Service quality and customer satisfaction : antecedents of customer's re-patronage intentions

This study was designed to examine the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and customer?s re-patronage intentions in the context of the restaurant industry. The respondents were 377 restaurant patrons who completed the self-administered questionnaire. Pearson Correlation analysis indicated that service quality and customer satisfaction had a direct positive effect on customer?s re-patronage intentions. Multiple Linear Regression highlighted customer satisfaction as a stronger predictor of re-patronage intentions compared to service quality. Possible interpretations, limitations, and implications for marketing professionals are discussed

Design and Implementation of A Debugging System for OpenRISC Processor

A gdb-based debugging system for OpenRISC1200 Processor based on IEEE1149.1 JTAG interface is developed. Unlike usual gdb-based embedded debugging systems, this system uses the hardware debugging modules in OpenRISC1200 Processor to extend GDB. Its debugging agent doesn't work on the target but on the host computer, so it can work well without any target operating system support. In this paper, the system's general frame design and realization of the main modules are explained in detail. It is verified by both FPGA prototype emulation and software simulation. It establishes a good foundation for further development on OpenRISC

FXR1P but not FMRP regulates the levels of mammalian brain-specific microRNA-9 and microRNA-124

Mammalian brain-specific miR-9 and miR-124 have been implicated in several aspects of neuronal development and function. However, it is not known how their expression levels are regulated in vivo. We found that the levels of miR-9 and miR-124 are regulated by FXR1P but not by the loss of FXR2P or FMRP in vivo, a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. Surprisingly, the levels of miR-9 and miR-124 are elevated in fmr1/fxr2 double-knock-out mice, in part reflecting posttranscriptional upregulation of FXR1P. Indeed, FXR1P is required for efficient processing of pre-miR-9 and pre-miR-124 in vitro and forms a complex with Dicer and pre-miRNAs. These findings reveal differential roles of FMRP family proteins in controlling the expression levels of brain-specific miRNAs

Alternative O-GlcNAcylation/O-Phosphorylation of Ser16 Induce Different Conformational Disturbances to the N Terminus of Murine Estrogen Receptor β

SummarySerine and threonine residues in many proteins can be modified by either phosphorylation or GlcNAcylation. To investigate the mechanism of O-GlcNAc and O-phosphate's reciprocal roles in modulating the degradation and activity of murine estrogen receptor β (mER-β), the conformational changes induced by O-GlcNAcylation and O-phosphorylation of Ser16 in 17-mer model peptides corresponding to the N-terminal intrinsically disordered (ID) region of mER-β were studied by NMR techniques, circular dichroism (CD), and molecular dynamics simulations. Our results suggest that O-phosphorylation discourages the turn formation in the S15STG18 fragment. In contrast, O-GlcNAcylation promotes turn formation in this region. Thus, we postulate that the different changes of the local structure in the N-terminal S15STG18 fragment of mER-β caused by O-phosphate or O-GlcNAc modification might lead to the disturbances to the dynamic ensembles of the ID region of mER-β, which is related to its modulatory activity

Inhibition of gap junctional Intercellular communication in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells by triphenyltin chloride through MAPK and PI3-kinase pathways

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Organotin compounds (OTCs) have been widely used as stabilizers in the production of plastic, agricultural pesticides, antifoulant plaints and wood preservation. The toxicity of triphenyltin (TPT) compounds was known for their embryotoxic, neurotoxic, genotoxic and immunotoxic effects in mammals. The carcinogenicity of TPT was not well understood and few studies had discussed the effects of OTCs on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) of cells.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>In the present study, the effects of triphenyltin chloride (TPTC) on GJIC in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells were evaluated, using the scrape-loading dye transfer technique.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TPTC inhibited GJIC after a 30-min exposure in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Pre-incubation of cells with the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor did not modify the response, but the specific MEK 1 inhibitor PD98059 and PI3K inhibitor LY294002 decreased substantially the inhibition of GJIC by TPTC. After WB-F344 cells were exposed to TPTC, phosphorylation of Cx43 increased as seen in Western blot analysis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results show that TPTC inhibits GJIC in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells by altering the Cx43 protein expression through both MAPK and PI3-kinase pathways.</p