How augmented reality increases engagement through its impact on risk and the decision process

Augmented reality (AR) overcomes one of the main limitations of e-commerce, such as the prepurchase trial. The consumer can virtually see how a product is integrated into the real world through this technology. Therefore, AR may reduce the perceived risk of buying a product online. Despite existing research, the impact of AR on the consumer decision process needs to be further explored. Consequently, this research aims to understand the impact of AR on the perception of risk and the purchase decision process, considering decision comfort and decision confidence. Through a between-subjects experiment, the results show that AR reduces the risk of online shopping. However, it has no direct effect on the decision process. Reducing risk and the comfort it brings generates decision confidence and satisfaction with the shopping experience. This satisfaction will generate engagement toward the online shop platform. The research highlights the process through which AR impacts the decision-making process. The implications for AR marketing theory and managerial implications in the age of the metaverse are discussed

Homo- and Heteroleptic Copper(I) Complexes with Diazabutadiene Ligands: Synthesis, Solution- and Solid-State Structural Studies

The preparation of novel copper(I) complexes of diazabutadiene (DAB) ligands with aliphatic backbones is reported. [Cu(DABR)2](BF4), [Cu(DABR)(NCMe)2](BF4) and [CuCl(DABR)] are easily synthesised and air-stable. These complexes, which remain scarce in the literature, have been fully characterised, and their behaviour both in the solid state as well as in solution has been studied by means of X-ray crystallography, NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I- And II-Deficient Knock-Out Mice Are Resistant to Primary but Susceptible to Secondary Eimeria Papillata Infections

Two distinct mechanisms seem to function in reducing oocyst output during Eimeria papillata infections in mice. For naive mice, immunity was afforded by a T-cell-independent gamma-interferon (IFN-γ) response mediated by natural killer (NK) cells. On reinfection, resistance was associated with T-cells and, to a lesser extent, perforin. To determine if antigen presentation with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules was required to control oocyst production by NK cells during primary infection or by T-cells during secondary infection, mutant mice that lacked H2-IAβb (Aβb(-/-)) or β2-microglobulin (β2m(-/-)) were used. Since MHC molecules are required for the maturation of αβ T-cells, Aβb(-/-) and β2m(-/-) mutant mice are also deficient in functional αβ+ CD4+ or αβ+ CD8+ T-cells, respectively. As compared with wild-type control mice, oocyst output by mutant mice was not significantly affected during primary infection, suggesting that the ability of NK cells to control parasite replication is not dependent on the expression of MHC molecules. On reinfection, differences were observed for mutant mice as compared with controls. Aβb(-/-) mice were found to be more susceptible than β2m(-/-) mice, suggesting that the αβ+ CD4+ T-cell subset plays a greater role in resistance to reinfection than does the αβ+ CD8+ T-cell subset. The mechanism of resistance depends on the immune status of the host and requires the coordinated interaction of both αβ+ T-cell, subsets for optimal parasite control during subsequent infections

A differential method for bounding the ground state energy

For a wide class of Hamiltonians, a novel method to obtain lower and upper bounds for the lowest energy is presented. Unlike perturbative or variational techniques, this method does not involve the computation of any integral (a normalisation factor or a matrix element). It just requires the determination of the absolute minimum and maximum in the whole configuration space of the local energy associated with a normalisable trial function (the calculation of the norm is not needed). After a general introduction, the method is applied to three non-integrable systems: the asymmetric annular billiard, the many-body spinless Coulombian problem, the hydrogen atom in a constant and uniform magnetic field. Being more sensitive than the variational methods to any local perturbation of the trial function, this method can used to systematically improve the energy bounds with a local skilled analysis; an algorithm relying on this method can therefore be constructed and an explicit example for a one-dimensional problem is given.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics

Compositions and methods of enhancing immune responses to eimeria or limiting eimeria infection

Vaccine vectors and methods of using the vaccine vectors to enhance the immune response to an Apicomplexan parasite and reduce the morbidity or mortality associated with subsequent infection are provided herein. The vaccine vectors include a polynucleotide encoding a Rhomboid polypeptide and optionally include an immune-stimulatory polypeptide suitably expressed on the surface of the vaccine vector

A global atmospheric electricity monitoring network for climate and geophysical research

The Global atmospheric Electric Circuit (GEC) is a fundamental coupling network of the climate system connecting electrically disturbed weather regions with fair weather regions across the planet. The GEC sustains the fair weather electric field (or potential gradient, PG) which is present globally and can be measured routinely at the surface using durable instrumentation such as modern electric field mills, which are now widely deployed internationally. In contrast to lightning or magnetic fields, fair weather PG cannot be measured remotely. Despite the existence of many PG datasets (both contemporary and historical), few attempts have been made to coordinate and integrate these fragmented surface measurements within a global framework. Such a synthesis is important elvinin order to fully study major influences on the GEC such as climate variations and space weather effects, as well as more local atmospheric electrical processes such as cloud electrification, lightning initiation, and dust and aerosol charging. The GloCAEM (Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements) project has brought together experts in atmospheric electricity to make the first steps towards an effective global network for atmospheric electricity monitoring, which will provide data in near real time. Data from all sites are available in identically-formatted files, at both one second and one minute temporal resolution, along with meteorological data (wherever available) for ease of interpretation of electrical measurements. This work describes the details of the GloCAEM database and presents what is likely to be the largest single analysis of PG data performed from multiple datasets at geographically distinct locations. Analysis of the diurnal variation in PG from all 17 GloCAEM sites demonstrates that the majority of sites show two daily maxima, characteristic of local influences on the PG, such as the sunrise effect. Data analysis methods to minimise such effects are presented and recommendations provided on the most suitable GloCAEM sites for the study of various scientific phenomena. The use of the dataset for a further understanding of the GEC is also demonstrated, in particular for more detailed characterization of day-to-day global circuit variability. Such coordinated effort enables deeper insight into PG phenomenology which goes beyond single-location PG measurements, providing a simple measurement of global thunderstorm variability on a day-to-day timescale. The creation of the GloCAEM database is likely to enable much more effective study of atmospheric electricity variables than has ever been possible before, which will improve our understanding of the role of atmospheric electricity in the complex processes underlying weather and climate

Synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and bacteriostatic study of Pt complexes with substituted amine ligands

Three complexes of general formula PtCl2R2 were synthesized, where R is the amine ligand with aromatic substituents. Coordination compounds [Pt(an)2Cl2] (1), [Pt(pa)2Cl2] (2) and [Pt(aph)2Cl2] (3), where an = 2-aminonaphthalene, pa = 2-aminopyrimidine, aph = 4-anilinophenol, were characterized by on-line coupled TG/DTA-MS, powder XRD and spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, ESI–MS and NMR), and tested against selected Gram(+) and Gram(–) bacteria. The thermal data show that all three compounds contain lattice or absorbed water, and the stability of the anhydrous compounds in nitrogen decreases in the order 2 > 1 > 3. Above 200 °C, the complexes loose characteristic fragments of their ligands. The spectroscopic data are in accordance with the thermal properties of the samples and prove their composition. The compounds are more effective inhibitors of Gram(+) than Gram(−) bacteria. © 2016 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungar