372 research outputs found

    Research on the Influence of Customer Engagement on Their Loyalty in Online Supermarket: A Case Study of Tmall

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    With the development of the Internet, online supermarkets have won a considerable market share. This article explores the factors affecting online supermarket customer loyalty from the perspective of customer engagement. Through questionnaire survey, we considered and measured the five impact factors on customer loyalty: customer involvement, customer participation, information seeking, their affections, and services. This article also gave some suggestions to help online supermarkets improve customer experience and increase customer loyalty from these aspect

    A Global Perspective on Public Relations Professionalism: Mapping the Structure of Public Relations Associations’ International Networks

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    Associations play a powerful role in socializing practitioners. The presence of public relations associations across the world is one more step toward professionalization for the entire profession. This study examines the structure of global public relations professionalization manifested through the networks among international and national public relations professional associations. The findings of a cross-national, multilevel network analysis suggest that despite the overall dominance of international public relations associations, at the regional level, local centers have also emerged. In addition, European public relations associations have developed more relationships with other national, regional, and international associations than American-based professional associations.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

    "New Choices" for women with addictions: perceptions of program participants

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    BACKGROUND: Substance use in pregnancy is a major public health problem. It can have profound effects on pregnancy outcomes, and childhood health and development. Additionally, women who use substances have their own health-related issues. Although intervention is important, these women often have difficulty using traditional systems of care. The New Choices program is a centralized, multi-sector approach to service delivery that has attempted to overcome barriers to care by offering one-stop shopping in a supportive environment. As part of an evaluation of this program designed for women who are pregnant and/or parenting young children, interviews were conducted with participants to gain insight into their experiences in New Choices and perceptions of any changes attributed to program involvement. METHODS: A qualitative, exploratory design was used to guide data collection and analysis. Four women participated in a focus group interview and seven women agreed to individual interviews over the course of the program evaluation (N = 11). A semi-structured interview guide was used to explore women's experiences in New Choices and their perceptions of the program and its impact. The interview data were analyzed using NVivo software and an inductive approach to data analysis. RESULTS: The emergent themes captured women's motivations for attending New Choices, benefits of participation, and overall quality of the program. Children were the primary motivating factor for program enrollment. Perceived benefits included decreased substance use, improved maternal health, enhanced opportunity for employment, increased access to other resources, enhanced parenting skills, and improved child behaviour and development. Women highly valued the comprehensive and centralized approach to service delivery that provided a range of informal and formal supports. CONCLUSIONS: Interview findings endorse the appropriateness and potential efficacy of a collaborative, centralized approach to service provision for women with substance use issues. Although the findings provide insight into an alternative model of service delivery for women with addictions, future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Research also is needed to determine which program components or constellation of components contribute to desired outcomes, and to learn more about processes that underlie changes in behaviour

    Global civil society and a structural analysis of international NGOs's virtual networks

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    This dissertation sought to examine the virtual structure of global civil society via three theoretical frameworks: World System Theory, World Polity Theory and the current discussion of Network Society. Virtual interactions among 509 INGOs originating from 86 different countries and regions of the world were collected through data mining technology. Findings showed that, respectively, the three theories were significant at macro, meso and micro levels. Furthermore, this study showed that the collective consequence of technology use and the logics of network significantly affected the structure of the virtual networks of global civil society. Findings also revealed a trend of international inequality and Western dominance in the global civil arena. Theoretical and methodological implications were presented in the end

    Optogenetic astrocyte activation modulates response selectivity of visual cortex neurons in vivo

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    Astrocytes play important roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Despite in vitro evidence, their causal contribution to cortical network activity and sensory information processing in vivo remains unresolved. Here we report that selective photostimulation of astrocytes with channelrhodopsin-2 in primary visual cortex enhances both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, through the activation of type 1a metabotropic glutamate receptors. Photostimulation of astrocytes in vivo increases the spontaneous firing of parvalbumin-positive (PV[superscript +]) inhibitory neurons, while excitatory and somatostatin-positive (SOM[superscript +]) neurons show either an increase or decrease in their activity. Moreover, PV[superscript +] neurons show increased baseline visual responses and reduced orientation selectivity to visual stimuli, whereas excitatory and SOM[superscript +] neurons show either increased or decreased baseline visual responses together with complementary changes in orientation selectivity. Therefore, astrocyte activation, through the dual control of excitatory and inhibitory drive, influences neuronal integrative features critical for sensory information processing.National Institutes of Health (U.S.)National Science Foundation (U.S.)Picower Institute for Learning and Memory (Innovation Fund)Simons FoundationMarie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (FP7-253635)Consolider (CDS2010-00045)Ramon y Cajal Program (RYC-2012-12014

    Neoproterozoic crustal growth of the Southern Yangtze Block : Geochemical and zircon U–Pb geochronological and Lu-Hf isotopic evidence of Neoproterozoic diorite from the Ailaoshan zone

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    This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41190073 and 41372198), National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB440901), Basic Operation Expense of Sun Yat-Sen University and Startup Foundation for Doctors of Guilin University of Technology (002401003475).Abstract Neoproterozoic felsic igneous rocks associated with mafic-ultramafic bodies along the margins of the Yangtze Block, South China, can be used to constrain the continental crustal growth and secular evolution of the region. LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb dating of the Adebo quartz diorite pluton in the Ailaoshan tectonic zone on the southern margin of the Yangtze Block gives the Neoproterozoic age of 800 ± 7 Ma and ɛHf(t) values in the range of -1.03 to +3.75 with two-stage model age of 1.3-1.6 Ga. The pluton is characterized by relatively low SiO2 (60.97-64.41 wt. %) and total alkalis (K2O + Na2O, 7.35-9.14 wt. %) and high Al2O3 content (16.98-18.21 wt. %) with mg-number of 36-39. REE-normalized patterns show enrichment in LREE with (La/Yb)cn of 11.36 to 19.77 and Europium negative anomalies with Eu/Eu* = 0.61- 0.74. The samples are characterized by negative Nb-Ta ((Nb/La)n = 0.18-0.35) and P, Ti, Sr anomalies and high Y concentrations (33.79-41.04 ppm) and low Sr/Y ratios (5.65-10.16). Their isotopic composition are similar to those of the Neoproterozoic mafic igneous rocks in the Ailaoshan zone and the southwestern Yangtze Block, indicating that the quartz diorite was produced by partial melting of mafic lower crust. The diorite also shows the similar geochemical characteristics with adakitic rocks from thickened lower crust or amphibolite and eclogite experimental melts. In combination with their arc-related geochemical signatures and synchronous developed adakitic rocks in the region, the Adebo quartz diorite pluton might be produced in a subduction-related tectonic setting during Neoproterozoic crustal growth along the margins of Yangtze Block.PostprintPeer reviewe
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