Seeking attention: An eye tracking study of in-store merchandise displays

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the role that visual measures of attention to product and information and price display signage have on purchase intention. The authors assessed the effect of visual attention to the product, information or price sign on purchase intention, as measured by likelihood to buy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used eye–tracking technology to collect data from Australian and US garden centre customers, who viewed eight plant displays in which the signs had been altered to show either price or supplemental information (16 images total). The authors compared the role of visual attention to price and information sign, and the role of visual attention to the product when either sign was present on likelihood to buy. Findings – Overall, providing product information on a sign without price elicited higher likelihood to buy than providing a sign with price. The authors found a positive relationship between visual attention to price on the display sign and likelihood to buy, but an inverse relationship between visual attention to information and likelihood to buy. Research limitations/implications – An understanding of the attention–capturing power of merchandise display elements, especially signs, has practical significance. The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content, for example, featuring the product information more prominently than the price. The study was conducted on a minimally packaged product, live plants, which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Practical implications – The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content. The study used only one product category (plants) which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to use eye–tracking in a macro–level, holistic investigation of the attention–capturing value of display signage information and its relationship to likelihood to buy. Researchers, for the first time, now have the ability to empirically test the degree to which attention and decision–making are linked

A GREEN APPROACH FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM, MESOPOROUS SILICA GRAFTED ACRYLAMIDE –β- CYCLODEXTRIN COMPOSITE, FOR THE CONTROLLED RELEASE OF CURCUMIN

Objective: The scope of the present study was the preparation and characterization of a novel composite acrylamide β-cyclodextrin grafted 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane bentonite (AMCD-g-APSB), for the controlled delivery of curcumin (CUR).Methods: AMCD-g-APSB, was synthesized by solvent-free conditions using microwave irradiation. The structure and surface morphology of the composite was established using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, etc.Results: The swelling percentage of the composite depends on both time and pH of the medium. The maximum swelling of the composite occurred at a pH of 7.4. The maximum drug encapsulation was occurring at a pH 3. About 96.5% of drug was loaded at pH 3. In vitro biocompatibility study was performed, and the result showed good biocompatibility of the composite in the concentration range 2.5–50 μg/ml.Conclusions: Drug delivery study of the composite proved that CUR could be successfully released in a controlled manner in the colon without much loses of the drug in the stomach

Fusion of SPOT5 multispectral and Ikonos panchromatic images

International audienceThe offer of high spectral and high spatial resolutions images has grown in the last decade. It is know possible to obtain data from different sources with different spatial and spec-tral resolutions. The field of data fusion of remotely sensed data grown also very fast in the last years. In this paper, an algorithm allowing the merging of SPOT 5 images and Ikonos images are proposed. This algorithm is based on the ARSIS concept and presents an implementation for a ratio of spatial resolution equal to 10. The ARSIS concept is first detailed. Then, the way of de-fining a new implementation based on this concept is presented, allowing to understand how to define new implementations and to develop new solutions based on this concept. The proposed algorithm is developed, describing the different steps for building a fused product from a SPOT 5 multispectral data at 10 m and from a IKONOS panchromatic data at 1 m. Some other methods are proposed. The evaluation of the quality of the different methods is achieved using a set of quantitative quality parameters. The visual quality of the products are evaluated by a set of inter-preters. Conclusions are drawn on the quality of the proposed products

Detecting Molecular Rotational Dynamics Complementing the Low-Frequency Terahertz Vibrations in a Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework

We show clear experimental evidence of co-operative terahertz (THz) dynamics observed below 3 THz (~100 cm-1), for a low-symmetry Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF) structure, termed MIL-140A [ZrO(O2C-C6H4-CO2)]. Utilizing a combination of high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering and synchrotron radiation far-infrared spectroscopy, we measured low-energy vibrations originating from the hindered rotations of organic linkers, whose energy barriers and detailed dynamics have been elucidated via ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. For completeness, we obtained Raman spectra and characterized the alterations to the complex pore architecture caused by the THz rotations. We discovered an array of soft modes with trampoline-like motions, which could potentially be the source of anomalous mechanical phenomena, such as negative linear compressibility and negative thermal expansion. Our results also demonstrate coordinated shear dynamics (~2.5 THz), a mechanism which we have shown to destabilize MOF crystals, in the exact crystallographic direction of the minimum shear modulus (Gmin).Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Evaluation of the quality of Quickbird fused products

International audienceMost of the satellite sensors, presently operating in the optical domain, are providing a data set comprising multispectral images at a low spatial resolution and images at a higher spatial resolution but with a lower spectral content. The trend of satellite sensors is similar to the present situation. The idea of fusing multispectral images with a highest spatial resolution enables the creation of useful products for a set of applications. This paper aims at evaluating a set of methods for construction of synthetic multispectral images having a highest spatial resolution available within the data set. These methods are evaluated through the construction of fused products from a set of Quickbird panchromatic and multispectral images. Of interest are the most used methods: the Intensity-Hue-Saturation method, the Brovey transform, the multiplicative methods and a set of methods derived from the ARSIS concept. The different methods are shortly presented. These methods are tested in a dataset from the area of Madrid. The dataset proposed a good diversity of landscape allowing the measure of the impact of fusion methods on different cases. The resulting images are evaluated through visual criteria from a set of photointerpreters. They classified the fused products and pro-vided a ranking for the visual quality. Then the proposed protocol defined by Wald et al. (1997) is applied to all methods. A set of quantitative parameters is computed allowing an objective comparison of the results. Finally a new parameter allowing the quantification of the information brought by the fusion method is proposed. This parameter is based on the analysis of the difference of the real structures of a multispectral image and of the computed structures of the fused products. It is applied to the different methods and favors the evaluation of the impact of an algorithm on the resulting images. Some conclusions are drawn on the ranking of the different methods and on the appropriate parameters for the evaluation of the quality of fused products

Ferroelectric and anomalous quantum Hall states in bare rhombohedral trilayer graphene

Nontrivial interacting phases can emerge in elementary materials. As a prime example, continuing advances in device quality have facilitated the observation of a variety of spontaneous quantum Hall-like states, a cascade of Stoner-like magnets, and an unconventional superconductor in bilayer graphene. Its natural extension, rhombohedral trilayer graphene is predicted to be even more susceptible to interactions given its even flatter low-energy bands and larger winding number. Theoretically, five spontaneous quantum Hall phases have been proposed to be candidate ground states. Here, we provide transport evidence for observing four of the five competing ordered states in interaction-maximized, dually-gated, rhombohedral trilayer graphene. In particular, at vanishing but finite magnetic fields, two states with Chern numbers 3 and 6 can be stabilized at elevated and low electric fields, respectively, and both exhibit clear magnetic hysteresis. We also reveal that the quantum Hall ferromagnets of the zeroth Landau level are ferroelectrics with spontaneous layer polarizations even at zero electric field, as evidenced by electric hysteresis. Our findings exemplify the possible birth of rich interacting electron physics in a simple elementary material

Extended scope of nursing practice: a multicentre randomised controlled trial of appropriately trained nurses and pre-registration house officers in pre-operative assessment in elective general surgery

Aim/ Principal Research Question:1) To determine whether pre-operative assessment carried out by an appropriately trained nurse (ATN) is equivalent in quality to that carried out by a pre-registration house officer (PRHO).2) To assess whether pre-assessments carried out by ATNs and PRHOs are equivalent in terms of cost.3) To determine whether assessments carried out by ATNs are acceptable to patients.4) To investigate the quality of communication between senior medical staff and ATNs.Factors of Interest:The extended role of appropriately trained nurses and pre-registration house officers in pre-operative assessment in elective general surgery.Methods:The study design was principally a prospective randomised equivalence trial but was accompanied by additional qualitative assessment of patient and staff perceptions, and an economic evaluation.The intervention consisted of a pre-operative assessment carried out by either an ATN or a PRHO. Of the patients who completed the study with a full evaluation, 926 patients were randomised to the PRHO arm of the trial and 948 to the ATN arm. Three ATNs took part in the study, one from each centre, together with a total of 87 PRHOs.Immediately following the initial assessment of a patient by a PRHO or an ATN, one of a number of clinical research fellows, all specialist registrars in anaesthetics, repeated the assessment and recorded it on a study form, together with a list of investigations required. The clinical research fellow then evaluated the competency of the initial assessor by comparing the quality of their assessment with their own. Any deficiencies in ordering of investigations and referral to other specialities were met in order to maximise patient care.Sample groups:All patients attending at one site for assessment prior to general anaesthetic for elective general, vascular, urological or breast surgery were potentially included in the study. Of 1907 patients who were randomised, 1874 completed the study with a full evaluation.The study was carried out at four NHS hospitals, three of which were teaching hospitals, in three NHS Trusts in Southampton, Sheffield and Doncaster.Outcome measures:Three areas of ATN and PRHO performance were judged separately, history taking, examination and ordering of tests, and each was graded into one of four categories, the most important of which was under-assessment, which would possibly have affected peri-operative management. In the case of ordering of tests, it was possible to have both over- and under-assessed a patient on different tests.Findings:The pre-operative assessments carried out by the ATNs were essentially equivalent to those performed by the PRHOs in terms of under-assessment that might possibly have affected peri-operative management, although there was variation between the ATNs in terms of the quality of history taking. This may be related to the low number of patients seen at one study site.PRHOs ordered significantly more unnecessary tests than the ATNs. The substitution of ATNs for PRHOs was calculated to be cost neutral.The results of the qualitative assessment showed that the use of ATNs for pre-operative assessment was acceptable to patients; however, there was no evidence that communication between senior medical staff and those carrying out pre-operative assessments was improved by their introduction.Conclusions:This study demonstrated no reason to inhibit the development of fully nurse-led pre-operative assessment, provided that the nurses are appropriately trained and maintain sufficient workload to retain skills.Implications for Further Research:Further research is needed in the following areas:1) the extent and type of training needed for nurses undertaking the pre-operative assessment role2) the use, costs and benefits of routine pre-operative testing.<br/

Puck protocol use case at obsea. Puck is the newest ogc standard for instrument identification and communication

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