GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF INCOME MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS

Agricultural Finance,

When reality backfires: Product evaluation context and the effectiveness of augmented reality in e‐commerce

Augmented reality (AR) enables consumers to project product holograms into their surrounding real-world context in real time using their mobile devices. Although AR may improve online consumers' product evaluation, AR-deploying retailers give up control over the context in which their products are evaluated. As a result, AR retailers' products might end up being evaluated in unfavorable contexts, such as disorganized rooms. Negative spillover effects from such unfavorable AR contexts onto the perceptions of evaluated products may lead consumers to refrain from purchasing the products. In two online experiments and a controlled field study with a total of 1000 participants, we find that unfavorable AR contexts negatively affect consumers' product-related purchase intention. This relationship is serially mediated by processing disfluency and deteriorating product quality perceptions of consumers. The negative contextual effects are mitigated if the product under evaluation is of unique design and thus more conceptually fluent or if the AR context becomes less perceptually salient and thus the product more perceptually fluent. We discuss diminished reality and facilitated product comparisons via AR as potential countermeasures for AR retailers and provide suggestions for future research

36 広鼻猿類のマイクロウェア分析にもとづくオマキザル化石の食性復元

SIGLEAvailable from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel C 187855 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Kopfpauschalen zur Finanzierung der Krankenversicherungsleistungen in Deutschland

Recently several experts have proposed to replace the existing social health insurance revenue system by income-independent per capita contributions. Therefore the authors of this paper present different estimates for alternative forms of per capita contributions. The next step of the analysis involves calculating the reduction or increase in contribution burden following a change to a per capita contribution system. Furthermore the volume of the tax transfer required to off-set the lower income groups’ massive worsening of their income position and the higher income groups’ increased tax burden is estimated. Some of the problems involved in the practical application of introducing such a revenue system in Switzerland – the only European country applying this form of financing alternative – are addressed. The concluding section summarizes the effects of such a revenue system.Social Health Insurance System, Public Finance

Adoption of Software Platforms: Reviewing Influencing Factors and Outlining Future Research

Software platforms have received attention as the dominant model for cooperative software development. Growing the ecosystems around software platforms through increasing adoption by users and developers is of great importance for platform owners. However, there is a lack of research on how to increase adoption and growth of software platforms systematically. To address this issue, we conduct a literature review and make an in-depth analysis to uncover and organize factors that drive adoption of software platforms. Additionally, we derive effective directions of these factors on the respective sides. Finally, we outline three avenues for future research: aligning research on platform governance and platform launch and growth, taking an evolutionary, growth-oriented perspective on governance of software platforms and further detailing platform launch and growth strategies towards a design theory for platform launch. This paper contributes to the understanding of software platforms by reviewing factors driving adoption and triggering network effects

Neural Stem Cell Spreading on Lipid Based Artificial Cell Surfaces, Characterized by Combined X-ray and Neutron Reflectometry

We developed a bioadhesive coating based on a synthetic peptide-conjugate (AK-cycloRGDfC]) which contains multiples of the arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid (RGD) amino acid sequence. Biotinylated AK-cycloRGDfC] is bound to a supported lipid bilayer via a streptavidin interlayer. Layering, hydration and packing of the coating is quantified by X-ray and neutron reflectometry experiments. AK-cycloRGDfC] binds to the streptavidin interlayer in a stretched-out on edge configuration. The highly packed configuration with only 12% water content maximizes the number of accessible adhesion sites. Enhanced cell spreading of neural stem cells was observed for AK-cycloRGDfC] functionalized bilayers. Due to the large variety of surfaces which can be coated by physisorption of lipid bilayers, this approach is of general interest for the fabrication of biocompatible surfaces

Zuzahlungen nach dem GKV-Modernisierungsgesetz (GMG) unter Beruecksichtigung von Haertefallregelungen

The law for the Modernisation of the Social Health Insurance System 2003 ("GKV-Modernisierungsgesetz – GMG" 2003) provides, among other measures, for a noticeable increase in co-payments and also for a reduction of possibilities for claiming exemptions from co-payments. Against this backdrop, the authors of the paper present, at the start, the varying news on co-insurance payments held by different political groups. Thereafter, the theoretical foundations of co-payments are described. Finally, on the basis of extensive empirically founded computations, the effects of the new co-payment rules (together with relevant new exemptions) are compared with the effects of the rules still in force.Social Health Insurance System, co-payment, public finance

Cell adhesion and integrin binding to recombinant human fibrillin-1

AbstractFibrillin-1 is a major constituent of tissue microfibrils that occur in most connective tissues, either in close association with or independent of elastin. To test possible cell-adhesive functions of this protein, we used recombinant human fibrillin-1 polypeptides produced in a mammalian expression system in cell attachment and solid-phase integrin binding assays. Fibrillin-1 polypeptides containing the single RGD sequence located in the fourth 8-cysteine domain, mediated distinct cell adhesion of a variety of cell lines and bound to purified integrin αVβ3. Integrins αIIbβ3, α5β1, α2β1 and α1β1 did not interact with any of the recombinant fibrillin-1 peptides. Our results indicate a novel role for fibrillin-1 in cellular interactions mediated via an RGD motif that is appropriately exposed for recognition by integrin αVβ3

Suppression of Integrin Activation: A Novel Function of a Ras/Raf-Initiated MAP Kinase Pathway

AbstractRapid modulation of ligand binding affinity (“activation”) is a central property of the integrin cell adhesion receptors. Using a screen for suppressors of integrin activation, we identified the small GTP-binding protein, H-Ras, and its effector kinase, Raf-1, as negative regulators of integrin activation. H-Ras inhibited the activation of integrins with three distinct α and β subunit cytoplasmic domains. Suppression was not associated with integrin phosphorylation and was independent of both mRNA transcription and protein synthesis. Furthermore, suppression correlated with activation of the ERK MAP kinase pathway. Thus, regulation of integrin affinity state is a novel, transcription-independent function of a Ras-linked MAP kinase pathway that may mediate a negative feedback loop in integrin function