Using Customer Relationship Trajectories to Segment Customers and Predict Profitability

A central premise of relationship marketing theory is that economic benefits flow fromretaining customers. However, the early research focus on the duration of the relationship may obscure other important aspects of the interactions with the customer that drive profitability. Borrowing from the branding literature, where different types of customer relationships have been described (but not empirically examined), we study the patterns of business customers’ buying behavior, or trajectories that characterize customer-firm relationships over time, and their impact on profitability. We develop a finite mixture model relating customer relationship trajectories to profitability over a three year period. Our analysis yields five segments, or types of customer-firm relationships, for this dataset. We find key determinants of profitability vary across types of customer relationship. Interestingly, in none of these segments does duration predict profitability.marketing ;

The challenges and complications of re-implantation of the penis following amputation

Amputation of the penis is a rare and devastating injury. The etiologies vary from accidental, self-inflicted to attacks due to sexual jealousy and revenge. In the present era of microvascular surgery, replantation is the standard care. However, replantation of the penis comes with its own set of difficulties and complications. Knowledge of the anatomy and prior knowledge of the possible complications makes the surgeon aware of the course of events after a replantation. It helps in devising strategies to overcome these challenges methodically. We present a case of penile replant with the complications that we encountered, and the measures are taken to counter them on our way to a successful outcome

Bank Competition in India: Some New Evidence Using Risk-Adjusted Lerner Index Approach

Banks in India have been gone through structural changes in the last three decades. The prices that bank charge depend on the competitive levels in the banking sector and the risk the assets and liabilities carry in banks’ balance sheet. The traditional Lerner Index indicates competitive levels. However, this measure does not account for the risk, and this study introduces a risk-adjusted Lerner Index for evaluating competition in Indian banking for the period 1996 to 2016. The market power estimated through the adjusted Lerner Index has been declining since 1996, which indicates an improvement in competitive condition for the overall period. Further, as indicated by risk-adjusted Lerner Index, the Indian banking system exerts much less market power and hence are more competitive contrary to what is suggested by traditional Lerner index

Natural farming: Is it safe to march ahead?

Due to the increasing global population, advancement in farming techniques to meet the global food demand is the need of the hour. Conventional farming techniques have increased the yield over the past few decades, but those techniques also have adverse effects on natural resources. In this scenario, many other alternatives have emerged as a solution, natural farming being one among them. The presented article delivers crucial information regarding the targeted farming technique i.e., natural farming. Multiple scientifically-proven natural techniques and ecological approaches are discussed for different aspects of farming. In addition, criticisms related to Natural Farming are illustrated along with a basic introduction to zero budget natural farming (ZBNF). Furthermore, the article describes multiple proven technologies for weed, pest and disease management approaches through natural practices. Lastly, the article gives recommendations on implementing and introducing natural farming to the farming community

Seed Germination Ecology of Chenopodium album and Chenopodium murale

Chenopodium album L. and Chenopodium murale L. are two principal weed species, causing substantial damage to numerous winter crops across the globe. For sustainable and resource-efficient management strategies, it is important to understand weeds’ germination behaviour under diverse conditions. For the germination investigations, seeds of both species were incubated for 15 days under different temperatures (10–30 °C), salinity (0–260 mM NaCl), osmotic stress (0–1 MPa), pH (4–10), and heating magnitudes (50–200 °C). The results indicate that the germination rates of C. album and C. murale were 54–95% and 63–97%, respectively, under a temperature range of 10 to 30 °C. The salinity levels for a 50% reduction in the maximum germination (GR50) for C. album and C. murale were 139.9 and 146.3 mM NaCl, respectively. Regarding osmotic stress levels, the GR50 values for C. album and C. murale were 0.44 and 0.43 MPa, respectively. The two species showed >95% germination with exposure to an initial temperature of 75 °C for 5 min; however, seeds exposed to 100 °C and higher temperatures did not show any germination. Furthermore, a drastic reduction in germination was observed when the pH was less than 6.0 and greater than 8.0. The study generated information on the germination biology of two major weed species under diverse ecological scenarios, which may be useful in developing efficient weed management tactics for similar species in future agri-food systems

Multifunctional and multitargeted nanoparticles for drug delivery to overcome barriers of drug resistance in human cancers

The recurrence and metastatic spread of cancer are major drawbacks in cancer treatment. Although chemotherapy is one of the most effective methods for the treatment of metastatic cancers, it is nonspecific and causes significant toxic damage. The development of drug resistance to chemotherapeutic agents through various mechanisms also limits their therapeutic potential. However, as we discuss here, the use of nanodelivery systems that are a combination of diagnostics and therapeutics (theranostics) is as relatively novel concept in the treatment of cancer. Such systems are likely to improve the therapeutic benefits of encapsulated drugs and can transit to the desired site, maintaining their pharmaceutical properties. The specific targeting of malignant cells using multifunctional nanoparticles exploits theranostics as an improved agent for delivering anticancer drugs and as a new solution for overriding drug resistance

Seed Dormancy Dynamics and Germination Characteristics of <i>Malva parviflora</i> L.

Little mallow (Malva parviflora L.) is a notorious weed that causes substantial yield losses in winter crops. For effective weed management and seed testing, a deeper understanding of seed dormancy, germination behavior, and dormancy-breaking methods is necessary. Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of seed treatments, i.e., mechanical scarification, acid scarification, hot water treatment, and different germinating temperatures, i.e., 15 °C, 20 °C, or alternating 15–20 °C (16/8 h), on the seed dormancy in M.parviflora. A large proportion of M. parviflora seeds were physically dormant, with just 10.90% germination. Seed treatments had a significant influence on seed germination, seedling dry weight, vigor index, and water absorption (p ≤ 0.01). Among the various treatments, mechanical scarification enhanced germination by 32%, the vigor index by 487% and water uptake by 34%, and decreased percent hard seeds by 34%. Among the various germination temperatures, alternating 15–20 °C temperatures (16/8 h) gave the most significant result for germination and the lowest percent hard seeds. The findings of this study will serve as a valuable reference for seed testing and the development of suitable weed control strategies for M. parviflora