The drivers of customer satisfaction for academic library services: managerial hints from an empirical study on two Italian university libraries using the Kano model

The intent of this qualitative research is to investigate and understand the requisites of customer satisfaction for academic libraries’ users and to give managerial hints for the implementation of user centred academic library services. To this aim, we analyse the library services of two Italian Universities (the Faculty of Economics of University of Palermo and the Central Library of the University of Salerno) to find relations and congruencies and to evaluate the perceived relevance of the tangible and intangible aspects of these services. In the preliminary phase of the research, we conducted both focus groups and individual interviews involving students or researchers who regularly use the library services. This study supplies a significant analysis of qualitative data that can be functional for researchers and for university managers to plan strategic and operative activities in order to improve academic library services

Marketing as a Luhmanian System

This study is focused on a twofold observation through Niklas Luhmann’s systemic theory (1927-1998). On one side, we see marketing as a methodology/topic in the relentless process of sense and meaning construction by each system through its specific code and program (e. g. science, economics, law, religion, politics). The process of making of sense and meaning can be depicted as communication: (Marketing = Code -> System = Market System)

Designing a Mobile App for Museums According to the Drivers of Visitor Satisfaction

The aim of this study is to identify the key factors as antecedents of visitor satisfaction for the design of a mobile app for museums. To our aim we use the Kano model that allows to categorize service attributes according to how they are perceived by customers and to estimate their impact on customer satisfaction. We collected qualitative data trough 300 questionnaires administered to tourists visiting the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Trapani over a period of 3 months (October- December 2012). The results of our analysis can be relevant for museum and public managers to plan strategic and operative activities, for researcher in the field of touristic marketing, for application developers, and for all those concerned with touristic and cultural heritage issues

Geometric expansion of the log-partition function of the anisotropic Heisenberg model

We study the asymptotic expansion of the log-partition function of the anisotropic Heisenberg model in a bounded domain as this domain is dilated to infinity. Using the Ginibre's representation of the anisotropic Heisenberg model as a gas of interacting trajectories of a compound Poisson process we find all the non-decreasing terms of this expansion. They are given explicitly in terms of functional integrals. As the main technical tool we use the cluster expansion method.Comment: 38 page

Molecular Conformation of Pyridinic Aromatic Esters. II. Electronic Absorption Spectra and Dipole Moments by Semiempirical Methods

The semiempirical MIM method was applied to calculate the UV spectra of nine pyridine-aromatic-ester derivatives (having the general formula R1-COO-R2) assuming a planar geometry. Benzene, pyridine and formic acid were adopted as component systems. The dipole moments of the same compounds were evaluated at the MIM and INDO levels and the equilibrium percentage of the conformers was deduced from experimental and theoretical values. Comparable results were generally obtained. On the whole the results are satisfactory but not sufficient to affirm with certainty if the molecular skeleton is or is not planar

Molecular Conformation of Aza-substituted Benzanilides by Electronic Absorption Spectra and Dipole Moments

The electronic absorption spectra of thirteen pyridine aromatic amides of general formula R1-CO-NH- R2 (Ri, R2 = pyridil or phenyl) were obtained in methanol and dioxane solution. The band assignment is briefly discussed. The dipole moments were measured in dioxane at 25 ± 0.1 °c and compared with values calculated by both the S. H. M. 0. method and vectorial model. The comparison suggests the most probable conformation of derivatives which have the nitrogen either in the ortho or meta position in one or both rings of the molecule

Thermodynamic versus Topological Phase Transitions: Cusp in the Kert\'esz Line

We present a study of phase transitions of the Curie--Weiss Potts model at (inverse) temperature $\beta$, in presence of an external field $h$. Both thermodynamic and topological aspects of these transitions are considered. For the first aspect we complement previous results and give an explicit equation of the thermodynamic transition line in the $\beta$--$h$ plane as well as the magnitude of the jump of the magnetization (for $q \geqslant 3)$. The signature of the latter aspect is characterized here by the presence or not of a giant component in the clusters of a Fortuin--Kasteleyn type representation of the model. We give the equation of the Kert\'esz line separating (in the $\beta$--$h$ plane) the two behaviours. As a result, we get that this line exhibits, as soon as $q \geqslant 3$, a very interesting cusp where it separates from the thermodynamic transition line

Humoral immunological parameters in Italian patients with oral lichen planus

Serum humoral immunological parameters were determined in 25 patients with atrophic-erosive forms of oral lichen planus (OLP) (Group 1), in 28 patients with reticular-plaque-like lesions of OLP (Group 2) and in 21 healthy patients without oral lesions (Group 3). Comparing patients affected by atrophic-erosive forms of OLP (Group 1) with normal Controls (Group 3), increased levels of serum IgG approaching the statistical significance were found (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0572). It was also found a significantly higher value of kappa (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0017; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni’s correction p < 0.001) and lambda (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0346; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni’s correction p = 0.013) light chains in patients with atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) as compared with normal controls (Group 3). However these higher levels were probably caused by strong prevalence of chronic liver diseases (40%), in patients with atrophic-erosive variety of OLP. No one of these patients was affected by autoimmune liver disease. No differences were noted between atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) and hyperkeratosic OLP (Group 2). This study does not confirm the suggestion that patients with OLP may have a generalized immunologic disorder and it also add some evidences that the role of humoral immunity in the pathogenesis of OLP is probably secondary to the cell-mediated reaction against basal keratinocytes.Les principaux aspects de l’immunologie humorale ont été évalués dans deux groupes de malades porteur d’un lichen plan de la muqueuse buccale, 25 à formes atrophiques-érosives (Groupe 1), 28 à formes en réseaux ou en plaques blanches (Groupe 2), et chez 21 sujets sains. Au terme de cette étude les différences les plus remarquables sont les suivantes: le taux des IgG sériques est nettement plus élevé chez les sujets du Groupe 1 ce qui est presque significatif par rapport au Groupe 3 (p = 0.0577). L’analyse statistique a surtout révélé des différences significatives entre le Groupe 1 et le Groupe 3 (contrôle) en ce qui concerne les taux sériques des chaînes Kappa (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0017; Mann-Whitney test corrigé par Bonferroni p < 0.001 ) et des chaînes Lambda (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0346; Mann-Whitney test corrigé par Bonferroni p = 0.013). Aucune autre différence significative entre les trois groupes n’a été observee. Nous pensons que ces résultats sont probablement dus à la présence d’une hépatopathie chronique non auto-immune qui a été diagnostiquée dans 40% des cas du Groupe 1. Cette étude ne confirme donc pas la thèse selon laquelle les sujets atteints de lichen plan buccal pourraient avoir une défaillance de l’immunité humorale. Elle nous permet de penser que le rôle de cette dernière dans la pathogénèse de la maladie est probablement secondaire à la réaction cellulaire dirigée contre les kératinocytes

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 N protein allelic variants by rapid high-throughput CLEIA antigen assay

We report the data obtained using an automated chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) for rapid antigen detection of SARS-CoV-2 with a number of variants

Biomechanical performance of the Bicaval Transcatheter System for the treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation

Introduction: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a relatively common valvular disease, which can result from structural abnormalities of any anatomic part of the tricuspid valve. Severe TR is linked to congestive heart failure and hemodynamic impairment, resulting in high mortality when repaired by elective surgery. This study was undertaken to quantify the structural and hemodynamic performance of the novel Transcatheter Bicaval Valves System (TricValve) percutaneously implanted in the superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) of two patients with severe TR and venous congestion. Methods: After developing the SVC and IVC device models, the contact pressure exerted on the vena cava wall was obtained by computational analysis. Both smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and computational fluid dynamics were carried out to quantify caval reflux in the right atrium and the pressure field of pre- and post-TricValve scenarios, respectively. Results: Analysis of contact pressure highlighted the main anchoring area of the SVC device occurring near the SVC device belly, while the IVC device exerted pronounced forces in the device’s proximal and distal parts. SPH-related flow velocities revealed the absence of caval reflux, and a decrease in time-averaged pressure was observed near the SVC and IVC after TricValve implantation. Discussion: Findings demonstrated the potential of computational tools for enhancing our understanding of the biomechanical performance of structural tricuspid valve interventions and improving the way we design next-generation transcatheter therapies to treat the tricuspid valve with heterotopic caval valve implantation