Sequence similarity in structurally dissimilar proteins

Digitalitzat per Artypla

Electronic Banking and Customer Loyalty: A Conceptual Assessment

In this paper, we present a conceptual framework that helps to assess the impacts of Information Technology on customer loyalty in retail banking. We begin by identifying the antecedents of customer loyalty. We then suggest how Electronic Banking impacts these antecedents. Based on our analysis, we suggest that although Electronic Banking may increase customer satisfaction, it may, nevertheless, lead to lower levels of customer loyalty. We believe that this may occur because Electronic Banking reduces the amount of customer-bank personnel face-to-face interaction, which will negatively affect banks’ ability to generate trust

Effect of Web Channel Richness and Web Information Richness On Satisfaction and Learning: A Study of Simple and Complex Products

The present paper addresses the following question: What are the effects of web channel richness and web information richness on learning about a product and browsing satisfaction? Based on the extant literature in communications and in marketing, we argue that the effects of web channel richness and web information richness will depend on the complexity of products sold. Two hundred and seven professionals, managers, and students browsed 22 web pages selling either complex or simple products. The results indicate that when individuals browsed for complex products satisfaction depended on both informational richness and channel richness. Satisfaction was highest when the two type of richness were high and satisfaction was lowest when both types were low. Learning, on the other hand depended on the informational richness of a web page. Contrary to the expectations, web page richness was also important for learning and satisfaction when browsing for simple products. Satisfaction depended on both web information and web channel richness, whereas learning was higher when the informational richness of a web page was high. This paper contributes to the literature by developing concepts that can serve as the theoretical foundations for studying web site richness. It helps in understanding the relative impacts of the richness of the information presented on a web site and of the richness of the communication tools used. As such, it can help managers and IS professionals to better understand how to effectively design web sites

The impact of service providers' emotional displays on service evaluation : evidence of emotional contagion

The present work begins with an exhaustive and comparative review of the emotions literature in psychology and in sociology. In Chapter Six, a model of the emotion system of the service encounter is developed. In part, it represents a conceptualization and a substantial and substantive extension of Hochschild's (1983a) work on emotional labor . The model not only accounts for the emotional reactions of consumers to the affective displays of service providers but provides an interdisciplinary perspective on emotion. Accordingly, we draw on elements from cognitive and somatic perspectives in psychology, Hochschild's (1983a) interactional theory, the views of other social constructivists, purist sociological perspectives, and on perspectives from communication studies in an attempt to account for the multilevel emotional dynamics which occur in the service encounter. It becomes evident that emotions are not simply intrapersonal states but that they are also social or interpersonal phenomena. It is also stressed that the consumer's and service provider's emotion processes involve different determinants. Importantly, it is suggested that cognitive appraisal theories do not provide the only general mechanism which may account for consumer emotion in the service encounter. Alternatively, primitive emotional contagion rests on somatic theories of emotion. Its underlying mechanism is essentially pre-attentive (unconscious) and thus does not imply the type of mental calculus which is suggested by appraisal theorists as a determinant of emotion. At a theoretical level, primitive emotional contagion appears to better account for emotion in a dynamic and interactive manner than do cognitive theories which essentially represent stimulus-response models. It also represents a compelling explanation for mutual entrainment, synchrony, rapport, and matched emotional states in interaction. On the other hand, cognitive appraisal theories appear to provide a mechanism for consumer emotion after the occurrence of failure in a component of service. Next, an experimental study is conducted to test a variety of hypotheses based on the proposed conceptual model and the services evaluation literature. Results indicate that the interaction between the valence of a service provider's emotional displays and the social context of these displays does have a significant effect on various evaluation factors including service quality dimensions, satisfaction, and behavioral intent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.

How does Covid-19 disrupt traditional success models: The case of e-learning

This paper questions the prevalent approach in assessing the value of e-learning through the information system model. A recall is made of the evolution of DeLone and McCain model and other theory at the basis of such assessment, namely TAM derived models and performance models. In these years of covid which imposed e-learning on schools, without adequate preparation this examination is more than ever important since it changes the logic of the assessment. The covid19 caused an unvoluntary use of e-learning that questions the validity of prevalent models. An integrated model, which take this aspect into consideration, is proposed in this article, to be validated empirically in a soon future

Review of the Neotropical millipede genus Pycnotropis CARL, 1914 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Aphelidesmidae)

A review of Pycnotropis is presented, with the description of 14 new species: P. goeldii n.sp., P. madeira n.sp., P. sigma n.sp. and P. urucu n.sp., all from Brazil, P. carli n.sp. from Ecuador, P. curvata n.sp., P. falcata n.sp., P. jeekeli n.sp., P. pallidicornis n.sp., P. similis n.sp., P. subfalcata n. sp., P. unapi n.sp., P. torresi n.sp. and P. zumbii n.sp., all from Peru. P. acuticollis (ATTEMS, 1899), is redescribed upon the holotype from Brazil. Based on abundant strictly topotypic material, P. tida (CHAMBERLIN, l94l), is considered as a subjective senior synonym of P. epiclysmus HOFFMAN, 1995 (syn.n.). A key has been compiled to all 26 species of this diverse genus, with notes on its distribution

Expression of a novel versican variant in dorsal root ganglia from spared nerve injury rats

The size and modular structure of versican and its gene suggest the existence of multiple splice variants. We have identified, cloned, and sequenced a previously unknown exon located within the noncoding gene sequence downstream of exon 8. This exon, which we have named exon 8β, specifies two stop-codons. mRNAs of the versican gene with exon 8β are predicted to be constitutively degraded by nonsense-mediated RNA decay. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these transcripts become expressed in a model of neuropathic pain

A globally occurring indel polymorphism in the promoter of the IFNA2 gene is not associated with severity of malaria but with the positivity rate of HCV

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Type I Interferons (IFNs) are well known cytokines which exert antiviral activity, antitumor activity and immunomodulatory effects. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and deletions in the gene coding for <it>IFNA2 </it>have been shown to influence the level of expression <it>in vitro</it>. The indel polymorphism -305_-300delAACTTT showed the strongest effect <it>in vitro</it>. To analyse the worldwide distribution of this polymorphism we analyzed five different populations (586 Vietnamese, 199 Central Africans, 265 Brazilians, 108 Kaingang and 98 Guarani). To investigate a possible association with susceptibility to infectious diseases we determined the polymorphism in malaria patients suffering either mild or severe malaria and in a cohort of hepatitis C virus infected individuals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We could detect the indel polymorphism in all populations analysed. There was no association with this polymorphism and the outcome of malaria but we found an increase of this indel polymorphism in hepatitis C virus positive individuals compared to healthy controls (p = 0.014).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Polymorphisms in genes involved in the interferon pathway have been implicated in the resistance or susceptibility against cerebral malaria and HBV. Here we show that an indel polymorphism, which mediates a disadvantageous effect in HBV patients, may also play a disadvantageous role in HCV infections stressing the importance of a fully functional interferon pathway.</p