The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of country of origin (COO) on the prescription behaviour of metro and A class cities of doctors. It also aims to study if the category of doctors ...like consulting physician differs from general practitioners on their prescription behaviour due to the COO. The primary, as well as secondary research data, was used to achieve the study objective. A total of 400 respondent doctors (Allopathic General Practitioner including various specialty practice and Multispecialty practice consultants) from metro and A-class cities were selected for the study. Results showed that the COO does not influence the prescription behaviour of metro and A-class cities doctors. Both GPs and CPs from the metro and class A cities have no significant difference in prescribing locally available brands (Indian) and global innovator brands. More emphasis should be given on brand equity to differentiate the brands. COO need not be an important point of differentiation. Marketers should be aware of the fact that physicians are influenced by many other factors than the brand's original country image. This research work has extended prior COO research to influence of the same on prescription behaviour of doctors in metro and A-class cities in emerging markets like India. This research fills an identified gap in the literature as it helps to get an understanding of COO in the pharmaceutical industry with respect to metro and A-class cities doctors.
Adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy are the two main processes contributing to adipose tissue expansion, yet the mechanisms that regulate and balance their involvement in obesity are incompletely ...understood. Activin B/GDF-3 receptor ALK7 is expressed in mature adipocytes and promotes adipocyte hypertrophy upon nutrient overload by suppressing adrenergic signaling and lipolysis. In contrast, the role of ALK4, the canonical pan-activin receptor, in adipose tissue is unknown. Here, we report that, unlike ALK7, ALK4 is preferentially expressed in adipocyte precursors, where it suppresses differentiation, allowing proliferation and adipose tissue expansion. ALK4 expression in adipose tissue increases upon nutrient overload and positively correlates with fat depot mass and body weight, suggesting a role in adipose tissue hyperplasia during obesity. Mechanistically, ALK4 signaling suppresses expression of CEBPα and PPARγ, two master regulators of adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, ALK4 deletion enhances CEBPα/PPARγ expression and induces premature adipocyte differentiation, which can be rescued by CEBPα knockdown. These results clarify the function of ALK4 in adipose tissue and highlight the contrasting roles of the two activin receptors in the regulation of adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy during obesity.
We have performed the first-principle study to analyze the structural and electronic properties of aluminum arsenide under the application of pressure. The computations have been carried out using ...the ground state total energy calculation approach of the system. The first-principle approach has been used to compute the stability of various phases of AlAs, like original zinc blende (B3), intermediate NiAs (B8), NaCl (B1) and CsCl (B2) type as a function of pressure. The study observes a B3–B8, B3–B1 and B3–B2 transitions at 6.99
GPa, 8.18
GPa and 73.43
GPa. The computed phase transition pressures, lattice parameters, bulk modulus, and energy gaps are in good agreement with their experimental as well as theoretical counterparts. Band structure and density of states analysis have also been performed and results have been discussed in detail.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to study differing demographic factors affecting fast-food customers loyalty towards national or international fast food chains. It also compares the variation ...between global and local fast food chains as the products offered are culturally different.
Design/methodology/approach
– A variety of variables used to gain a holistic view, which includes factors such as quality, price, food and demographic profile of consumers affecting loyalty of fast food chains. The study adopts the theory and method of the trust-commitment-loyalty explanation chain and examines the consumer survey adapted from Fast food by Sahagun et al. (2014). The present analyses 542 filled questionnaires in which systematic sampling is used. Systematic sampling procedure is adopted.
Findings
– Indians prefer global fast food chains compared to Indian fast food chains. Loyalty towards global brands is higher than that for Indian brands because they are found to be of better quality which leads to higher frequency of visit and recommendation of the brands to their friends and colleagues. There are ethnic variations towards global and Indian fast food chains. Global brand of food chains generated more good word of mouth publicity compared to Indian food chains. Demographic factors play a role in the patronage of fast food chains.
Research limitations/implications
– One of the limitations of this research is the study adapts the theory and method of the trust-commitment-loyalty explanation chain and examines the consumer survey adapted from a study of Sahagun et al. (2014) on fast food for emerging markets. Only India is studied, but the addition of other countries like Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa can add value.
Practical implications
– Fast food managers had to illustrate the satisfaction on affective response, such as quality of food, convenient location, variety, service and value for money. Demographic variables like gender, age, education, income and ethnicity, global and local Brand will affect the perceptions.
Originality/value
– This is the first attempt to study the loyalty of consumers in emerging markets, which is witnessing the entry of many fast food global chains. It studies the demographic variables effect on the loyalty and the behaviour of consumers and compares to local and global brand fast food chains. The research will be use to global managers who are planning to expand in emerging markets like India.
Objective:To investigate two cyanobacteria isolated from different origins i.e.Lyngbya aestuarii(L.aestuarii)from brackish water and Aphanothece bullosa(4.bullosa)from fresh water paddy fields for ...antifungal and antileishmanila activity taking Candida albicans and Leishmania donovain as targets.Methods:Biomass of L.aestuarii and A.bullosa were harvested after 40 and60 d respectively and lyophilized twice in methanol(100%)and redissolved in methanol(5%)for bioassay.Antifungal bioassay was done by agar well diffusion method while antileishmanial,by counting cell numbers and flageller motility observation of promastigotes and amastigotes from L.donovani.fluconazole and 5%methanol were used as control.Results:Both the cyanobacteria were found to be potent source of antifungal activity keeping fluconazole as positive control,however,methanolic crude extract(15 mg/mL)of A.bullosa was found more potent(larger inhibition zone)over that of methanolic crude extract of L.aestuarii,Similarly antileishmanial activity of crude extract(24.0 mg/mL)of A.bullosa was superior over that of methanolic crude extract of L.aestuarii(25.6 mg/mL).Conclusions:Antifungal and antileishmanial drugs are still limited in the market.Screening of microbes possessing antifungal and antileishmanial activity drug is of prime importance.Cyanobacteria are little explored in this context because most of the drugs in human therapy are derived from microorganisms,mainly bacterial,fungal and actinomycetes.Thus in the present study two cyanobacterial strains from different origins showed potent source of antifungal and antileishmanial biomolecules.
Abstract Purpose Perturbed apoptosis due to missense alterations in candidate tumor suppressor gene Death receptor 4 ( DR4 ) and in caspases ( Casp ) lead to deregulated cell proliferation and cancer ...predisposition. Some data indicate that normal variations within the sequence of apoptotic genes may lead to suboptimal apoptotic capacity and therefore increased cancer risk. To test our proposal we examined whether six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the DR4 and Casp3, 5 genes contrive the risk of bladder cancer (BC) in a North Indian population. Materials and methods Genotyping was performed in 200 BC patients and 225 controls by Allele-specific PCR and by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results In DR4 Arg141His, BC patients having AA genotype ( p = 0.036; OR = 2.51. In Casp5Leu13Phe G > C, significant association was observed with GC ( p = 0.025; OR = 1.78) and also in GC + CC ( p = 0.026; OR = 1.68). C allele carriers in Casp5Ala90Thr T > C showed low risk of BC ( p = 0.036; OR = 0.83). While in Casp3 G > A, AG ( p = 0.003; OR = 2.11), GG ( p = 0.050; OR = 2.18), G allele ( p < 0.001; OR = 1.85) and its carrier AG + GG ( p = 0.001; OR = 2.12) have shown significant BC risk. Significant association between DR4 Ala228Glu polymorphism and smoking was observed in BC risk. Haplotype analysis demonstrated that DR4 ( Thr209Arg–Arg141His–Ala228Glu ) C-G-C is associated with 1.8 folds (OR = 1.85; p = 0.033) risk. GG genotype of Casp3 G > A polymorphism showed increased risk of recurrence ( p = 0.009; HR = 5.20). Conclusion This study provided new support for the association of DR4 and Casp3, 5 in BC development, the tumorigenic effect of which was observed to be more enhanced in case of smoking exposure.
Mercury speciation in combustion-generated flue gas was modeled using a detailed chemical mechanism consisting of 60 reactions and 21 species. This speciation model accounts for the chlorination and ...oxidation of key flue-gas components, including elemental mercury (Hg
0
). Results indicated that the performance of the model is very sensitive to temperature. Starting with pure HCl, for lower reactor temperatures (less than ~630 °C), the model produced only trace amounts of atomic and molecular chlorine (Cl and Cl
2
), leading to a drastic underprediction of Hg chlorination compared with experimental data. For higher reactor temperatures, model predictions were in good accord with experimental data. For conditions that produce an excess of Cl and Cl
2
relative to Hg, chlorination of Hg is determined by the competing influences of the initiation step, Hg + Cl = HgCl, and the Cl recombination reaction, 2Cl = Cl
2
. If the Cl recombination reaction is faster, Hg chlorination will eventually be dictated by the slower pathway Hg + Cl
2
= HgCl
2
.
Lead (Pb) can delay sexual maturation; however, the mechanism and critical time of insult are not clearly defined. Therefore, we assessed maternal Pb levels during low-level gestational and/or ...lactational exposure, as well as blood and tissue Pb in developing fetuses in relation to the subsequent detrimental effects of Pb on puberty-related hormones and the onset of female puberty. Adult Fisher 344 female rats were gavaged daily with either a 1-ml solution of PbAc containing 12
mg/ml Pb or an equal volume of sodium acetate (NaCl), for the controls, from 30 days prior to breeding until their pups were weaned at 21 days. By cross-fostering at the time of birth, the pups were either exposed to PbAc or NaAc during gestation only, lactation only, or during both gestation and lactation. Pb delayed the timing of puberty and this delay was associated with suppressed serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E
2). Liver IGF-1 mRNA was not affected, suggesting that Pb altered translation and/or secretion of IGF-1. We reported previously that peripherally derived IGF-1 acts at the hypothalamic level to facilitate LH release at puberty; hence, we suggest that the action of Pb in decreasing circulating IGF-1 contributes to the delayed puberty. The detrimental effects occurred regardless of the developmental time of exposure, although gestational exposure appeared more sensitive to the effects of Pb. Also, the effects noted were with blood Pb levels less than previously reported and these levels are relevant to human health concerns.
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