The effects of product presentation on consumer experiences, emotion, and website patronage intention towards an apparel website

The objectives of this study were to examine: (1) whether Pine and Gilmore\u27s (1999) four experience realms (4Es) are affected by website features, (2) whether the 4Es affect consumer emotional components of pleasure and arousal, and (3) whether pleasure and arousal lead to enhanced website patronage intention. For the main experiment, two stimulus websites reflecting high experiential value and low experiential value were developed. Data were collected in a laboratory setting from 196 participants. An analysis of the causal model was conducted using the maximum-likelihood estimation procedure of Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) for hypotheses testing. The results of this study indicated that website features affected the 4Es and two of the 4Es (entertainment and esthetic experiences) affected pleasure and arousal, as well as consequent website patronage intention. Entertainment and esthetic experiences appeared to have a direct and mediating effect on website patronage intention. Based on these findings, practical and theoretical implications are offered

The moderating role of socioeconomic status on motivation of adolescents’ foreign language learning strategy use

Previous research has amply established the link between motivation and learning strategy with regards to language learning. However, there have been few investigations into the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in second or foreign language learning. Using questionnaire data on an 8th grade cohort (N ¼ 203, female ¼ 110) from a large urban community in South Korea, we investigated SES as a moderator of the relationship between motivational orientation and language learning strategy use among adolescent students. A series of hierarchical linear models provided empirical evidence that, when drawing only on intrinsic motivation, low-SES adolescents tended to make relatively high use of social strategies. High-SES students, on the other hand, generally showed higher levels of effort, mastery goal orientation, and internal control, and they made greater use of cognitive, metacognitive, compensatory, and social strategies. These findings suggest that an adolescent's SES does affect the relationship between motivation and the use of various language learning strategies; they also suggest the need for greater fostering of low-SES students who are learning foreign languages

The Influence of Consumer Experiences on Store Choice Criteria and Patronage Intention: the Case Study of SPA brands

Based on an array of economic and social data as well as business trends, Pine and Gilmore (1999) agree that current consumers are concerned with engaging experiences rather than just buying goods and services. Pine and Gilmore (1999) conceptualized this new focus of consumer demand as the emerging “Experience Economy” (EE). This perspective views experiences as enhancing consumer value beyond that derived from goods and services. Pine and Gilmore (1999) proposed four experience realms of EE—entertainment, educational, escapist, and esthetic

The Impact of Online Product Presentation on Consumer Experiences and Shopping Value

The present study explored whether levels of product presentation influenced differences in the 4Es and hedonic and utilitarian shopping value, contributing to research on retail Website features and experiential aspects of online shopping

Understanding Dynamic Spatio-Temporal Contexts in Long Short-Term Memory for Road Traffic Speed Prediction

Reliable traffic flow prediction is crucial to creating intelligent transportation systems. Many big-data-based prediction approaches have been developed but they do not reflect complicated dynamic interactions between roads considering time and location. In this study, we propose a dynamically localised long short-term memory (LSTM) model that involves both spatial and temporal dependence between roads. To do so, we use a localised dynamic spatial weight matrix along with its dynamic variation. Moreover, the LSTM model can deal with sequential data with long dependency as well as complex non-linear features. Empirical results indicated superior prediction performances of the proposed model compared to two different baseline methods.Comment: 10pages, 2 tables, 4 figures, 2017 KDD Cu

Synchronous double primary malignant tumor of the gallbladder and liver: a case report

We report a case of synchronous double primary tumor of gallbladder and liver. A 63-year-old male was admitted to the hospital complaining of abdominal discomfort. Enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen showed acute cholecystitis with tiny gallbladder stones and a 2.2 cm size enhanced nodule in the left lobe of the liver. Under the impression of acute cholecystitis with gall bladder stones and hepatocellular carcinoma of the left Liver, the patient underwent a laparotomy. At laparotomy, a mass was palpated on the surface of the neck portion of the gall bladder. Intraoperative frozen diagnosis revealed adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder. The patient was diagnosed as having gall bladder cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, so extended cholecystectomy with dissection of regional lymph nodes and left hemihepatectomy were performed. Histological examination revealed moderated differentiated adenocarcinoma of gallbladder and hepatocellular carcinoma of liver. To our knowledge, the simultaneous occurrence of primary malignant tumor of the gallbladder and liver has never been published before. The patient is doing well with no evidence of recurrence 17 months after surgery

Medical Expenses of North Korean Defectors with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Objective The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of PTSD among North Korean defectors who visited the National Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea over a period of approximately 10 years by examining their medical records and to examine differences in the medical service usage patterns of patients with and without PTSD. Methods Data from North Korean defectors who used outpatient services at the National Medical Center during a period of 10 years and 3 months (January 1 2006 to February 28, 2016) were analyzed. The general characteristics of the defectors were analyzed by frequency analyses, and descriptive statistics were generated. Additionally, independent t-tests and chi square analyses were performed to examine differences between PTSD patients and those without PTSD. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine factors affecting the mental health of North Korean defectors suffering from PTSD. Results This study assessed the correlations between PTSD, the average number of outpatient visits, and the total revenue. The regression analysis showed a relationship between PTSD and the average number of outpatient visits. There was also a correlation between PTSD and total revenue. The average number of outpatient visits was 41.8 for PTSD patients, whereas it was 33.2 for those without PTSD. The. total revenue visit was 953.6 USD for PTSD sufferers and 231.1 USD for those without PTSD. Conclusion This study found that the majority of North Korean defectors visit psychiatry departments, and that PTSD patients use outpatient services more frequently and have higher total revenue than those without PTSD. Additionally, patients with PTSD used a greater variety of medical services. Considering the high medical care expenses of North Korean defectors residing in South Korea, future investigations should examine the medical service usage patterns of such patients, especially those diagnosed with PTSD, in greater detail

Innovation and Internationalization of Korean SMEs in the Textile and Footwear Industries

Innovation has been recognized as one of the factors that enhances firm internationalization, a vital route for the growth and survival of small and medium enterprises. Thus, it is important to identify antecedents of firm innovation and their impacts on SME internationalization for their long-term success. Accordingly, the present study examined a model of SME internationalization in which the causal relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, absorptive capacity, innovation (product, process, and marketing innovation), and internationalization were proposed. Analyses of 156 survey data collected from Korean SMEs exporting textiles, apparel, and footwear revealed that entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity appeared to function as significant antecedents of product and process innovation. Among three dimensions of innovation, only process and marketing innovation positively affected internationalization. The study provides practical implications by asserting the importance of process and marketing innovation to increase firm internationalization

Effects on Growth and Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by the Zinc-Added Sol-Gel Bioactive Glass Granules

Responses of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured with zinc-added (2 and 5%) bioactive glass granules were evaluated in terms of cell growth and osteogenic differentiation. MSCs were cultured with different quantities (3, 10 and 30) of glass granules for up to 21 days in the osteogenic medium. Cell growth was stimulated by a small quantity of glasses, particularly those that contained zinc. Osteogenic differentiation, as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) activity, was significantly enhanced by the glasses, particularly with large quantities of glass and for prolonged culturing. Expression of bone-sialo protein (BSP) was significantly up-regulated around the bioactive glass granules. Moreover, the zinc addition significantly altered the ALP and BSP depending on the culture time and glass quantity. Cellular mineralization was improved in all glass samples, and particularly in the 2% zinc-glass. Taken together, the zinc addition to bioactive glass induced the MSCs growth and their osteogenic differentiation, at least to the level of zinc-free glass, and with even higher level observed depending on the quantity and culture time. These findings indicate that the zinc addition to bioactive glass may be useful in development of biomaterials for the stimulation of adult stem cell in bone tissue engineering