Mind the gap: examining the gap in international passenger expectations and perceptions of service quality in low-cost carriers

Meeting or exceeding passengers' service quality expectations has become a critical factor for lowcost carriers (LCC). Still, only limited efforts have been made to date to investigate the differences (gap) in LCC passengers' expectations and perceptions. A comprehensive 25-item SERVQUAL framework for LCC was first developed through an extensive literature review and insights obtained from exploratory interviews and focus groups with passengers and industry experts. Using survey data of LCC passengers, the validity and reliability of the framework were first established, and then the differences in the expectations and perceptions were understood. The results indicate that none of the service quality attributes of LCCs have met, let alone exceeded, expectations, and the most significant gaps were found for "reliability" and "responsiveness" dimensions. With the growing global demand for budget travel and new LCCs entering the market, the study provides timely insights for LCCs to narrow the expectation–perception gap and achieve competitive advantage

An expectation-experience analysis of service quality of business travelers in low-cost airlines

A number of low-cost airlines (LCA) are repositioning their brand strategy to attract business travelers. This requires first understanding and then meeting business traveler's service quality expectations. Unfortunately, most studies on service quality attributes of LCAs have focused on leisure travelers. This formed the motivation of this study, which aims to examine the gap that exists between expectations and (actual) experience with the services received across the various dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL) among international business travelers. A total of 142 responses from business travelers were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising 23 SERVQUAL items. An expectation-experience analysis (EEA) was then performed on the survey data to categorize each item in the EEA grid as 1) High priority (high expectation but low experience) 2) Keep up the good work (high expectation and high experience) 3) Low priority (low expectation and low experience) and 4) Possible overkill (low expectation but high experience). The results show that the LCAs should focus more on the 'reliability' factor as most of its items emerged in the high priority grid while low priority should be given to 'empathy'. Overall, an all-around improvement is required to narrow the service quality gap, given that none of the service quality attributes have met or exceeded business travelers' expectations. The results are useful for practitioners to prioritize service quality improvements and develop tailor-made marketing and branding strategies

Is HR 6819 a triple system containing a black hole? -- An alternative explanation

HR 6819 was recently proposed to be a triple system consisting of an inner B-type giant + black hole binary with an orbital period of 40d and an outer Be tertiary. This interpretation is mainly based on two inferences: that the emission attributed to the outer Be star is stationary, and that the inner star, which is used as mass calibrator for the black hole, is a B-type giant. We re-investigate the properties of HR 6819 by spectral disentangling and an atmosphere analysis of the disentangled spectra to search for a possibly simpler alternative explanation for HR 6819. Disentangling implies that the Be component is not a static tertiary, but rather a component of the binary in the 40-d orbit. The inferred radial velocity amplitudes imply an extreme mass ratio of M_2/M_1 = 15 +/- 3. We infer spectroscopic masses of 0.4$^{+0.3}_{-0.1}$ Msun and 6$^{+5}_{-3}$ Msun for the primary and secondary, which agree well with the dynamical masses for an inclination of i = 32 deg. This indicates that the primary might be a stripped star rather than a B-type giant. Evolutionary modelling suggests that a possible progenitor system would be a tight (P_i ~ 2d) B+B binary system that experienced conservative mass transfer. While the observed nitrogen enrichment of the primary conforms with the predictions of the evolutionary models, we find no indications for the predicted He enrichment. We suggest that HR 6819 is a binary system consisting of a stripped B-type primary and a rapidly-rotating Be star that formed from a previous mass-transfer event. In the framework of this interpretation, HR 6819 does not contain a black hole. Interferometry can distinguish between these two scenarios by providing an independent measurement of the separation between the visible components.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 13 pages (16 figures and 2 tables); 4 pages supplementary material (4 figures and 4 tables). Comments are welcom

Temporal ordering and registration of images in studies of developmental dynamics

Abstract Dynamics of developmental progress is commonly reconstructed from imaging snapshots of chemical or mechanical processes in fixed embryos. As a first step in these reconstructions, snapshots must be spatially registered and ordered in time. Currently, image registration and ordering is often done manually, requiring a significant amount of expertise with a specific system. However, as the sizes of imaging data sets grow, these tasks become increasingly difficult, especially when the images are noisy and the examined developmental changes are subtle. To address these challenges, we present an automated approach to simultaneously register and temporally order imaging data sets. The approach is based on vector diffusion maps, a manifold learning technique that does not require a priori knowledge of image features or a parametric model of the developmental dynamics. We illustrate this approach by registering and ordering data from imaging studies of pattern formation and morphogenesis in three different model systems. We also provide software to aid in the application of our methodology to other experimental data sets

Satb2 acts as a gatekeeper for major developmental transitions during early vertebrate embryogenesis

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) initiates regionalized transcription underlying distinct cellular identities. ZGA is dependent upon dynamic chromatin architecture sculpted by conserved DNA-binding proteins. However, the direct mechanistic link between the onset of ZGA and the tissue-specific transcription remains unclear. Here, we have addressed the involvement of chromatin organizer Satb2 in orchestrating both processes during zebrafish embryogenesis. Integrative analysis of transcriptome, genome-wide occupancy and chromatin accessibility reveals contrasting molecular activities of maternally deposited and zygotically synthesized Satb2. Maternal Satb2 prevents premature transcription of zygotic genes by influencing the interplay between the pluripotency factors. By contrast, zygotic Satb2 activates transcription of the same group of genes during neural crest development and organogenesis. Thus, our comparative analysis of maternal versus zygotic function of Satb2 underscores how these antithetical activities are temporally coordinated and functionally implemented highlighting the evolutionary implications of the biphasic and bimodal regulation of landmark developmental transitions by a single determinant

A case study of the Secure Anonymous Information Linkage (SAIL) Gateway: A privacy-protecting remote access system for health-related research and evaluation

AbstractWith the current expansion of data linkage research, the challenge is to find the balance between preserving the privacy of person-level data whilst making these data accessible for use to their full potential. We describe a privacy-protecting safe haven and secure remote access system, referred to as the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Gateway. The Gateway provides data users with a familiar Windows interface and their usual toolsets to access approved anonymously-linked datasets for research and evaluation. We outline the principles and operating model of the Gateway, the features provided to users within the secure environment, and how we are approaching the challenges of making data safely accessible to increasing numbers of research users. The Gateway represents a powerful analytical environment and has been designed to be scalable and adaptable to meet the needs of the rapidly growing data linkage community

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: I. Project description

Observations of individual massive stars, super-luminous supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and gravitational wave events involving spectacular black hole mergers indicate that the low-metallicity Universe is fundamentally different from our own Galaxy. Many transient phenomena will remain enigmatic until we achieve a firm understanding of the physics and evolution of massive stars at low metallicity (Z). The Hubble Space Telescope has devoted 500 orbits to observing ∼250 massive stars at low Z in the ultraviolet (UV) with the COS and STIS spectrographs under the ULLYSES programme. The complementary X-Shooting ULLYSES (XShootU) project provides an enhanced legacy value with high-quality optical and near-infrared spectra obtained with the wide-wavelength coverage X-shooter spectrograph at ESOa's Very Large Telescope. We present an overview of the XShootU project, showing that combining ULLYSES UV and XShootU optical spectra is critical for the uniform determination of stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity, and abundances, as well as wind properties such as mass-loss rates as a function of Z. As uncertainties in stellar and wind parameters percolate into many adjacent areas of astrophysics, the data and modelling of the XShootU project is expected to be a game changer for our physical understanding of massive stars at low Z. To be able to confidently interpret James Webb Space Telescope spectra of the first stellar generations, the individual spectra of low-Z stars need to be understood, which is exactly where XShootU can deliver