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Success in online retailing depends on effective and efficient last mile delivery. Although online retailing in Kenya has considerable potential to ensure sustainable trade and economic growth, progress in this subsector has been inhibited by several problems. Furthermore, existing literature failed to determine the elements of last mile delivery most valued by online customers and how last mile delivery is implemented by Kenya’s online retail market. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the elements of last mile delivery in Kenya’s online retail subsector from the perspective of customers and retailers. A convergent mixed methods research design was used to ensure a comprehensive study of the research problem. A total of 407 online customers and seven online retailers in Nairobi participated in providing the required quantitative and qualitative data. The findings indicated that attended home delivery points, same-day delivery lead time, and phone call tracking options are most valued by customers and most offered by retailers. There is, however, a discrepancy in the delivery fee options, delivery timeslots, delivery carriers, and return options most valued by customers, and those most offered by retailers. It is recommended that retailers should review alternative delivery fee options, understand the problem with the outsourced delivery carriers, and the returns process to improve their service offerings.

Abstract Women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy experience cognitive impairment, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and physical side effects including disruption in the diversity and community composition of the gut microbiome. To date, there is limited research exploring the associations among these specific challenges. The present cross-sectional study explored the associations of self-reported cognitive functioning, depression, and anxiety symptoms, and gut microbiome diversity and community composition in women who were diagnosed with and undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer (BC) compared to cancer-free healthy controls (HC). The BC group displayed higher rates of cognitive dysfunction (p

Abstract Background Community Heart Health Actions for Latinos at Risk (CHARLAR) is a promotora-led cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk-reduction program for socio-demographically disadvantaged Latinos and consists of 11 skill-building sessions. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to worsening health status in U.S. adults and necessitated transition to virtual implementation of the CHARLAR program. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate virtual delivery of CHARLAR. Changes in health behaviors were assessed through a pre/post program survey. Results from virtual and historical (in-person delivery) were compared. Key informant interviews were conducted with promotoras and randomly selected participants and then coded and analyzed using a thematic approach. Results An increase in days of exercise per week (+ 1.52), daily servings of fruit (+ 0.60) and vegetables (+ 0.56), and self-reported general health (+ 0.38), were observed in the virtual cohort [all p

Beginning from Jack London's Martin Eden (1909), a famous American Bildungsroman, this article invokes Bakhtin's chronotope to better understand a contemporary cinematic discourse predicated on the cultural maintenance of the post-Enlightenment masculine subject. Tracing the development of the Bildung genre-as-chronotope across key examples of post-war and contemporary Italian cinema – Fellini's I Vitelloni (1953), Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984) – I compare Pietro Marcello's (2019) adaptation of Martin Eden with Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God (2021). Where the latter's ending reimagines the conclusion of I Vitelloni, Martin Eden is the filmic equivalent of the modernist novel's deconstruction of the nineteenth-century realist novel's spatio-temporal and epistemological boundaries. And, where Sorrentino's alter-ego protagonist must leave Naples for Rome in order to succeed as a filmmaker, Marcello's intermedial evocation of Naples amplifies the book's paean to socialism while reproducing, in another modality, the failure of London's intended critique of individualism. Finally, in none of these films is the invisibly essential masculinity of the subject superseded by a post-humanist alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orientation: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively affected borrowers’ ability to repay debt, which is expected to influence banks’ calculation of their expected credit loss (ECL) allowance. Comprehensive disclosure regarding the application of managerial judgement in calculating ECLs would produce decision-useful financial information. Research purpose: This study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the measurement and disclosure of ECL allowances by South African listed banks. Motivation for the study: It is unknown whether decision-useful financial information regarding South African banks’ ECLs was produced during the pandemic, mirroring developed countries. Research approach/design and method: Content analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from annual financial statements was employed for a sample of listed banks. Main findings: Banks employed a variety of relief measures to accommodate borrowers, but these relief measures did not automatically trigger a significant increase in credit risk. More loans were subject to lifetime ECLs, causing the ECL allowance to increase substantially during the first year of the pandemic. Forward-looking information as well as postmodel adjustments were employed to measure the ECL allowance. Practical/managerial implications: The ECL allowances of South African listed banks increased during the pandemic. Disclosure in the annual financial statements and identifying ECLs as a key audit matter provided evidence of adequate consideration of the credit risk and forward-looking information influencing ECLs by banks and their auditors. Improved disclosure regarding postmodel adjustments is required. Contribution/value-add: During the COVID-19 pandemic, decision-useful financial information regarding the calculation of banks’ ECL allowances was available for South African banks, mirroring developed countries.

Background: An effective and efficient last-mile delivery service plays a critical role towards the growth of global online retail sales. In Kenya, online customers have often been unwilling to shop online again, mainly because of delivery issues. However, the extent to which customers are satisfied with the last-mile delivery service remains unknown. This is despite the significant potential that the sector has, which remains unrealised in the country’s economy. Objectives: The key objective of this study was to establish the extent of customer satisfaction with the different elements of last-mile delivery service offered by online retailers in Kenya. Method: A quantitative approach was utilised. An online survey collected data from 467 online customers (‘users’ and ‘nonusers’) in Nairobi. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics and the mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the outcome of the study. Results: ‘Users’ were most satisfied with delivery options while ‘nonusers’ were most satisfied with delivery fees. However, both ‘users’ and ‘nonusers’ were least satisfied with returns. This study also found that ‘users’ were more satisfied with delivery options, delivery tracking and returns compared with ‘nonusers’. There was a significant difference in satisfaction with delivery options for ‘users’ and ‘nonusers’. Conclusion: Online retail managers are advised to improve the way in which they offer returns to their customers. This involves offering more options for returning the ordered goods, making it easy to locate the returns procedure on their websites and having a clear returns policy. Contribution: This study advances the understanding of last-mile delivery service, after comprehensive empirical evidence of customer satisfaction with the different elements of last-mile delivery service in Kenya.

[11 C]Carfentanil ([11 C]CFN) is a selective radiotracer for in vivo positron emission tomography imaging studies of the μ-opioid system that, in our laboratories, is synthesized by methylation of the corresponding carboxylate precursor with [11 C]MeOTf, and purified using a C2 solid-phase extraction cartridge. Changes in the commercial availability of common C2 cartridges have necessitated future proofing the synthesis of [11 C]CFN to maintain reliable delivery of the radiotracer for clinical imaging studies. An updated synthesis of [11 C]CFN is reported that replaces a now obsolete purification cartridge with a new commercially available version and also substitutes the organic solvents used in traditional production methods with ethanol.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on business operations and consumer behaviour across the world. The South African online retail environment also encountered different opportunities and last-mile logistics challenges. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online consumer behaviour has received limited attention. Furthermore, limited studies exist which have measured the online buying behaviour of young people, an important online market segment. Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the online shopping behaviour of young people and to provide online retailers and consumer behaviour theorists with a better appreciation of young consumers’ online purchasing needs, which will assist them in developing and effecting appropriate last-mile logistics strategies. Methods: A quantitative research design was used, and empirical data were collected from two non-probability sampling surveys conducted in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) of 461 young people in the Johannesburg area. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the research data. Results: The results indicate that online shopping behaviour either did not change or increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic for most respondents. Young online consumers consider order fulfilment aspects to be more important than the tangible considerations of online retailers. Conclusion: This research study provides a distinct perspective of young people’s perceptions of online shopping and makes a meaningful contribution by identifying the important fulfilment-related service quality expectations of young online customers in South Africa.

Abstract Background In the US, EU and elsewhere, basic clinical research studies with positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers that are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) can often be conducted under institutional approval. For example, in the United States, such research is conducted under the oversight of a Radioactive Drug Research Committee (RDRC) as long as certain requirements are met. Firstly, the research must be for basic science and cannot be intended for immediate therapeutic or diagnostic purposes, or to determine the safety and effectiveness of the PET radiotracer. Secondly, the PET radiotracer must be generally recognized as safe and effective. Specifically, the mass dose to be administered must not cause any clinically detectable pharmacological effect in humans, and the radiation dose to be administered must be the smallest dose practical to perform the study and not exceed regulatory dose limits within a 1-year period. In our experience, the main barrier to using a PET radiotracer under RDRC approval is accessing the required information about mass and radioactive dosing. Results The University of Michigan (UM) has a long history of using PET radiotracers in clinical research studies. Herein we provide dosing information for 55 radiotracers that will enable other PET Centers to use them under the approval of their own RDRC committees. Conclusions The data provided herein will streamline future RDRC approval, and facilitate further basic science investigation of 55 PET radiotracers that target functionally relevant biomarkers in high impact disease states.

Frank Burke. Fellini's Films and Commercials: From Postwar to Postmodern. Bristol, UK and Chicago, USA: Intellect, 2020. Frank Burke's Fellini's Films and Commercials: From Postwar to Postmodern is really two [...]