Towards Customer's Emotion Management in Marketing: The Role of customers' Emotions on Their Experience

This research study aims at understanding the role of the customers' emotion towards a certain product/service in their experience. In another word, this research aims at finding the relationship between the customers' emotions and the way it influences their experience in a certain purchasing process. A questionnaire was distributed on a random sample of mall visitors through a period of 30 days (month) and it was based on variables including; A) shop clerk's sex, uniform and emotional behavior B) shop's environment C) clerks' friendliness. The results show that positive emotions of the customers which are connected to a positive shopping experience is influential and hence can lead to a positive purchasing decision, in addition to that, it was found out that the shop clerk's positive emotions is very important in supporting the client with a good shopping experience in the store. The gender was also a notion that worth to be noted based on the idea that the results supported that concept of the opposites meet. Finally, the uniform and dress codes for the shopping assistants appeared to be the least influential factor of all. Keywords: Customer emotions, customer experience, in-store customer emotions, provider/buyer encounte

An exponential class of dynamic binary choice panel data models with fixed effects

This paper develops a model for dynamic binary choice panel data that allows for unobserved heterogeneity to be arbitrarily correlated with covariates. The model is of the exponential type. We derive moment conditions that enable us to eliminate the unobserved heterogeneity term and at the same time to identify the parameters of the model. We then propose GMM estimators that are consistent and asymptotically normally distributed at the root-N rate. We also study the conditional likelihood approach, which can only identify the effect of state dependence in our case. Monte Carlo experiments demonstrate the finite sample performance of our GMM estimators

The effect of radiotherapy on survival of dental implants in head and neck cancer patients

Objectives: To explore the current literature of the survival of dental implants in irradiated head and neck cancer patients considering the role of implant location, bone augmentation, dose of radiation and timing of implant placement. Study Design: Pubmed search was conducted to identify articles published between January 2000 and December 2014 and presenting data of dental implant survival with radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. Studies on animal subjects and craniofacial implants were excluded. Results: 18 articles out of 27 were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. 12 out of 18 studies reported favorable outcome of dental implants and radiotherapy with survival rates between 74.4% and 97%. Seven out of ten studies comparing the survival rates according to site of implant placement reported that implants were found to osseointegrate with greater success in the irradiated mandible than irradiated maxilla. 5 studies which compared implant survival in irradiated native bone versus irradiated grafted bone reported that irradiated grafted bone showed a significantly reduced dental implant survival rate in comparison to irradiated native bone. 6 out of 18studies in which radiation doses exceeded 70 Gy reported lower survival rates of dental implants in comparison to the studies in which radiation doses were ≤70Gy. Higher survival rates were reported in 2 studies in which implants placement was before radiotherapy in comparison to the remaining 16 studies in which implants placement was after radiotherapy. Conclusions: Dental implants may be affected by radiotherapy especially when they are placed in maxilla, in grafted bone, or after radiation, however, they remain a functional option for rehabilitation of head and cancer patients. More prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trails are still needed to draw more evidence based conclusion

The Duration Between Traffic Accidents in the Taxi Sector: An Empirical Inquiry

The taxi, as a supplier of urban passenger transport, is often sidelined in travel demand studies, yet its role in the overall transport task is far from marginal. Taxis are the most intensively used automobile transportation and consequently have a very high exposure rate in respect of potential accident. Very little empirical research has been undertaken into the risks associated with using a taxi. Drivers of taxis are usually assumed to be experienced drivers with a safety history appropriate for the responsibility of transporting the public. Yet this is not always the case. To provide some understanding of the exposure to risk which passengers place themselves in when hiring a taxi, we explore the safety record of drivers over time. Of particular interest is the frequency of accidents over a given time period, and in particular the elapsed time between a taxi drivers initial accident and subsequent accidents. To what extent is the duration between accidents a positive or negative function of experience, personal attributes, temporary impairment, fatigue etc? A set of proportional hazards models are developed to explain the time interval (duration) between traffic accidents of taxi drivers in Amman, Jordan. Three econometric models are developed to predict the duration between the date when a taxi driver begins to drive and the date when the first, second, and third accidents occur respectively. Estimation results show that driving-related capabilities, socioeconomic characteristics, and temporary impairments significantly influence the duration between traffic accidents. The duration to the first traffic accident is lower than the duration between the firs

Lip and oral lesions in children with Down syndrome: a controlled study

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality affecting numerous organs, including the orofacial region. The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of lip and oral soft tissue lesions, with particular emphasize on the incidence of fissured tongue, lip fissures and angular cheilitis, among individuals with DS in Yemen. Material and Methods: This controlled cross-sectional study included 50 children with DS (6-18 years), and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The prevalence of orofacial soft tissue lesions was evaluated in both groups. Data were analyzed by Chi-square and Fisher tests, and p <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Ten orolabial lesions were identified among the subjects. The most frequently seen lesions were: Fissured tongue (78.0%), lip fissures (64.0%), angular cheilitis (38.0%) and Cheilitis (14.0%). The frequencies of these lesions were significantly higher in children with DS than healthy controls ( P < 0.001). Most of lip fissures were in the lower lip, and 80% of the fissures were in the midline. Conclusions: The prevalence of lip and oral lesions among individuals with DS is remarkably high. Hence, oral physicians should be more aware of the orofacial findings seen more frequently in this genetic disorder

Transcriptional regulation of the glucoamylase-encoding gene under endoplasmic reticulum stress in Aspergillus niger

The ability of many filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, to secret a high level of homologous proteins has led to their consideration as hosts for the production of heterologous proteins. However, the levels of some secreted heterologous proteins have often been low. Although many strategies have been developed to improve the level of secreted heterologous proteins, further studies into the remaining bottlenecks are required. One common strategy used to improve secreted protein production from filamentous fungi is to express the target protein under the control of a highly-induced native promoter. One major bottleneck in the secretion of heterologous proteins is caused by the folding of proteins within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Recent studies have shown that expressing some heterologous proteins could subject A. niger to ER-stress. In this study, A. niger was subjected to different environmental conditions and ER stress responses were examined under each of these environmental conditions to further investigate the regulation of the gene encoding glucoamylase (glaA). Treating A. niger with dithiothreitol (OTT), a reducing agent that causes the formation of unfolded proteins, caused the down-regulation of transcription of the glaA but not the gene encoding the non-secreted protein y-actin. The OTT-treated fungal cells also showed evidence of induction of the UPR because expression of bipA was up-regulated and splicing of hacA, the gene encoding the transcription factor responsible for induction of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), occurs allowing the production of an active HacA protein. This is the first study to show clearly by nuclear run-on studies that the transcriptional down-regulation effect occurs at the level of transcription, rather than mRNA stability, and is found to be mediated through the promoter of the glaA gene (PglaA) in a region more than 1.192 kb upstream of the translational start. As a preliminary attempt to investigate if the transcriptional downregulation effect was mediated through HacA (i.e. part of the UPR), the ER stress was induced through antisense technology to lower the level of POI in the ER of A. niger. Although the transcription of glaA was attenuated in that strain of A. niger, UPR was not evident, suggesting that the transcriptional down-regulation mechanism is controlled differently from the UPR. Furthermore, activation of the ER-Associated Degradation (ERAO) mechanism in OTT-treated A. niger cultures was demonstrated by detecting transcriptional up-regulation of the putative gene encoding the RpnG, a homologue of the yeast Rpn7p subunit of the 26S proteasome

Successful management of severe refractory acquired immune bleeding disorder: Prior to insisting surgery

AbstractINTRODUCTIONAcquired bleeding disorders are rare and may be missed before surgery. Additionally, they may be refractory to conventional treatments.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 50-year-old patient experienced prolonged post-operative bleeding when his bleeding disorder was missed prior to his undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. Post-operative investigations revealed severe acquired von Willebrand syndrome associated with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. A few months later, he required umbilical herniorrhaphy, but he did not respond to attempts to raise his von Willebrand factor antigen and activity levels using conventional therapies, including desmopressin, cryoprecipitate, intravenous immunoglobulin, and Von Willebrand factor concentrate. A triple therapy combination of dexamethasone, intravenous immunoglobulin, and mycophenolate mofetil was administered, with a successful and sustained response, lasting about 2 months. The surgery was performed safely, without any complications.DISCUSSIONConventional acquired von Willebrand syndrome treatment is usually aimed at replacing von Willebrand factor or stimulating its secretion from storage in endothelial cells. In the present case, the alternative treatment was directed against both the humoral and cell-mediated immune mechanisms.CONCLUSIONThis case of acquired bleeding disorder showed that more attention must be given to a patient's coagulation profile, even if only very minor laboratory coagulation derangements are detected prior to surgery, to avoid missing such rare disorders. The described triple therapy demonstrated good effects and may be considered for inclusion in a controlled randomized study to determine its usefulness for other surgeries delayed due to severe acquired bleeding disorders. To the best of our knowledge, this triple combination treatment has not been previously used for the treatment of severe acquired bleeding disorders that are refractory to conventional therapies

Is Khat (Catha edulis) chewing a risk factor for periodontal diseases? : a systematic review

Background: Khat (Catha edulis) chewing is a highly prevalent habit in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, and has recently spread to Western countries. The association between khat chewing and oral mucosal lesions is well documented in the literature. However, there is no concrete evidence on the association between khat chewing and periodontal disease. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the influence of khat chewing on periodontal health. Material and methods: A literature search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Sciences databases was carried out to identify relevant articles published from 1990 to May 2017. The inclusion criteria were all clinical studies that assessed the relationship between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Results: The search yielded 122 articles, of which 10 were included in this systematic review. Most of the studies exhibited a positive correlation between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Conclusions: Altogether, the analysis of the current evidence reveals that khat chewing is destructive to the periodontium and enhances the risk of periodontal disease progression. However, due to variability of studies, more longitudinal case-controlled studies are highly warranted to establish a causal relation between khat chewing and periodontal disease

Allicin from garlic inhibits the biofilm formation and urease activity of Proteus mirabilis in vitro

Several virulence factors contribute to the pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis. This study determined the inhibitory effects of allicin on urease, hemolysin and biofilm of P. mirabilis ATCC 12453 and its antimicrobial activity against 20 clinical isolates of P. mirabilis. Allicin did not inhibit hemolysin, whereas it did inhibit relative urease activity in both pre-lysed (half-maximum inhibitory concentration, IC50 = 4.15 μg) and intact cells (IC50 = 21 μg) in a concentration-dependent manner. Allicin at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (2-32 μg mL-1) showed no significant effects on the growth of the bacteria (P&gt;0.05), but it reduced biofilm development in a concentration-dependent manner (P&lt;0.001).A higher concentration of allicin was needed to inhibit the established biofilms. Using the microdilution technique, the MIC90 and MBC90 values of allicin against P. mirabilis isolates were determined to be 128 and 512 μg mL-1, respectively.The results suggest that allicin could have clinical applications in controlling P. mirabilis infections. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved

Seatbelt syndrome associated with an isolated rectal injury: case report

Seatbelt syndrome is defined as a seatbelt sign associated with a lumbar spine fracture and a bowel perforation. An isolated rectal perforation due to seatbelt syndrome is extremely rare. There is only one case reported in the Danish literature and non in the English literature. A 48-year old front seat restrained passenger was involved in a head-on collision. He had lower abdominal pain and back pain. Seatbelt mark was seen across the lower abdomen. Initial trauma CT scan was normal except for a burst fracture of L5 vertebra which was operated on by internal fixation on the same day. The patient continued to have abdominal pain. A repeated abdominal CT scan on the third day has shown free intraperitoneal air. Laparotomy has revealed a perforation of the proximal part of the rectum below the recto sigmoid junction. Hartmann's procedure was performed. The abdomen was left open. Gradual closure of the abdominal fascia over a period of two weeks was performed. Postoperatively, the patient had temporary urinary retention due to quada equina injury which resolved 10 months after surgery. The presence of a seatbelt sign and a lumbar fracture should raise the possibility of a bowel injury