How Taste and Sight Impact Brand Loyalty in Sensory Marketing

An argument can be made that marketing is easily one of the most important deciding factors for consumers to purchase food products. With both the various and copious amounts of companies contending for the loyalty of an exponentially growing population of consumers, it is important for food companies to understand what draws people to their products. A large amount of research has been conducted into the effectiveness of different marketing techniques (Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal, and Roggeveen, 2014). With food marketing, it is not merely enough for companies to sway consumers to purchase their food products by solely spouting out marketing jargon. Rather, studies have shown that consumers actually prefer to be able to see that the foods that companies are trying to sell can actually deliver on their respective product promises (De Pelsmaeker, Dewettinck, Gellynck, 2013). Therefore, it behooves marketers to find solutions that actively engage consumers in the food selection process. Sensory marketing is a relatively new discipline of marketing that embodies the idea of activating some if not all of the five senses which include sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Triggering these senses can prove to be extremely powerful tools for marketing because they can greatly sway consumers on whether or not they will purchase certain items. Food companies are actively searching for ways to manipulate the senses in order to alter the perceptions of what prospective customers will experience. Within the discipline of sensory marketing, there are a variety of methods that food companies employ to activate the senses. One of the ways food companies use visual stimuli include altering the outward appearance on packaging like General Mills frequently does to its cereals. Another sensory marketing technique that engages a consumer’s sense of sight is by making certain product brands very visible, so that it is the only product that a consumer would consider to purchase as Coca Cola frequently does with its sodas in many convenient stores. Likewise, food companies also attempt to appeal to a customer’s sense of smell by using techniques that trigger salivation in consumers. In fact, some food companies use artificial scents to mimic the taste of the food that they sell, causing customers to form associations between the scent and the food product. Sensory marketers also utilize auditory stimuli. Some of these techniques can take on many forms that can range from music to onomatopoeias to catchy slogans. In this way, food companies are able to set themselves apart from other brands. Similarly, food venders such as Sam’s Club and CostCo attempt to appeal to people’s sense of taste by allowing people to sample food products in stores form a variety of sample stations before buying them. Some food companies also strive to engage consumers’ sense of touch by allowing people to be able to touch their products directly. Some companies have even begun to change the tactile qualities of the materials that the store is made up of when they replace old materials with products such as wood, linoleum, marble, and much more. With the different themes of sensory marketing that many food companies have to choose from, it is interesting to gain insight into the roles that each sense plays in it. This begs the question, which aspects of sensory marketing are the most effective

Chemical evaluation of foliage of some tropical leguminous trees and shrubs as fodder

Foliage of thirteen leguminous species viz: Mzelia africana, Albizia zygia, Baphia nitida, Cassia siamea, Delonix regia, Parkia biglobosa, Samanea saman, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Cassia mimosoides, Desmodium velutinum, Flemingia macrophylla, Tephrosia bracteolata and T. densiflora were collected from the wild and the Fulani cattle rearers' settlement around Abeokuta, Nigeria. The samples were analysed for their proximate constituents: crude protein {(CP) ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF), ash and nitrogen free extracts (NFE)} , and the levels of macro- (Ca, P, Mg, K and Na) and micro-mineral (Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe) elements. The mean values of CP, EE, CF, ash and NFE for trees were 15.2 ± 3.5, 5.2±1.7, 17.8±3.7, 6.2±2.2 and 46.8±3.1 % respectively. The corresponding values for the shrubs were 15.4±1.3, 4.1±0.9, 19.3±1.1, 6. 7±1.3 and 46.4±2. 8 %. The foliage analysed contained adequate level of Ca, Mg and Fe for growth of ruminant livestock with mean values of 0.56±0.30%, 0.16±0.08% and 131.1±74.2 ppm respectively for trees and 1.15±O.49%, 0.2 ±0.06% and 88. 7±49.9 ppm for shrubs. The levels of P, Cu, Zn and K in the foliage were inadequate using the NRC recommendations for ruminants (NRC 1981). The respective mean values were 0.09±0.06%, 3.9±3.1 ppm, 19.5±16.4 ppm, and O.07±O.5 %, 3.7±2.6ppm, 21.7±21.6 ppm and 0.21±0.14% for shrubs. The levels of Na (0.11±0.07% for trees; 0.06 0.04% for shrubs) and Mn (96. 0±142.9 ppm for trees; 49.2±27.21 ppm for shrubs) were marginally adequate. It is suggested that more effort be undertaken to conserve these species as they have better nutritive potential than grasses when used as forage in the dry season

A Review of Password-less User Authentication Schemes

Since the demise of the password was predicted in 2004, different attempts in industry and academia have been made to create an alternative for the use of passwords in authentication, without compromising on security and user experience. This review examines password-less authentication schemes that have been proposed since after the death knell was placed on passwords in 2004. We start with a brief discussion of the requirements of authentication systems and then identify various password-less authentication proposals to date. We then evaluate the truly password-less and practical schemes using a framework that examines authentication credentials based on their impact on user experience, overall security, and ease of deployment. The findings of this review observe a difficulty in balancing security with a user experience compared to that of passwords in new password-less schemes, providing the opportunity for new applied research to leverage existing knowledge and combine technologies and techniques in innovative ways that can address this imbalance.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Internet Technology Letter

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PELLETIZED CASSAVA BASED DIETS AT DIFFERENT DAYS OF STORAGE

This study was carried out to determine storability, microbiological assay and chemical composition of pelletized cassava based diets. Four nitrogenous sources were used in the experimental diets as follows: T1, contained 200g/kg palm kernel cake (PK); 200g/kg caged layers droppings (CL) (T2), 200g/kg Gmelina arborea (GA) leaves (T3) and 40g/kg urea (UR)(T4). All the diets were pelletized. Other ingredients (g/kg) that made up each of the treatments were as follows: cassava sievate, 205; molasses, 100; Sulphur, 3; corn bran, 80; salt, 7; vit./min. Premix, 5. Media used were Salmonella Shigella agar, Potato dextrose agar, Manitol salt agar and Eosine methylene blue agar. Samples (1g) were taken at intervals of 1, 15 and 30 days for microbial analysis, while chemical composition was analysed at  1 day and 30 days after storage. Data generated were subjected to one way Analysis of Variance using Completely randomized design. No visible colour change, caking and mould growth were observed. Most of the bacteria and fungi isolated (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter sp., Mucour sp., Aspergillus sp.,) were persistent throughout the storage period. There was no significant difference between microbial profile and total viable counts of the diets forms. GA had the highest level of crude protein. Proximate and fibre fractions of the diets reduced with increase in storage age. Thus, feeding animals with the pelletized cassava-based feed with urea as the non-protein nitrogen source either readily or after storage is recommended.     &nbsp

Comparative efficacy of three commercial vitamin and trace mineral premixes for rearing broiler chickens at starter and finisher phases

Six groups of 45 unsexed day-old Hubbard broiler chicks were randomly assigned in duplicate at the starter phase (0-5 weeks) to three isocaloric and iso-nitrogenous diets which were fortified at manufacturers recommended levels with three commercial vitamin and trace mineral premixes purchased locally and labelled as premix A, U and Z. At the finisher phase (6 -9 weeks) the birds were shuffled and subdivided into three finisher treatment groups of two replicates each. One treatment group continued to receive the same premix as during the starter phase, while the other two groups were assigned the remaining premixes not given at the starter phase for that particular treatment group. Thus nine premix combinations were used at the finisher phase. The premix type fed at the starter phase led to differences (P > 0.05) in the protein intake, mean weight gain and weight gain per unit protein intake of the birds. Protein intake and weight gain per unit protein intake were not significantly different (P < 0.05) at the finisher phase. The serum uric and serum creatinine levels indicate that birds fed premix Z at the starter phase utilized the dietary protein more efficiently than those fed the other two premixes. Variable values were obtained for the serum metabolites at the finisher phase. It was concluded that available premixes for broilers in Nigeria vary in their content and their effect of protein nutriture ofbroiler chickens. It is recommended that if combinations of premixes are to be used in rearing broilers, care should be taken to feed a proven premix of good quality at the starter phase

Passwordless authentication using a combination of cryptography, steganography, and biometrics

User-generated passwords often pose a security risk in authentication systems. However, providing a comparative substitute poses a challenge, given the common tradeoff between security and user experience. This paper integrates cryptographic methods (both asymmetric and symmetric), steganography, and a combination of physiological and behavioural biometrics to construct a prototype for a passwordless authentication system. We demonstrate the feasibility of scalable passwordless authentication while maintaining a balance between usability and security. We employ threat modeling techniques to pinpoint the security prerequisites for the system, along with choosing appropriate cryptographic protocols. In addition, a comparative analysis is conducted, examining the security impacts of the proposed system in contrast to that of traditional password-based systems. The results from the prototype indicate that authentication is possible within a timeframe similar to passwords (within 2 s), without imposing additional hardware costs on users to enhance security or compromising usability. Given the scalable nature of the system design and the elimination of shared secrets, the financial and efficiency burdens associated with password resets are alleviated. Furthermore, the risk of breaches is mitigated as there is no longer a need to store passwords and/or their hashes. Differing from prior research, our study presents a pragmatic design and prototype that deserves consideration as a viable alternative for both password-based and passwordless authentication systems

Characteristics of commercial poultry and spatial distribution of metabolic and behavioural diseases in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to determine the characteristics, types and spread of poultry metabolic and behavioural diseases in Oyo State using a structured questionnaire spread across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state. One hundred commercial farms were randomly selected across the state but only seventy-eight responded. Data were collected on age of farm, number of stocks, types of poultry kept and types of poultry disease experienced and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Coordinates of the farms were captured with the aid of Global Positioning System (GPS) and imported into Geographical Information System (GIS) to produce disease risk maps of the study area. Results revealed that 58.98% of the sampled poultry farms in Oyo State were established between 5 and 10 years ago and were mostly small scale commercial farms (48.72%) with less than five thousand (&lt;5,000) birds. Only 3.84% of the farms possessed more than 120,000 birds, while 83.34% reared chicken, and 53.85% raised layers. The result also revealed that 89.74% of the farms experienced disease occurrence. Heat stress (23.08%) and vent pecking (38.46%) were the major metabolic and behavioural diseases, respectively experienced in Oyo State. The study concluded that majority of the commercial farms were small scale enterprises and layers constituted the highest proportion of chickens reared. Also, Oyo State had moderate to high potential for metabolic and behavioural diseases spread in 23 Local Government Areas while vent pecking and heat stress were the major diseases affecting most of the poultry commercial farms. Commercial poultry farms in Oyo State are enjoined to improve on their management techniques such as appropriate stocking density, good housing design and orientation, good feed and water management, effective structural and operation bio-security, proper hygiene and sanitation for better and efficient production targets.Keywords: Behavioural disease, Commercial poultry, GIS, Metabolic disease, Oyo Stat

IN VITRO COMPARISON OF PHYTASES FROM TWO MICROBIAL SOURCES

The chemical properties of two different commercial microbial phytases (Natuphos and Ronoxyme P)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;were compared. Natuphus production was based on the use of &nbsp; a recombinant of Aspergillus niger&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;strain while the Ronoxyme P was from Peniophora lycii. The enzymes were studied for their optimum&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;pH, optimum temperature and enzyme stability, resistance to protease and stability in digesta super-&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;natants. The phytases were found to exhibit different properties depending on source of the phytase&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;gene and production organism. An optimum pH of 5.5 was recorded for the enzyme from Peniophora&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;lycii while pH of 5.0 was recorded for the enzyme from Aspergillus niger. Both phytases had 50 C as&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;their optimum temperature. The result of the enzyme - stability in aqueous solution indicated that the&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Peniophora lycii phytase was more thermo-stable than the Aspergillus niger phytase. Incubation of the&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;phytases preparations with porcine proteases revealed that Aspergillus niger was more resistant to&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;pepsin and trypsin than Peniophora. Incubation of the phytases in digesta supernatants from various&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;segments of the digestive tract of hens revealed that digesta from the small intestine (SI) inactivated&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;the enzymes most efficiently. Nevertheless, the enzyme from Peniophora lycii retained more activity&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;than the enzyme from Aspergillus niger in all of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In conclusion, phyta-&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;ses of various microbial origins behave differently with respect to their in vitro properties, which could&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;be of importance for future developments of phytase preparation

Cost impact analysis for requirements management

Competition and the associated challenges in the automotive industry are increasing. Products are becoming more complex to satisfy growing needs of the consumers and products need to be cheaper and produced quicker. The automotive industry is responding to these challenges, by developing products within collaborative and extended enterprises across diverse geographical location. New customer requirements imply high frequency changes to the initial design requirements. Current unstructured approaches are not robust to deal with the volume and complexity of the nature of product changes in this environment. The aim of this research is to develop two methodologies, one for requirements extraction methodology (REXTRAM) and the second cost impact analysis methodology (CIAM) within the automotive industry. The research was conducted in a collaborative development environment between automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers and Tier 1 Suppliers. The thesis has proposed two novel methodologies. The first methodology (REXTRAM) extracts relevant data from product design documents and industrial domain experts. REXTRAM generates as output a repository of requirements, design parameters and their constraints. The second methodology (CIAM) identifies two types of changes (constraints changing on requirements and constraints changing on design parameters). CIAM combines matrixes and business (cost and time) driver rules to determine incurred (delta) cost of requirement changes. The matrixes exhibit three types of relationships: requirements to requirements; requirements to design parameters and design parameters to design parameters relationships. Case study approach and independent expert are used to illustrate the application and the capability of both methodologies. In this way this research proposes a tested and validated set of methodologies for the extraction of relevant data and the cost impact analysis of requirement changes and its challenges. The resultant methodologies have widespread application in the context of complex mechanical designs. The research also identifies future research directions in the relevant areas.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Growth, nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts supplemented with enzyme or yeast

Growth, apparent nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts (MSP) supplemented with enzyme or yeast were investigated using 120, 28-day-old male turkeys. Six treatments were laid out in a 392 factorial arrangement of treatments with three dietary inclusion levels of MSP (0, 50, and 100 g/kg) and supplemented with 200 mg/kg yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or 200 mg/kg of a commercial enzyme. The experiment lasted for the starter (day 28–56) and grower phases (day 57–84) of the birds. Each treatment group consisted of 20 turkeys replicated four times with five birds each. Data were analysed using analysis of variance while polynomial contrast was used to determine the trends (linear and quadratic) of MSP inclusion levels. Irrespective of dietary supplementation with enzyme or yeast, final body weight (BW), total BW gain, and feed intake for turkey poults from day 29–56 was reduced (p< 0.05) with increasing inclusion level of MSP. Dietary supplementation with yeast resulted in increased (p< 0.05) feed intake while enzyme supplementation improved (p 0.05) with MSP inclusion levels.Enzyme supplementation reduced (p< 0.05) ileal viscosity but had no effect (p>0.05) on AME. Inclusion of MSP resulted in poor growth performance. This confirms earlier studies that utilization of MSP by poultry is rather poor. Supplementation with enzyme or yeast did not lead to any appreciable improvement in performance of turkeys in this study