigote transfection. We then developed highly reproducible conditions that can be used to obtain and select stably transfected mutants that continue metacyclogenesis and are infectious in immunocompetent rodents

Numerical modeling of the nonlinear mechanical behavior of multilayer geosynthetic system for piggyback landfill expansions

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Geotextiles and Geomembranes and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.07.004.Numerical modelling techniques have been increasingly used to assess the integrity of engineering works, such as landfills, that involve interactions between multiple geosynthetics GSYs). In piggyback landfill expansions (PBLEs), where a new landfill is built over an older one, such interactions are particularly important because multiple GSYs, natural materials, and waste interact with each over. To obtain reliable numerical results, the real mechanical behavior of the GSYs and of the interfaces between GSYs must be considered. Designers, however, often use simplistic assumptions without further analyzing the implications of these assumptions on the results. Such simplifications mainly concern the nonlinear axial stiffness of GSYs, the strain softening at interfaces between GSYs, and the difference between the compressive and tensile behavior of GSYs. By, considering these key aspects, the present study aims to understand the extent to which the results of numerical calculations can be influenced both by the differing compressive and tensile behavior of GSYs and by the assumption of strain softening at interfaces between GSYs. For this purpose, several numerical models are implemented by using the finite-difference code FLAC 2D on a typical PBLE that involves four GSYs and six interfaces. The present work also applies comprehensive, state-of-the-art numerical modelling to study the interactions between multiple layers of GSYs. This study also investigates the nonlinear axial stiffness of GSYs through a series of uniaxial tensile tests. The numerical results show that, if the GSY axial compressive and tensile characteristics are the same, then tensile force is minimized, which induces significant compressive force in the GSYs. The results also indicate that neglecting strain softening at the interface between GSYs affects interface shear stresses, displacements of GSYs at the interface, and the GSY force distribution, potentially rendering the model unrealistic. Including strain softening, however, allows the assessment (location) of unstable areas along the interface where large displacements occur

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Influencer Marketing : how it affects young women’s consumer behaviour and identity

Den digitala världen vi lever i har tillfört nya alternativa möjligheter för individer att experimentera med dess identiteter och att presentera en eftersträvansvärd uppfattning. Människor blir ständigt influerade av andra människor, både medvetet och undermedvetet. Om en konsument ser en känd person använda och hylla en viss produkt blir de intresserade av att köpa den. Detta är egentligen en gammal företeelse men sociala medier och den digitala eran har kastat ett nytt ljus på detta fenomen. En influencer är idag ett välkänt fenomen för många. Då influencers oftast har en mer personlig relation till sina följare leder det till att influencer marketing anses vara mer effektiv än en traditionell marknadsföringskampanj. I och med sociala mediers popularitet förändras konsumentbeteendet och sociala medieanvändare identifierar sig idag med profiler på olika sociala medie-plattformar. Studiens syfte är att studera hur kvinnliga konsumenters köpbeteende och identitetsskapandepåverkas av influencer marketing på Instagram. Två forskningsfrågor har tagits fram för att besvara syftet och med hjälp av ett kvalitativt angreppssätt och vetenskapliga artiklar har det empiriska materialet jämförts. Den kvalitativa metoden bestod av två stycken fokusgrupper där urvalet var unga kvinnor mellan 22–30 år. Utifrån resultatet har studien kommit fram till att unga kvinnor idag är väldigt kritiska till influencer marketing. De anser att det är ett bra och effektivt marknadsföringsverktyg ur ett företags synvinkel men inte ur konsumentens perspektiv. Deltagarna upplever att deras användning av Instagram påverkar deras identitet och att de medvetet kan forma och presentera en önskad identitet. De är också väl medvetna om att identiteten de presenterar eller som presenteras inte nödvändigt stämmer överens med personen i fråga då de ser Instagram och influencers som ett ytligt verktyg. Trots detta visar resultat på att det är väldigt individuellt för hur mycket en individ är benägen att ta åt sig åt denna information. Studien är skriven på svenska.The digital world we live in has added new alternative possibilities for individuals to experiment with its identities and to present a desirable identity. People are constantly influenced by other people, both consciously and subconsciously. If a consumer sees a famous person who uses and pays tribute to a particular product, consumers become interested in buying it. This is actually an old phenomenon but social media and the digital era have cast a new light on this fact. An influencer is today a well-known phenomenon for many. Influencers usually have a more personal relationship with their followers, which means that influencer marketing is considered more effective than a traditional marketing campaign. With the popularity of social media, consumer behavior changes and social media users identify with profiles on various social media platforms. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how female consumers' buying-behavior and identity-creation are influenced by influencer marketing on Instagram. Two research questions have been formulated to fulfill the purpose and with the help of a qualitative approach and scientific articles, the researchers have compared the collected empirical material. The qualitative method consisted of two focus groups where the sample was young women between 22-30 years. Based on the results, the study has concluded that young women today are very critical to influencer marketing. They believe that it is a good and effective marketing tool from company’s point of view but not from the consumer's perspective. The participants feel that their use of Instagram affects their identity and that they can consciously shape and present a desired identity. They are also well aware that the identity they present does not necessarily matches the person in question as they see Instagram and influencers as a superficial tool. Despite this, results show that it is very individual for how much an individual is inclined to access this information. This study is written in Swedish

Genetic Inactivation of ATRX Leads to a Decrease in the Amount of Telomeric Cohesin and Level of Telomere Transcription in Human Glioma Cells

International audienceMutations in ATRX (alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked), a chromatin-remodeling protein, are associated with the telomerase-independent ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres) pathway of telomere maintenance in several types of cancer, including human gliomas. In telomerase-positive glioma cells, we found by immunofluorescence that ATRX localized not far from the chromosome ends but not exactly at the telomere termini. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments confirmed a subtelomeric localization for ATRX, yet short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated genetic inactivation of ATRX failed to trigger the ALT pathway. Cohesin has been recently shown to be part of telomeric chromatin. Here, using ChIP, we showed that genetic inactivation of ATRX provoked diminution in the amount of cohesin in subtelomeric regions of telomerase-positive glioma cells. Inactivation of ATRX also led to diminution in the amount of TERRAs, noncoding RNAs resulting from transcription of telomeric DNA, as well as to a decrease in RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) levels at the telomeres. Our data suggest that ATRX might establish functional interactions with cohesin on telomeric chromatin in order to control TERRA levels and that one or the other or both of these events might be relevant to the triggering of the ALT pathway in cancer cells that exhibit genetic inactivation of ATRX

Impact of GLP-1 Agonists on Male Reproductive Health—A Narrative Review

Background and objective—Obesity is a prevalent health concern that notably impairs male fertility through hormonal disruptions and other pathophysiological alterations. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) can significantly reduce weight. This narrative review synthesizes the existing literature discussing the impact of glucagon-like peptide-GLP-1 RAs on the male reproductive system, particularly on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and spermatogenesis, highlighting their potential impact on male fertility. Material and methods—PubMed database was used for the retrieval of English-language articles published up to November 2023. This non-systematic literature review predominantly concentrates on both pre-clinical and clinical studies pertaining to GLP-1 RAs, specifically exploring their impact on male reproductive hormones and sperm parameters. Results—GLP-1 receptors have been identified within the male reproductive system according to the existing literature. While the exact mechanisms are not well understood, they appear to be involved in glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism, both vital processes in spermatogenesis. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of GLP-1 RAs for promoting weight loss. Recent studies show that the use of GLP-1 RAs in obese males may enhance sperm metabolism, motility, and insulin secretion in vitro, along with positive effects on the human Sertoli cells. Recent clinical trials discussed in this review demonstrate weight loss associated with GLP-1 RAs is correlated with improvements in sperm count, concentration, and motility. However, the direct impact of GLP-1 RAs on male reproductive hormones remains unclear, necessitating further research to confirm their potential role in treating male infertility. Conclusions—This narrative review summarizes the existing literature discussing the potential impact of GLP-1 RA on the male reproductive system, emphasizing their potential therapeutic role in addressing idiopathic infertility in obese men. Despite numerous studies exploring the influence of GLP-1 and GLP-1 RAs on reproductive hormones, testicular function, and spermatogenesis, further clinical trials are crucial to validate initial evidence. Longer follow-up periods are essential to address uncertainties regarding the long-term repercussions and outcomes of GLP-1 RA use. While this holds true, the current literature suggests that GLP-1RAs show promise as a potential therapeutic approach for improving sperm parameters in obese men