The contribution of perceived firm marketing innovation initiatives to customer perceived value and loyalty: does switching experience really matter?

In recent years, perceived firm marketing innovation initiatives (PFMII) are increasingly considered as an important means to ensure customers' continued loyalty. Although customer perceived value is believed to be a potential mediator between PFMII and customer loyalty, much of the evidence to date remains anecdotal or speculative. Furthermore, there is a dearth of knowledge about how the effect of PFMII on customer value differs between switchers and non-switchers. To bridge this knowledge gap, we propose a conceptual framework linking PFMII to customer perceived value and loyalty, and develop hypotheses about the moderating role of switching experience in some of these linkages. Data were collected from Generation Y(18–34 years old) who subscribed to post-paid mobile internet plans. The results showed that both functional and monetary values mediated the relationship between PFMII and customer loyalty. However, there was no significant difference in the effect of PFMII on functional and monetary values between switchers and non-switchers. This research contributes to theory and practice by clarifying linkages between PFMII and customer loyalty by investigating the often widely neglected role of customer perceived value. In addition, this study successfully extended Sweeney and Soutar (2001) PERVAL model by incorporating PFMII as the key driver of customer perceived value

Real-Time PCR Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila in Respiratory Specimens Using the ARIES® System

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpn), Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), and Legionella pneumophila (Lpn) can cause both epidemic and endemic occurrences of acute respiratory disease and are responsible for up to 22% of cases of community acquired pneumonia. Due to the limited availability of FDA-approved molecular diagnostic assays, we developed and evaluated a multiplexed Real-time PCR assay for the detection of these agents in two respiratory specimen types on the Luminex ARIES® instrument. The instrument provides for nucleic acid extraction plus PCR amplification and target detection in the same cassette. The ARIES® instrument generates a cycle threshold value and a confirmatory melt curve value for each reaction, including results for an internal sample processing control. The limit of detection for Mpn, Cpn and Lpn, was 100 CFU/mL, 1000 CFU/mL and 100 CFU/mL, respectively. In addition, accuracy, precision, specificity and stability studies were conducted to validate the assay for diagnostic use. Between November 2016 and June 2017, a total of 836 patient specimens were processed in our reference laboratory, with six positive Mpn and two positive Lpn. No specimens were positive for Cpn during this time period. The availability of a robust multiplex PCR assay greatly enhances the ability to rapidly diagnose infections caused by these three agents causing atypical pneumonia

Effect of socio-economic differentials on growth and development of children in five metropolitan cities of India

Background: Children’s growth and development depend on their parents’ socio-economic status. Adequate nutrition of children influence their anthropometric measures proper growth and development and reduces morbidity and mortality among children. Objective: To understand the growth and development pattern of children dwelling in the slum environment and to compare some of their growth parameters with non-slum children. Methods: This was a record review of National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) data, freely available from Measure DHS USA. Data for five major metropolitan cities, namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad were used for this study. The households classified as slum and non-slum by two agencies, viz., NFHS and census of India were considered for analysis. Variables more relevant as an indicator for the growth and development of children, viz., height, weight, hemoglobin, standard of living index (SLI), age (in months), and place of residence were selected for this study. Place of residence (slum or non-slum) and SLI, which is proxy to socio-economic status, were considered to understand their influence on height, weight, and hemoglobin values of the children. Results: About 75% of the slum dwellers were in low SLI category, and 69% of non-slum residents were in high SLI category. There is a significant difference (p=0.001) between slum and non-slum residence on the proportions of SLI. Multivariate analysis showed that all the variables significantly differ by SLI except age of the children. Conclusion: It is concluded that the observed difference between slum and non-slum children’s height, weight, and hemoglobin are due to differences in SLI. Growth and development of children dwelling in slum or non-slum area depend on the socio-economic status of their parents and not by their place where they are growing

Genetic diversity within and among populations of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx assessed through RAPD analysis

Genetic diversity was studied among 40 different zone samples in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Samples were collected from 127 locations in different districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Polymorphism at molecular level was studied by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker technique. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 30 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers was applied to the 40 zone samples. Out of 30 random primers screened, 22 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. PCR product of bat genome revealed a total of 234 bands, out of which 171 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram displaying the relative genetic similarities between the zones ranged from 0.42 to 0.92. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the first two components accounted for 51.4% of the total variation. The results show that considerable genetic diversity was observed in this species from different zonal populations, possibly due to complete dispersal of juveniles of both sexes from their natal groups and gene flow between the zones. The results obtained from this study suggest not only a predictive framework for future studies, but also the use of genetic data in the management and meaningful conservation of this species

Preliminary Evaluation of an lytA PCR Assay for Detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Urine Specimens from Hospitalized Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) due to Streptococcus pneumoniae still occurs in at risk populations, despite the availability of effective vaccines. Laboratory confirmation of S. pneumoniae remains challenging in cases of CAP despite advances in blood culture techniques and the availability of nucleic acid amplification tests such as PCR-based methods. Urine specimens are an attractive sample type because they are non-invasive compared to bronchial washes or whole blood specimens for patients with CAP. While urine specimens have been used successfully in antigen detection assays, they have not been extensively evaluated for PCR-based assays. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the potential for a real-time PCR assay targeting the S. pneumoniae autolysin gene (lytA) to detect in archived urine samples from patients with CAP. Results indicate that the real time lytA PCR assay on the Luminex ARIES® system shows promise as a screening tool for patients with CAP based on comparison to urine antigen detection assay results

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Undoped and Doped ZnO Thin Films

ZnO, which has high electrochemical stability, wide band gap energy, large excitonic binding energy, intense near band excitonic emission and is non-toxic, have potential applications in all fields. This chapter reviews the structural, optical and electrical properties of undoped and doped ZnO thin films. The type of doping highly influences the structural properties such as grain size, texture coefficient and unit cell properties. The dopants of transition metal and nonmetals have unique characteristics. Moreover, mono-doping and co-doping encourage this research. The optical properties such as bandgap, charge carrier concentrations and transmissions of the films depend on the doping as well as the preparation condition of the films. The effect of doping on its properties is also discussed

Optimising reaction variables for the preparation of superabsorbent iron fertiliser hydrogel using sugarcane bagasse: A sustainable approach to improve crop nutrient release

Iron (Fe) is a vital micronutrient essential for crop growth and development. Utilisation of bio-based, environmentally friendly functional polymers is inevitable for society. As an alternative to the conventional Fe fertiliser, the present study aimed to synthesise a higher Fe percentage containing hydrogel with organic substances that can facilitate the slow release of nutrients, reduce fertiliser nutrient fixation, and minimise environmental pollution. The reaction variables were optimised for the preparation of superabsorbent using sugarcane bagasse and nano-zeolite-based slow-release Fe fertiliser (SR Fe) hydrogel. This was formulated by graft, co-polymerising acrylic acid, acrylamide, sugarcane bagasse, and nano-zeolite with N,N'-methylene bis-acrylamide as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate as an initiator. Based on the swelling percentage, the reaction variables of the SR Fe fertiliser were standardised. The crosslinker (MBA - 10 wt%), the initiator (APS - 10 wt%), the filler (Nano-zeolite - 10 wt%), the monomer acrylamide composition (AAm - 2g), the acrylic acid content (AA - 7 ml), the reaction temperature (60oC), and the drying temperature (40oC) were chosen based on desirable swelling percentage and loaded with Fe fertiliser. The Fe fertiliser was loaded to sugarcane bagasse in different ratios (1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2). The present study showed that the SR Fe fertiliser with the highest percentage of Fe (6.4%) in the ratio of sugarcane bagasse to Fe fertiliser of 1:2 could be used as an effective SR Fe fertiliser to supply nutrients slowly to crops to meet their nutrient needs and improve nutrient use efficiency

Bat pollination of kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra

Two species of pteropodid bats Cynopterus sphinx and Pteropus giganteus visited inflorescences of kapok trees, Ceiba pentandra through the night. A third species, Rousettus leschenaulti infrequently visited the inflorescences. Both C. sphinx and P. giganteus foraged in groups and there were temporal variations in their visits to the trees. The ventral body surfaces of the bats were covered with pollen grains when they landed on the inflorescences to lap up the nectar. In addition to bats, moths also visited the inflorescences. Bat and insectexclusion experiments were performed to study their pollination efficiency. Bats were more efficient in pollinating flowers of C. pentandra than other pollinators like insects

Distress call-induced gene expression in the brain of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx

Individuals in distress emit audible vocalizations to either warn or inform conspecifics. The Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, emits distress calls soon after becoming entangled in mist nets, which appear to attract conspecifics. Phase I of these distress calls is longer and louder, and includes a secondary peak, compared to phase II. Activity-dependent expression of egr-1 was examined in free-ranging C. sphinx following the emissions and responses to a distress call. We found that the level of expression of egr-1 was higher in bats that emitted a distress call, in adults that responded, and in pups than in silent bats. Up-regulated cDNA was amplified to identify the target gene (TOE1) of the protein Egr-1. The observed expression pattern Toe1 was similar to that of egr-1. These findings suggest that the neuronal activity related to recognition of a distress call and an auditory feedback mechanism induces the expression of Egr-1. Co-expression of egr-1 with Toe1 may play a role in initial triggering of the genetic mechanism that could be involved in the consolidation or stabilization of distress call memories