Engaging visitors of science festivals using augmented reality: asymmetrical modelling

Purpose This paper aims to explore a complex combination of four realms of the experience economy in formulating memories and satisfaction among festival visitors by using augmented reality (AR), thus engaging visitors in the physical science experience. This study also identifies necessary conditions to achieve desired responses from visitors. Design/methodology/approach Asymmetrical modelling with fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to investigate causal recipes of two configurations of the experience economy and evaluation of experience leading to both high and low scores from visitor engagement. Necessary condition analysis was applied to examine necessary predictors in visitor engagement. The proposed configuration model was tested by using data obtained from visitors to science festivals in the UK. Findings Five causal recipes explained the complex conditions in which visitors were more likely engaged in AR. Aesthetics, education, entertainment and satisfaction were necessary for high engagement among festival visitors. Research limitations/implications The results from fsQCA and analyses of necessary conditions help festival organizers improve visitor satisfaction and engagement in a memorable AR experience. Originality/value This empirical study deepens current festival understanding of how visitors experience AR by exploring combinations of complex configurations of the experience economy and evaluations of visitor experience based on memories and satisfaction. Unlike symmetrical approaches, asymmetrical modelling by using fsQCA can explore recipes for both high and low scores of visitor satisfaction and engagement. This is the first empirical study investigating necessary predictors of festival visitor behaviour

The Moderating Effect of Long-term Orientation on Experience Economy in Augmented Reality Adoption

Recently, the tourism industry is providing tourists with an enhanced touristic experience via various cutting-edge information technologies such as augmented reality (AR). In addition, there has been an increased interest on the effects of cultural characteristics on human behaviour and phenomena. The aim of this paper is to examine how long- and short-term orientation moderates the relationship between experience economy provided by AR application and users’ perceived value. A research model is proposed and tested with data from 264 participants experiencing an AR application in Ireland and South Korea. The data are analysed using PLS-Graph and the findings reveal that there are significant differences in terms of the effect of education and escapism on the perceived value of using AR applications. These findings provide important implications for academics and practitioners in terms of the development and implementation of AR applications

Cross-Cultural Differences in Adopting Mobile Augmented Reality at Cultural Heritage Tourism Sites

Purpose Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly used in cultural heritage tourism sites for the enhancement of the tourist experience. However, behavioral intention to adopt AR is dependent on cultural traits and close investigation is required on cultural differences. To explore these cultural differences and the effect on AR acceptance in cultural heritage tourism sites, the current study focused on the aesthetic and hedonic characteristics of AR applications. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in two countries with strong contrasts in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to explore cultural differences in AR acceptance. In total, 145 questionnaires were collected in Deoksugung Palace, South Korea, and 119 questionnaires were collected in the An Post Museum, Republic of Ireland. Data were analyzed using PLS Graph 3.0. Findings The findings confirmed that the aesthetics of AR have a strong influence on perceived enjoyment. Furthermore, this study supported the notion that high-power distance, collectivism and high uncertainty avoidance culture such as South Korea’s perceivesstronger dependence on social influence and the hedonic characteristics of AR. Practical Implications AR innovation and marketing within the hospitality and tourism industry requires an understanding of cultural differences to ensure successful implementation. In addition, tourism and hospitality managers need to ensure that the needs and requirements of different target markets are met. Originality/value This study applied Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to explore the differences between two very distinct countries with regard to AR acceptance. The findings provide important implications for the implementation of tourism AR applications for different countries, especially considering international target markets

Relationships among beliefs, attitudes, time resources, subjective norms, and intentions to use wearable augmented reality in art galleries

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. As a result of interactive and immersive technologies such as augmented reality, almost every service business has changed their ways of engaging with consumers. However, there has been little research on acceptance and use of wearable augmented reality (AR) in interactive services in museums and art galleries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationships among customers’ beliefs, evaluation, attitudes, perceived behavior control (time resources), subjective norms, and intentions to use wearable AR and visit a tourist attraction (an art gallery) using the theory of planned behavior. The results showed that time resources affected intention to visit an art gallery, while attitude toward wearable AR had an impact on intention to use wearable AR. Subjective norms were found to predict intentions, and the intention to use wearable AR was found to influence the intention to visit an art gallery

Molecular dissection of the photoreceptor ribbon synapse: physical interaction of Bassoon and RIBEYE is essential for the assembly of the ribbon complex

The ribbon complex of retinal photoreceptor synapses represents a specialization of the cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ) present at conventional synapses. In mice deficient for the CAZ protein Bassoon, ribbons are not anchored to the presynaptic membrane but float freely in the cytoplasm. Exploiting this phenotype, we dissected the molecular structure of the photoreceptor ribbon complex. Identifiable CAZ proteins segregate into two compartments at the ribbon: a ribbon-associated compartment including Piccolo, RIBEYE, CtBP1/BARS, RIM1, and the motor protein KIF3A, and an active zone compartment including RIM2, Munc13-1, a Ca2+ channel α1 subunit, and ERC2/CAST1. A direct interaction between the ribbon-specific protein RIBEYE and Bassoon seems to link the two compartments and is responsible for the physical integrity of the photoreceptor ribbon complex. Finally, we found the RIBEYE homologue CtBP1 at ribbon and conventional synapses, suggesting a novel role for the CtBP/BARS family in the molecular assembly and function of central nervous system synapses

Active zone proteins are dynamically associated with synaptic ribbons in rat pinealocytes

Synaptic ribbons (SRs) are prominent organelles that are abundant in the ribbon synapses of sensory neurons where they represent a specialization of the cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ). SRs occur not only in neurons, but also in neuroendocrine pinealocytes where their function is still obscure. In this study, we report that pinealocyte SRs are associated with CAZ proteins such as Bassoon, Piccolo, CtBP1, Munc13–1, and the motorprotein KIF3A and, therefore, consist of a protein complex that resembles the ribbon complex of retinal and other sensory ribbon synapses. The pinealocyte ribbon complex is biochemically dynamic. Its protein composition changes in favor of Bassoon, Piccolo, and Munc13–1 at night and in favor of KIF3A during the day, whereas CtBP1 is equally present during the night and day. The diurnal dynamics of the ribbon complex persist under constant darkness and decrease after stimulus deprivation of the pineal gland by constant light. Our findings indicate that neuroendocrine pinealocytes possess a protein complex that resembles the CAZ of ribbon synapses in sensory organs and whose dynamics are under circadian regulation

An Experiential View to Children Learning in Museums with Augmented Reality

Museums facilitate schoolchildren’s experiential learning, and when combined with Augmented Reality (AR) applications, schoolchildren can benefit from interactive, engaging learning experiences. Experiential learning is therefore situated in a context relevant to schoolchildren’s learning experience with digital technologies such as AR in museums, hence, it seems appropriate to employ Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle as a theoretical base. A museum in the UK was used as a single case study, and experiments and three focus groups were conducted with 19 schoolchildren and data analysed using thematic analysis. This study revealed three new themes specific to schoolchildren’s experiential learning experiences with AR in museums including: (1) integrating AR could further enhance knowledge acquisition, (2) schoolchildren were able to identify their preferred learning style, and (3) schoolchildren are motivated to continue learning with AR in museums. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are presented, as well as suggestions for future research

Affine modifications and affine hypersurfaces with a very transitive automorphism group

We study a kind of modification of an affine domain which produces another affine domain. First appeared in passing in the basic paper of O. Zariski (1942), it was further considered by E.D. Davis (1967). The first named author applied its geometric counterpart to construct contractible smooth affine varieties non-isomorphic to Euclidean spaces. Here we provide certain conditions which guarantee preservation of the topology under a modification. As an application, we show that the group of biregular automorphisms of the affine hypersurface $X \subset C^{k+2}$ given by the equation $uv=p(x_1,...,x_k)$ where $p \in C[x_1,...,x_k],$ acts $m-$transitively on the smooth part reg$X$ of $X$ for any $m \in N.$ We present examples of such hypersurfaces diffeomorphic to Euclidean spaces.Comment: 39 Pages, LaTeX; a revised version with minor changes and correction

Interaction Between Marginal Zinc and High Fat Supply on Lipid Metabolism and Growth of Weanling Rats

The impact of a moderate Zn deficiency on growth and plasma and liver lipids was investigated in two 4-week experiments with male weanling rats fed fat-enriched diets. Semisynthetic, approximately isocaloric diets containing 3% soybean oil were supplemented with either 7 or 100 mg Zn/kg diet and with 22% beef tallow (BT) or sunflower oil (SF). In Experiment 1, which compared the dietary fat level and the fat source in a factorial design of treatments, all diets were fed ad libitum to 6 × 8 animals, whereas intake of the high-Zn BT and SF diets was restricted in Experiment 2 (5 × 6 rats) to the level of intake of the respective low-Zn diets. The low-Zn SF diet consistently depressed food intake and final live weights of the animals to a greater extent than the other low-Zn diets, while intake and growth were comparable among the animals fed the high-Zn diets. The marginal Zn deficit per se did not alter plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations nor hepatic concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol and phospholipids. The fatty acid pattern of liver phospholipids did not indicate that chain elongation and desaturation of fatty acids was impaired by a lack of zinc. It was concluded that dietary energy and fat intake, and fat source have a greater effect on plasma and liver lipids than a moderate Zn deficiency. Marginally Zn-deficient diets enriched with sunflower oil as a major energy source cause a greater growth retardation than diets rich in carbohydrates or beef tallow