The influence of traditional word-of-mouth, electronic word-of-mouth, and tie strength on purchase decisions

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on June 11, 2012).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Dr. Shelly RodgersIncludes bibliographical references.M.A. University of Missouri--Columbia 2011."December 2011"Word-of-mouth (WOM) is widely considered the most influential source of information for consumer purchase decisions, and the explosion of social media has stirred interest in the communication. This study used the strength of weak ties, social exchange theory, and attribution theory as a framework for examining how the level of influence (persuasiveness and purchase probability) varied across the type of WOM (traditional WOM and eWOM) and tie strength (strong, weak, or absent). An experiment with 201 individuals found no significant difference in the level of influence between traditional WOM and eWOM. Strong ties were significantly more influential than weak or absent ties, but there was no significant difference between weak and absent ties. Influence also varied significantly by product category, with WOM influencing movies more than mobile phones. Finally, the influence of WOM was significantly higher for persuasiveness than purchase probability. Overall, this study found that the influence of traditional WOM was not significantly different from the influence of eWOM

Comparing the da Vinci Si Single Console and Dual Console in Teaching Novice Surgeons Suturing Techniques

Background and Objectives: Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery is often taught with the surgical mentor at the surgeon console and the trainee at the patient\u27s bedside. The da Vinci dual console (Intuitive Surgical, Sunny-vale, California) allows a surgical mentor to teach with both the mentor and the trainee working at a surgeon console simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the dual console versus the single console for teaching medical students robotic tasks. Methods: Forty novice medical students were randomized to either the da Vinci single-console or dual-console group and were taught 4 knot-tying techniques by a surgical mentor. The students were timed while performing the tasks. Results: No statistically significant differences in mean task times were observed between the single-and dual-console groups: interrupted stitch with a 2-handed knot (300 seconds for single vs 294 seconds for dual, P = .59), interrupted stitch with a 1-handed knot (198 seconds for single vs 212 seconds for dual, P = .88), figure-of-8 stitch with a 2-handed knot (261 seconds for single vs 219 seconds for dual, P = .20), and figure-of-8 stitch with a 1-handed knot (200 seconds for single vs 199 seconds for dual, P = .53). Conclusion: No significant difference was observed in performance time when teaching knot-tying techniques to medical students using the da Vinci dual console compared with the single console. More research needs to be performed on the utility of the da Vinci dual console in surgical training

An analysis of the factors that influence achievement among Arican-American students

The landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, ended segregation in public schools-changing the educational system in the United States forever. With the educational system constantly changing and incorporating new laws such as No Child Left Behind, African-American students struggle to achieve excellence. Many question if our educational system is truly failing our African- American students--contradicting the No Child Left Behind Act as many African- American students are left behind with no way of catching up. The Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report produced by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) indicated that African-American students scored lower than other ethnicities on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the American College Test (ACT). The lack of achievement by African-American students could possibly change if they were treated equally and if quality educational opportunities were present through instruction. The school system is key in building, as well as lowering the self-image of students. According to Kuykendall (1989), approximately 80% of African-American students have a positive image of oneself when they enter school, 20% still have this image by the time they reach fifth grade, but only 5% have a positive perception of themselves by their senior year in high school. The qualitative case study method was exercised in this study because it allowed the researcher to build a holistic picture of the phenomenon being studied. The participants in this study were four African-American students that have continuously excelled throughout their academic years. The primary instrument for this study was the human form. Emergent themes surfaced throughout the study. The themes included (I) Fear of being perceived as acting white, (II) More African-American educators are needed to act as role models, (III) Teachers' attitudes affect achievement, and (IV) Parental involvement is key. This research provides framework that is essential for African-American students, parents, and educators. It serves as a survival guide to ensure that all African- American children have the opportunity to be successful

Problem gambling and intimate partner violence : a systematic review and meta-analysis

This study provides a systematic review of the empirical evidence related to the association between problem gambling and intimate partner violence (IPV). We identified 14 available studies in the systematic search (8 for victimisation only, 4 for perpetration only and 2 for both victimisation and perpetration). Although there were some equivocal findings, we found that most of the available research suggests that there is a significant relationship between problem gambling and being a victim of IPV. There was more consistent evidence that there is a significant relationship between problem gambling and perpetration of IPV. Meta-analyses revealed that over one third of problem gamblers report being victims of physical IPV (38.1%) or perpetrators of physical IPV (36.5%) and that the prevalence of problem gambling in IPV perpetrators is 11.3%. Although the exact nature of the relationships between problem gambling and IPV is yet to be determined, the findings suggest that less than full employment and clinical anger problems are implicated in the relationship between problem gambling and IPV victimization and that younger age, less than full employment, clinical anger problems, impulsivity, and alcohol and substance use are implicated in the relationship between problem gambling and IPV perpetration. The findings highlight the need for treatment services to undertake routine screening and assessment of problem gambling, IPV, alcohol and substance use problems, and mental health issues and provide interventions designed to manage this cluster of comorbid conditions. Further research is also required to investigate the relationship between problem gambling and violence that extends into the family beyond intimate partners. © 2014, The Author(s) 2014. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Shane Thomas” is provided in this record*

Impact of spectator motivation on long-term sustainability for women’s basketball league

As the league prepares for its 20th season, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has experienced some highs and some lows. The purpose of this study was to understand spectator motivation and to assess new strategies that the league could use to better improve the overall product of the game itself. How can the WNBA expand its fan base to help generate enough revenue that can ensure the league can support itself financially? In order to better understand people's attitudes towards the WNBA, we conducted an online survey that we then submitted on social media for people to express their thoughts on what they liked about the league and what they would like to see implemented in the future. The results from our surveys (N=93) showed that the majority of our participants were satisfied with the overall product the WNBA has to offer (affordability and family-oriented atmosphere), yet, it still lacked a certain "excitement" factor that would make the participant want to personally watch or attend a game. We concluded that in order for the league to truly flourish and gain the recognition and financial success it deserves, league executives should consider incorporating new, innovative ideas that can breathe new life into the league for the next 20 years

Transesophageal echocardiogram: Accurate enough to make definitive clinical decisions related to endocarditis

A critical appraisal and clinical application of: Daniel WG, Mugge A, Martin RP, et al. Improvement in the diagnosis of abscesses associated with endocarditis by transesophageal echocardiography. N Engl J Med. 1991 Mar 21;324(12):795-800. doi: 10.1056/NEJM19910321324120

A Novel Rapid Step Test Differentiates Between Older Adults Who are Fallers and Non-Fallers

Each year one in three adults \u3e 65 years old falls which results in significant morbidity, mortality and health care costs. Commonly used balance tests such as the Balance Evaluation Systems Test, Berg Balance Scale and Tinetti produce numerical results that have been correlated with a fall history. However, these tests can be complicated, time consuming, require a large amount of space, may require special tools for assessment and exhibit a ceiling effect. Additionally, dynamic balance recovery strategies such as rapid stepping movements may not be fully assessed by some of these other traditional tests.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1017/thumbnail.jp

Evolutionary rewiring of bacterial regulatory networks

Bacteria have evolved complex regulatory networks that enable integration of multiple intracellular and extracellular signals to coordinate responses to environmental changes. However, our knowledge of how regulatory systems function and evolve is still relatively limited. There is often extensive homology between components of different networks, due to past cycles of gene duplication, divergence, and horizontal gene transfer, raising the possibility of cross-talk or redundancy. Consequently, evolutionary resilience is built into gene networks – homology between regulators can potentially allow rapid rescue of lost regulatory function across distant regions of the genome. In our recent study [Taylor, et al. Science (2015), 347(6225)] we find that mutations that facilitate cross-talk between pathways can contribute to gene network evolution, but that such mutations come with severe pleiotropic costs. Arising from this work are a number of questions surrounding how this phenomenon occurs