Der Einfluss der Dienstleistungsqualität auf die Einkaufsstättentreue : ein empirischer Vergleich zwischen Deutschland und Spanien

Durch eine zunehmende Internationalisierung verschiedenster Handelsunternehmen gewinnen auch Erkenntnisse über kulturspezifische Phänomene des Konsumentenverhaltens im Handelskontext mehr und mehr an Relevanz. Die vorliegende Studie widmet sich der Bedeutung der Dimensionen der Dienstleistungsqualität im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel und deren Einfluss auf die Einkaufsstättentreue in Deutschland und Spanien. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Konsumenten in Deutschland und Spanien zu ihrer Wahrnehmung der Dienstleistungsqualität in Supermärkten befragt. Mittels exploratorischer und konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalyse wurde eine für beide Länder identische Drei-Faktoren-Struktur der Dienstleistungsqualität im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel generiert. Die Ergebnisse der Mehrgruppen-Kausalanalyse weisen auf wichtige Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern hin. Während spanische Konsumenten mehr auf die persönliche Interaktion und das physische Umfeld als auf ein frisches und breites Warensortiment Wert legen, steht für Deutsche die Auswahl und Frische des Angebotes an erster Stelle, gefolgt von der persönlichen Interaktion. Der Convenience des physischen Umfeldes kommt nur geringe Relevanz im Hinblick auf die Erklärung der Gesamtzufriedenheit und der Einkaufsstättentreue zu. In beiden Ländern stellt jedoch die Preiswahrnehmung die wichtigste Determinante von Zufriedenheit und Treue dar

On the Maximum Crossing Number

Research about crossings is typically about minimization. In this paper, we consider \emph{maximizing} the number of crossings over all possible ways to draw a given graph in the plane. Alpert et al. [Electron. J. Combin., 2009] conjectured that any graph has a \emph{convex} straight-line drawing, e.g., a drawing with vertices in convex position, that maximizes the number of edge crossings. We disprove this conjecture by constructing a planar graph on twelve vertices that allows a non-convex drawing with more crossings than any convex one. Bald et al. [Proc. COCOON, 2016] showed that it is NP-hard to compute the maximum number of crossings of a geometric graph and that the weighted geometric case is NP-hard to approximate. We strengthen these results by showing hardness of approximation even for the unweighted geometric case and prove that the unweighted topological case is NP-hard.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Determination of the effect of collars containing 10% w/w imidacloprid and 4.5% w/w flumethrin (Seresto®) on the incidence of Leishmania and other canine vector-borne pathogen infections in Greece

Background: The objective of this field study was to assess the effect of treating a considerable portion of a dog population naturally exposed to canine vector-borne pathogens (CVBPs) in endemic areas with a 10% w/w imidacloprid/4.5% w/w flumethrin collar (Seresto®) on the transmission of CVBPs and the resulting incidence of infection. Methods: A total of 479 dogs from two sites were enrolled in the study. Collars were placed on all dogs continuously for 21 months, with replacement of the collar every 7 months. All dogs were examined, including body weight and blood/conjunctival swab collections, every 7 months. Serum samples were analysed for the presence of antibodies against Leishmania infantum, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. PCR assays were also performed on blood samples and conjunctival swab collected from the dogs for the presence of L. infantum, and on blood samples only for the presence of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. Sand flies were collected, identified to species level and molecularly tested for L. infantum throughout two vector activity seasons. Results: The results showed that the Seresto collar was safe with continuous use. At study inclusion, 419, 370 and 453 dogs tested negative for L. infantum, Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp., respectively (353 dogs tested negative for any pathogen). Overall, 90.2% of the dogs were protected from L. infantum infection on both sites combined. The entomological survey confirmed the presence of competent vectors of L. infantum at all monitored locations, namely the sand flies Phlebotomus neglectus and Phlebotomus tobbi, both of which are regarded as the most important competent vectors in the Mediterranean basin. All captured sand flies tested negative for L. infantum. Protection against ticks and fleas was high, with only two dogs showing a low number of ticks and seven dogs having low numbers of fleas at single evaluation time points. Across the entire study population, a number of dogs became infected with tick-transmitted pathogens, but prevention of transmission was 93% for E. canis and 87.2% for Anaplasma spp. when all cases from both sites were combined. Conclusions: The Seresto® (10% w/w imidacloprid/4.5% w/w flumethrin) collar significantly reduced the risk of CVBP transmission when compared to previously observed incidences of CVBP infections in two highly endemic areas under field conditions

Transcriptional Analysis of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with an Electrode Compared to Fe(III)Citrate or Oxygen as Terminal Electron Acceptor

Shewanella oneidensis is a target of extensive research in the fields of bioelectrochemical systems and bioremediation because of its versatile metabolic capabilities, especially with regard to respiration with extracellular electron acceptors. The physiological activity of S. oneidensis to respire at electrodes is of great interest, but the growth conditions in thin-layer biofilms make physiological analyses experimentally challenging. Here, we took a global approach to evaluate physiological activity with an electrode as terminal electron acceptor for the generation of electric current. We performed expression analysis with DNA microarrays to compare the overall gene expression with an electrode to that with soluble iron(III) or oxygen as the electron acceptor and applied new hierarchical model-based statistics for the differential expression analysis. We confirmed the differential expression of many genes that have previously been reported to be involved in electrode respiration, such as the entire mtr operon. We also formulate hypotheses on other possible gene involvements in electrode respiration, for example, a role of ScyA in inter-protein electron transfer and a regulatory role of the cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidase under anaerobic conditions. Further, we hypothesize that electrode respiration imposes a significant stress on S. oneidensis, resulting in higher energetic costs for electrode respiration than for soluble iron(III) respiration, which fosters a higher metabolic turnover to cover energy needs. Our hypotheses now require experimental verification, but this expression analysis provides a fundamental platform for further studies into the molecular mechanisms of S. oneidensis electron transfer and the physiologically special situation of growth on a poised-potential surface

The needs of foster children and how to satisfy them:A systematic review of the literature

Family foster care deeply influences the needs of children and how these are satisfied. To increase our knowledge of foster children’s needs and how these are conceptualized, this paper presents a systematic literature review. Sixty- four empirical articles from six databases were reviewed and categorized (inter-rater agreement K = .78) into four categories: medical, belongingness, psychological and self-actualization needs. The results give a complete overview of needs that are specific to foster children, and what can be implemented to satisfy these needs. This study shows psychological needs are studied more often compared to the other categories, which specially relates to much attention for mental health problems. Furthermore, most articles focus on how to satisfy the needs of foster children and provide no definition or concrete conceptualization of needs. Strikingly, many articles focus on children’s problems instead of their needs, and some even use these terms interchangeably. This review illustrates that future research should employ a proper conceptualization of needs, which could also initiate a shift in thinking about needs instead of problems

Biofabrication: an overview of the approaches used for printing of living cells

The development of cell printing is vital for establishing biofabrication approaches as clinically relevant tools. Achieving this requires bio-inks which must not only be easily printable, but also allow controllable and reproducible printing of cells. This review outlines the general principles and current progress and compares the advantages and challenges for the most widely used biofabrication techniques for printing cells: extrusion, laser, microvalve, inkjet and tissue fragment printing. It is expected that significant advances in cell printing will result from synergistic combinations of these techniques and lead to optimised resolution, throughput and the overall complexity of printed constructs