Investigating Online Impulse Buying Behavior In South Asian Context

Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) paradigm this study focuses on online sales promotion, impulse buying tendency and social influence to examine online impulsive buying behavior of online customers of Pakistan. The study further assesses the mediating role of urge to buy impulsively on the relationship of sales promotion, impulse buying tendency, social influence and online impulse buying behavior. A total 576 questionnaires were distributed to students from four universities of using convenience sampling technique. The study has used SPSS (version 21.0) and PLS-SEM (version 3.2.8) for analyzing data at 0.05 critical level. According to the analysis results all the factors including sales promotion, impulse buying tendency and social influence significant influence on online impulse buying behavior. Results revealed the positive impact of targeted constructs on online impulse buying behavior with mediating role of urge to buy impulsively.The study adds new theoretical linkages and empirical evidences on the interaction between by sales promotion, impulse buying tendency, social influence and online impulse buying behavior with theoretical support of S-O-R Model. Moreover, this study is useful for e-marketers in assisting them to develop appropriate policies and customer-driven strategies by addressing customer’s online impulse buying behavior in south Asian context

Anthropometric measurements as a risk for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a hospital based study in South Asian population

Objectives: To determine the relationship between pregnancy induced hypertensive diseases and obesity. Methods: A retrospective case controlled study was performed at Aga Khan University Hospital including records from July 2000 to June 2005. All women developing hypertension with or without proteinuria after 20 weeks of pregnancy (n = 218) were included. Categories of pregnancy induced hypertensive diseases (PIHD) were defined according to National high blood pressure working group and ACOG committee bulletin. Controls were selected randomly with a ratio of 1:1.7 between cases and controls. Results: The estimated prevalence of pre-eclampsia in our institution is 1.9%. Earlier reports suggested mostly non-Asian women primigravida were more likely to develop gestational hypertension when compared with multigravidae (p-value = 0.004). Mean BMI of cases was significantly higher than controls (p = \u3c 0.001). The risks of both non-protienuric hypertension (Mean BMI = 27.16 +/- 5.46) and preeclampsia (Mean BMI = 27.39 +/- 6.15) increased consistently with increasing BMI. This rise was significantly associated with severity of pre-eclampsia and early development of PIH, but not associated with complications like eclampsia. No significant association of height and hypertension was found as most women of both cases and control were 150-165 cm tall. Conclusion: High BMI in pregnant women serves as a significant risk factor for developing hypertension in pregnancy but failed to establish this association with height is the main findings of our study

Acetabular morphometry and prevalence of hip dysplasia in the South Asian population

We carried out a cross-sectional study to measure the association of the seven acetabular parameters with pelvic morphometry and prevalence of hip dysplasia in our population. Convenience sampling was carried out and 250 consecutive patients who came to AKUH for intravenous pyelogram and had no complaints in the region of the hip joint were enrolled in the study. Post-micturition standardized plain antero-posterior pelvic radiographs of 250 asymptomatic adults (500 hip joints) was studied. There were 136 males (54.4%) and 114 females (45.6%). Mean age of our study population was 38 years (15-78 years). The average center edge angle was 35.5±6.6° standard deviation (SD), acetabular angle was 37.76±4.37°, depth to width ratio was 0.31±4.6°, roof obliquity was 10.6±6.2°, extrusion index was 0.1±5.8, lateral subluxation 8.9±2.7 mm, and peak to edge distance 17±3.98 mm. There was significant influence (p\u3c0.05) of age in all angles except depth to width ratio. A total of seven hip joints (1.4%) were dysplastic with CE angle \u3c25° while four of the seven hips were severely dysplastic with CE angle \u3c20°. In the dysplastic group there was significant correlation (p\u3c0.05) of CE angle with acetabular angle, depth to width ratio, extrusion index and peak to edge distance. Prevalence of hip dysplasia was found to be very low in our population. These results are consistent with the findings of studies carried out in other Asian countries

The Impact of Service Quality and Service Value on Customer Satisfaction through Customer bonding: Evidence from telecommunication Sector

In today’s competitive environment customer occupies the central place in business and retaining a satisfied customer can pay more as compared to attracting new one. The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of Service Quality and Service Value on Customer Satisfaction through mediating role of Customer bonding. Self-administered questionnaires were used for collection of data. Questionnaires were distributed among customers of telecommunication companies. Total 420 questionnaires were distributed among students, employees and businessmen. 397 questionnaires were received back out of which 3 questionnaires were rejected due to incomplete information. So, the response rate was 94%. For the purpose of analysis, SPSS and AMOS software have been used and mediation has been tested through online Sobel calculator. The result shows that Service Value and Service Quality have positive significant impact on customer satisfaction and mediation analysis shows that Customer bonding partially mediates the association of Service Quality and Service Value with customer satisfaction. This model may also be applied in banking and other service sectors for increasing the customer satisfaction

Optimizing the Performance of Data Warehouse by Query Cache Mechanism

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Multigeneic QTL: The Laccase Encoded within the Soybean Rfs2/rhg1 Locus Inferred to Underlie Part of the Dual Resistance to Cyst Nematode and Sudden Death Syndrome

Multigeneic QTL present significant problems to analysis. Resistance to soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr.) sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme was partly underlain by QRfs2 that was clustered with, or pleiotropic to, the multigeneic rhg1 locus providing resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines ). A group of five genes were found between the two markers that delimited the Rfs2/rhg1 locus. One of the five genes was predicted to encode an unusual diphenol oxidase (laccase; EC 1.10.3.2). The aim of this study was to characterize this member of the soybean laccase gene-family and explore its involvement in SDS resistance. A genomic clone and a full length cDNA was isolated from resistant cultivar \u27Forrest\u27 that were different among susceptible cultivars \u27Asgrow 3244\u27 and \u27Williams 82\u27 at four residues R/H168, I/M271, R/H330, E/K470. Additional differences were found in six of the seven introns and the promoter region. Transcript abundance (TA) among genotypes that varied for resistance to SDS or SCN did not differ significantly. Therefore the protein activity was inferred to underlie resistance. Protein expressed in yeast pYES2/NTB had weak enzyme activity with common substrates but good activity with root phenolics. The Forrest isoform may underlie both QRfs 2 and rhg

Geochemistry and Petrographical Study of Langrial Iron Ore from Tethyan Hazara Area Pakistan, with Emphasis on its Economic Characterization and Depositional Setting

The Langrial iron ore of Hazara area has been studied in detail at five locations for its geochemistry, genesis and economic potential investigations. A maximum of thirty samples were collected from iron ore bodies at different localities of Bagnotar, Danna Noral, Tatti Maira, Najafpur and Jabri for detailed analysis. The thick bedded iron ore has been deposited in the form of unconformity at Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary sandwiched between Kawagarh and Hangu formations (i.e. Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary). At the base of Hangu Formation variable thickness of these lateritic beds spread throughout the Hazara and Kohat-Potwar plateau. These iron ore bodies are studied by X-Ray Diffraction technique (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF), Petrographic studies and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). This XRD analysis indicated that iron bearing minerals are hematite with intercalation of chamosite, quartz and a proportion of impurities having albite, illite-montmorillonite, kaolinite, calcite, dolomite and ankerite. The X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) results show that total Fe2O3 ranges from 30 to 50% having high silica, while alumina to silica ratio is less than 1. The petroghraphic studies revealed concentration of Langrial iron beds as oolitic hematite nodule having variable concentric to composite structure. A high energy shallow marine depositional environment was deduced for Langrial iron ore, as inferred from SEM and mineralogical data. The overall results show that Langrial iron ore is a low-grade iron ore with average Fe2O3 of 52%, and can be upgraded by applying modern mining techniques to fulfill steel requirements of the country

Citrus peel extract and powder attenuate hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia using rodent experimental modeling

Objective: To investigate hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic potential of citrus peel extract and powder using rodent experimental modeling. Methods: Considering the fact, rat feeding trial was carried out for a period of 56 d to access the prophylaxis of citrus peel flavonoids by employing normal (study I), hyperglycemic (study II) and hypercholesterolemic (study III) rats. Each study was further divided into three groups to ensure the provision of selected diets, i.e., control, functional and nutraceutical diets. Each study was further divided into three groups to ensure the provision of selected diets, i.e., control, functional and nutraceutical diets. Results: Declining trend for total cholesterol was observed in all studies with maximum reduction (8.55%) in rat group fed on nutraceutical diet in study III. Likewise, levels of low density lipoproteins and triglycerides reduced 11.39% and 7.89% respectively in hypercholesterolemic rats. Moreover, nutraceutical diet alleviated the sera glucose level by 8.96% in study II. Conclusions: Conclusively, inclusion of citrus peel bioflavonoids in dietary therapies is a promising strategy to modulate lipidemic and glycemic attributes without imparting any deleterious effect on hematological parameters