The role of perceived control on consumer evaluations

Modern consumers often have experiences where they feel they have the ability to attain desired outcomes in life, whereas sometimes they feel they lack such abilities. Although preliminary work shows that these experiences of high or low control can influence how consumers make choices, the literature lacks an understanding on how feelings of control can impact the evaluation of consumer decision input variables. My dissertation contributes to this area of research by investigating how perceptions of control influence two important consumer decision input variables: the perceived distance towards spatial or temporal targets and the perceived value of one’s time or money resource. In my first essay, I start out by highlighting a seeming discrepancy in the literature. Specifically, prior research has found that people perceive positive objects and locations as physically closer than negative ones. Yet other work has found the opposite to be true for perceptions of temporal distance, where negative future events feel closer than positive ones. Motivated by this seeming discrepancy, I propose that (1) feelings of control can differentially influence how far away valenced (i.e. positive or negative) targets feel in space and time and that (2) the difference in perceived control over space versus time can account for these opposite findings. I provide empirical support for these claims across six studies and one single-paper meta-analysis. In my second essay, I propose that incidental feelings of low (vs. high) control can affect the perceived instrumentality of consumers’ time and money resources. I build these hypotheses based on the literature on control threat and consumer resources. Across five studies, I find that feeling low (vs. high) control heightens people’s perceived instrumentality of time, whereas it decreases their perceived instrumentality of money. Moreover, I further show that this differential effect of control on time vs. money is driven by differences in the perceived self-relevance of the resource. Additionally, two studies explore how such resource evaluations go onto influence consumer spending decisions and consumer satisfaction. The findings contribute to the literature on control threat and resource perceptions while providing insight into how consumers view their resources and spend them.Marketin

Corneal transplantation for keratoconus in South Korea

Abstract This nationwide population-based study investigated the incidence rate of and risk factors for the progression to corneal transplantation in patients with keratoconus in South Korea using claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment service. Among the entire South Korean population, 10,612 patients newly diagnosed with keratoconus between January 2010 and June 2015 were identified and included in the study. During the study period, 124 patients (1.17%) underwent corneal transplantation, with an average follow-up period of 2.97 ± 1.59 years. The incidence rate of corneal transplantation in patients with keratoconus was 4.46 cases per 1000 person-years. The rate of corneal transplantation for keratoconus was relatively low in South Korea compared to other countries. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that male sex (HR 2.37; 95% CI 1.61–3.50; P < 0.001), severe atopic dermatitis (HR 2.32; 95% CI 1.02–5.28; P = 0.044), obstructive sleep apnea (HR 9.78; 95% CI 1.36–70.10; P = 0.023), and intellectual disability (HR 4.48; 95% CI 1.33–15.11; P = 0.016) significantly increased the risk of progression to corneal transplantation. In patients with keratoconus, male sex, severe atopic dermatitis, obstructive sleep apnea, and intellectual disability were associated with an increased risk of corneal transplantation

Segmentation error and macular thickness measurements obtained with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography devices in neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Purpose: To evaluate frequency and severity of segmentation errors of two spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) devices and error effect on central macular thickness (CMT) measurements. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven eyes of 25 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, examined using the Cirrus HD-OCT and Spectralis HRA + OCT, were retrospectively reviewed. Macular cube 512 × 128 and 5-line raster scans were performed with the Cirrus and 512 × 25 volume scans with the Spectralis. Frequency and severity of segmentation errors were compared between scans. Results: Segmentation error frequency was 47.4% (baseline), 40.7% (1 month), 40.7% (2 months), and 48.1% (6 months) for the Cirrus, and 59.3%, 62.2%, 57.8%, and 63.7%, respectively, for the Spectralis, differing significantly between devices at all examinations (P < 0.05), except at baseline. Average error score was 1.21 ± 1.65 (baseline), 0.79 ± 1.18 (1 month), 0.74 ± 1.12 (2 months), and 0.96 ± 1.11 (6 months) for the Cirrus, and 1.73 ± 1.50, 1.54 ± 1.35, 1.38 ± 1.40, and 1.49 ± 1.30, respectively, for the Spectralis, differing significantly at 1 month and 2 months (P < 0.02). Automated and manual CMT measurements by the Spectralis were larger than those by the Cirrus. Conclusions: The Cirrus HD-OCT had a lower frequency and severity of segmentation error than the Spectralis HRA + OCT. SD-OCT error should be considered when evaluating retinal thickness

Simple surgical punctal occlusion with high frequency radiowave electrosurgery

Abstract Background To introduce and evaluate the efficacy of a simple punctal occlusion technique for dry eye patients. Methods Medical records of 79 eyes from 40 patients refractory to common dry eye conservative treatment who underwent multiple high-frequency radio-wave electro-punctal occlusion were retrospectively reviewed. Pre- and post-procedural ocular surface indices (Schirmer test, tear break-up time (TBUT), and corneal staining grade (Oxford scheme)) and subjective symptom scores (including frequency of artificial tear use, interval between procedures, and total repeat time) were analyzed. Results Average Schirmer test result was significantly (P < 0.05) improved from 4.10 ± 1.39 mm to 8.14 ± 3.13 mm at 6 weeks after the procedure (n = 79). A total of 32 eyes from 16 patients underwent repeated procedure with a mean interval of 8.00 ± 4.86 months, while 24 patients had a single procedure. Twenty-five of 30 patients showed improvement for subjective symptom scores. No complications related to the procedure were observed. Conclusions A simple, less-invasive punctal occlusion technique using a fine-needle tip with high-frequency radio-wave could significantly relieve subjective symptoms and improve ocular surface indices of patients with aqueous deficient dry eye without causing a major complication. This procedure may play a considerable role in treating dry eye refractory to common practices

Correction: The high prevalence of myopia in Korean children with influence of parental refractive errors: The 2008-2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207690.]