An investigation of corporate image, customer satisfaction and loyalty-more than just monkey business

Prior research into corporate branding, of which corporate image is a key construct, has focused primarily on products. There has, however, been limited academic research focusing on corporate branding in the leisure services sector. However, in an increasingly competitive environment, leisure services need to treat branding and image management as more than just "monkey business". This study addresses this by developing a model and empirically testing the relationships between corporate image, the dimensions of corporate image, customer satisfaction and loyalty in the context of a Zoological garden. As predicted, a strong relationship was found between corporate image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Our results also suggest that three dimensions of corporate image (adventure, mission/vision and agreeableness) explain a significant propOliion of the variance in satisfaction and loyalty.

Monkey in a cage : the complicated loyalties of mid-level academic women working in higher education

Loyalty raises a dilemma for women’s career progression and leadership because it signals confidence in the organisation, despite the ongoing constraints that organisations present for women and their leadership aspirations. The research investigates women’s loyalty in the context of higher education. Focussing on a select group of mid-level female academics, the paper will argue against a common sense understanding of loyalty as an expression of female care. A critical reconsideration of loyalty as care is made possible by analysing the ‘utility of loyalty’ and how it becomes a legitimate organising principle that operationalises institutional and personal objectives. How women enact loyalty draws on agency theory to explain and analyse the way loyalty is appropriated by women. The results show contradictory actions around loyalty, however, these can be clarified by agency theory to demystify loyalty and critically analyse how specific work actions and practices shape explain seemingly contradictory and emotive responses. The complications around women and loyalty are expressions of a substantive rationality through which mid-level female academics respond to the uneven opportunities, limitations and constraints that influence their work, profession and relationships.

Growth of rotaviruses in continuous human and monkey cell lines that vary in their expression of integrins

Rotavirus replication occurs in vivo in intestinal epithelial cells. Cell lines fully permissive to rotavirus include kidney epithelial (MA104), colonic (Caco-2) and hepatic (HepG2) types. Previously, it has been shown that cellular integrins α2β1, α4β1 and αXβ2 are involved in rotavirus cell entry. As receptor usage is a major determinant of virus tropism, the levels of cell surface expression of these integrins have now been investigated by flow cytometry on cell lines of human (Caco-2, HepG2, RD, K562) and monkey (MA104, COS-7) origin in relation to cellular susceptibility to infection with monkey and human rotaviruses. Cells supporting any replication of human rotaviruses (RD, HepG2, Caco-2, COS-7 and MA104) expressed α2β1 and (when tested) αXβ2, whereas the non-permissive K562 cells did not express α2β1, α4β1 or αXβ2. Only RD cells expressed α4β1. Although SA11 grew to higher titres in RD, HepG2, Caco-2, COS-7 and MA104 cells, this virus still replicated at a low level in K562 cells. In all cell lines tested, SA11 replicated to higher titres than did human strains, consistent with the ability of SA11 to use sialic acids as alternative receptors. Levels of cell surface α2 integrin correlated with levels of rotavirus growth. The α2 integrin relative linear median fluorescence intensity on K562, RD, COS-7, MA104 and Caco-2 cells correlated linearly with the titre of SA11 produced in these cells at 20 h after infection at a multiplicity of 0·1, and the data best fitted a sigmoidal dose–response curve (r2=1·00, P=0·005). Thus, growth of rotaviruses in these cell lines correlates with their surface expression of α2β1 integrin and is consistent with their expression of αXβ2 and α4β1 integrins.

Effects of visual contact with zoo visitors on black-capped capuchin welfare

Previous research has suggested that the presence of zoo visitors may be stressful for various primate species, and visual contact with visitors may be the sensory stimuli that mediate visitor effects. We studied a group of black-capped capuchins, Cebus apella, in a controlled experiment, randomly imposing two treatments: customised one-way vision screens on the exhibit viewing windows to reduce visual contact with visitors; and unmodified viewing windows that allow full visual contact with visitors. We sampled capuchin behaviour including intra-group aggression and other social interactions, vigilance and abnormal behaviours. To provide a measure of physiological stress, we also analysed capuchin faecal samples for glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentration. When the view of visitors was obscured, we found marked reductions in capuchin aggression (from 14.5 bouts to 4.6 bouts per weekend, P= 0.004) and FGM concentration (from 620 to 410. ng/g, P= 0.008) among all adults, as well as reductions in abnormal behaviour (P = 0.01) in two individuals. The capuchins also avoided the visitor viewing area (P = 0.003) in the unmodified viewing window treatment. These results suggest that reducing the capuchins' ability to view visitors improved their welfare. However we also found a reduction in the number of visitors when visual contact was reduced (from an average of 23 visitors per scan to 15, P = 0.008), suggesting that the visitor experience may have been compromised by the lack of interaction with the capuchins. These results highlight a possible dilemma for the zoo industry between enhancing animal welfare in primates and providing for visitor experience.

Pharmacokinetics of recombinant human endostatin in rats

The pharmacokinetics of recombinant human endostatin (rh-Endo) has not been established in the rat, although this species of animal is commonly used in the pharmacological studies of rh-Endo. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and excretion of rh-Endo in rats. 125I-radiolabeled rh-Endo was administered to healthy rats by intravenous (i.v) bolus injection at 1.5, 4.5 and 13.5 mg/kg. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of rh-Endo increased proportionally with the increase of the dosage. There were no significant differences in total body clearance (CL) and elimination half-life (t1/2beta) of rh-Endo among the three dosages used. A 93.5% and 2.2% of the radioactivity was recovered in the urine and feces, respectively, in bile-duct intact rats; whereas only 0.1% of the total radioactivity was excreted into the bile in bile-duct cannulated rats. rh-Endo was rapidly and widely distributed in the liver, kidneys, spleen and lungs. Furthermore, a significant allometric relationship between CL, but not volume of distribution (Vd) and t1/2beta of rh-Endo, and the body weight was observed across mouse, rat and monkey, with the predicted values in humans significantly lower than those observed in cancer patients. rh-Endo exhibited a linear pharmacokinetics in rats and it is mainly excreted through the urine.

Deborah Walker : recent painting

Artworks exhibited : Life 2008 - BKK 2008 - The Oracle 2008 - The Revolution 2008 - The Little Dog 2008 - Modern 2008 - The Unifier 2008 - Love 2008 - Mother 2008 - Shiva 2008 - Homage 2008 - The Beauty 2008 - Apollo 2008 - Troy 2008 - Suvarnabhumi (the plane) 2008 - Uncle Basil 2008 - The Daughter 2008 - Gods of War 2008 - The Trojans 2008 - Le Grand pere 2008 - Albert -  I Remember The Beach 2007 - I Remember The Beach II - My Cosmic Lady 2008 - On The Avenue - Space Pervades a Jar Drawings : Cyberman - Minatour - Fishlady - Italy - Kaspar - Madonna - Red Vessel - Ganesa - Cowboys - Sun - Fire Engine - Kneeling Woman - Blowing Bubbles - Bridge and Horse and Cloud - Kasper Hauser - Eyeball and Watering Can - Red Head - Bombay - Blue Eyes and monkey God - Blue Girl With Buddha

Analysis of the contribution of reverse transcriptase and integrase proteins to retroviral RNA dimer conformation

All retroviruses contain two copies of genomic RNA that are linked noncovalently. The dimeric RNA of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) undergoes rearrangement during virion maturation, whereby the dimeric RNA genome assumes a more stable conformation. Previously, we have shown that the packaging of the HIV-1 polymerase (Pol) proteins reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN) is essential for the generation of the mature RNA dimer conformation. Analysis of HIV-1 mutants that are defective in processing of Pol showed that these mutant virions contained altered dimeric RNA conformation, indicating that the mature RNA dimer conformation in HIV-1 requires the correct proteolytic processing of Pol. The HIV-1 Pol proteins are multimeric in their mature enzymatically active forms; RT forms a heterodimer, and IN appears to form a homotetramer. Using RT and IN multimerization defective mutants, we have found that dimeric RNA from these mutant virions has the same stability and conformation as wild-type RNA dimers, showing that the mature enzymatically active RT and IN proteins are dispensable for the generation of mature RNA dimer conformation. This also indicated that formation of the mature RNA dimer structure occurs prior to RT or IN maturation. We have also investigated the requirement of Pol for RNA dimerization in both Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) and Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) and found that in contrast to HIV-1, Pol is dispensable for RNA dimer maturation in M-PMV and MoMuLV, demonstrating that the requirement of Pol in retroviral RNA dimer maturation is not conserved among all retroviruses.

Flash-floods : genre subversion and the abject erotic in Dorothy Porter’s The monkey’s mask and El Dorado

When discussing her verse novels, Dorothy Porter explicitly stated that she loved to ‘write bad’. This paper will argue that it was Porter’s engagement with the verse novel form and genre subversion, most notably seen with her detective and crime thriller verse novels The monkey’s mask and El Dorado, that allows for a destabilisation of traditionally established genre conventions, which in turn provide a narrative foundation for Porter’s use of abject erotic imagery.

In both The monkey’s mask and El Dorado there are several types of ‘bodies’ to be examined: the body of the verse narrative, the bodies of the characters subjected to crime, the body of poetry that is referred to as evidence, and the abject eroticised body. Extending upon the studies of Rose Lucas (1997) and Fleur Diamond (1999), this paper contends that it is Porter’s engagement with the abject erotic, as informed by Julia Kristeva’s (1982) theory of the abject and Johanna Blakley’s (1995) discussion of the abject in relation to eroticism, that allows Porter to subvert the phallocentric limitations upheld through the crime fiction genre and offer an alternative representation for lesbian sexuality and desire.

Does reduced mobility through fragmented landscapes explain patch extinction patterns for three honeyeaters?

1.Habitat loss and associated fragmentation are major drivers of biodiversity decline, and understanding how they affect population processes (e.g. dispersal) is an important conservation goal. In a large-scale test employing 10 × 10 km units of replication, three species of Australian birds, the fuscous honeyeater, yellow-tufted honeyeater and white-plumed honeyeater, responded differently to fragmentation. The fuscous and yellow-tufted honeyeaters are ‘decliners’ that disappeared from suitable habitat in landscapes where levels of tree-cover fell below critical thresholds of 17 and 8%, respectively. The white-plumed honeyeater is a ‘tolerant’ species whose likelihood of occurrence in suitable habitat was independent of landscape-level tree-cover. 2.To determine whether the absence of the two decliner species in low tree-cover landscapes can be explained by reduced genetic connectivity, we looked for signatures of reduced mobility and gene flow in response to fragmentation across agricultural landscapes in the Box-Ironbark region of north-central Victoria, Australia. 3.We compared patterns of genetic diversity and population structure at the regional scale and across twelve 100 km2 landscapes with different tree-cover extents. We used genetic data to test landscape models predicting reduced dispersal through the agricultural matrix. We tested for evidence of sex-biased dispersal and sex-specific responses to fragmentation. 4.Reduced connectivity may have contributed to the disappearance of the yellow-tufted honey-eater from low tree-cover landscapes, as evidenced by male bias and increased relatedness among males in low tree-cover landscapes and signals of reduced gene flow and mobility through the agricultural matrix. We found no evidence for negative effects of fragmentation on gene flow in the other decliner, the fuscous honeyeater, suggesting that undetected pressures act on this species. As expected, there was no evidence for decreased movement through fragmented landscapes for the tolerant white-plumed honeyeater. 5.We demonstrated effects of habitat loss and fragmentation (stronger patterns of genetic differentiation, increased relatedness among males) on the yellow-tufted honeyeater above the threshold at which probability of occurrence dropped. Increasing extent and structural connectivity of habitat should be an appropriate management action for this species and other relatively sedentary woodland specialist species for which it can be taken as representative.

Effects of stress on reproduction in non-rodent mammals : the role of glucocorticoids and sex differences

The means by which stress influences reproduction is not clearly understood, but may involve a number of endocrine, paracrine and neural systems. Stress impacts on the reproductive axis at the hypothalamus (to affect GnRH secretion) and the pituitary gland (to affect gonadotrophin secretion), with direct effects on the gonads being of less importance. Different stressors have different effects and there are differences in response to short- and long-term stress. Many short-term stresses fail to affect reproduction and there are reports of stimulatory effects of some 'stressors'. There are species differences in the way that specific stressors affect reproduction. Sex differences in the effects of a particular stressor have been delineated and these may relate to effects of stress at different levels of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis. The significance of stress-induced secretion of cortisol varies with species. In some instances, there appears to be little impact of short-term increases in cortisol concentrations and protracted increases in plasma concentration seem to be required before any deleterious effect on reproduction is apparent. Issues of sex, sex steroid status, type of stressor and duration of stress need to be considered to improve understanding of this issue.

Stress and reproduction: central mechanisms and sex differences in non-rodent species

Despite extensive research, the mechanisms by which stress affects reproduction are unknown. Activation of stress systems could potentially influence reproduction at any level of the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis. Nonetheless, the predominant impact is on the secretion of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) from the brain and the secretion of the gonadotrophins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), from the gonadotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland. When stress is prolonged, it is likely that secretion of the gonadotrophins will be suppressed but the effects of acute stress or repeated acute stress are not clear. Different stressors activate different pathways for varying durations, and the actions of stress vary with sex and are influenced by the predominance of particular sex steroids in the circulation. The mechanisms by which stress influences reproduction are likely to involve complex interactions between a number of central and peripheral pathways and may be different in males and females. To understand these mechanisms, it is important to determine the stress pathways that are activated by particular stressors and to establish how these pathways affect the secretion and actions of GnRH. Furthermore, there is a need to know how stress influences the feedback actions of gonadal steroids and inhibin.

Star struck

With poems ranging from the confessional to the mock-autobiographical, from imagism to a strange storytelling, from the comic and satirical to the plangent and disturbing, Star Struck startles us with the many faces of lyric poetry.This book of poems by the award-winning poet David McCooey is made up of four sections. The first documents an alienating encounter with a life-threatening illness. The second plays out an unforgettable obsession with darkness and light. The third brings together popular music and the ancient literary mode of the pastoral. In this highly original sequence we find, among other things, Bob Dylan singing Virgil, Joni Mitchell reflecting on life in Laurel Canyon, a lab monkey pondering the sound of music, and a bitter, surreal rewriting of ‘Down Under’ for our times. In the final section, narrative poetry is cast in an intensely new and uncanny light.