The Function of Dominance and Arousal in Consumer Resonance with Fashion Brand Website and Store

Well-structured brand websites can develop consumer purchase confidence and positive emotions with the brand (Park & Stoel, 2005) and further develop consumer resonances (Huang et al., 2015). The function of emotion conveyed through website attributes has received increasing attention in studying different affective states that drive consumer footprints across channels. As consumers tend to respond their emotions first before logic comes into consideration in their purchase decision (Hunt, 2011), it is timely to examine the function of emotion at a brand website that takes consumer to lead the next call to action. As the function of emotion, Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (P-A-D) affective state model (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974) suggests that pleasure, arousal and dominance states mediate actual consumer behavior such as desire to affiliate with others in the setting, desire to stay in or escape from the setting, willingness to spend time and money, and to consume. Focusing on arousal and dominance emotional state at a brand website, this study examined which website features induce consumer\u27s emotional state and how the emotional state influences consumer resonance, triggering the intention to purchase at the brand website or the intention to visit the brand store. By employing a total of 220 usable responses, the two steps of structural equation modeling were used to validate measurement model and to test hypotheses using AMOS 20.0. All hypothese were supported which means consumer interaction with a brand website creates emotional ties and further generates consumer resonance with the fashion brand across channels (Thomas, 2001). Product presentation and personalization are key attributes directly generating consumer arousal state, consequently increasing conversion across the fashion brand channels. In addition, privacy/security and searchandising dynamics excel the dominance emotion state, mediating arousal state and finally consumer resonance in store visit and brand website shopping

XATH-1,a Vertebrate Homolog ofDrosophila atonal,Induces Neuronal Differentiation within Ectodermal Progenitors

AbstractXATH-1,a basic/helix-loop-helix transcription factor and a homolog ofDrosophila atonaland mammalianMATH-1,is expressed specifically in the dorsal hindbrain duringXenopusneural development. In order to investigate the role ofXATH-1in the neuronal differentiation process, we have examined the effects ofXATH-1overexpression duringXenopusdevelopment.XATH-1induces the expression of neuronal differentiation markers, such asN-tubulin,within the neural plate as well as within nonneural ectodermal progenitor populations, resulting in the appearance of process-bearing neurons within the epidermis. The related basic/helix-loop-helix genesneurogenin-related-1andneuroDare not induced in response toXATH-1overexpression within the embryo, suggesting thatXATH-1may activate an alternate pathway of neuronal differentiation. In further contrast toneurogenin-related-1andneuroD,high-level expression of general neural markers expressed earlier in development, such asN-CAM,is not induced byXATH-1overexpression. Competent ectodermal progenitors therefore respond to ectopicXATH-1expression by initiating a distinct program of neuronal differentiation

The online student connectedness survey: Initial evidence of construct validity

The Online Student Connectedness Survey (OSCS) was introduced to the academic community in 2012 as an instrument designed to measure feelings of connectedness between students participating in online degree and certification programs. The purpose of this study was to examine data from the instrument for initial evidence of validity and reliability and to establish a nomological network between the OSCS, the Classroom Connectedness Survey (CCS), and the Community of Inquiry Survey (COI), which are similar instruments in the field. Results provided evidence of factor validity and reliability. Additionally, statistically and practically significant correlations were demonstrated between factors contained in the OSCS and established instruments measuring factors related to student connectedness. These results indicate that for the sample used in this study, the OSCS provides data that are valid and reliable for assessing feelings of connection between participants in online courses at institutions of higher learning

Excitation functions of proton induced nuclear reactions on natW up to 40 MeV

Excitation functions for the production of the 181,182m,182g,183,184g,186Re and 183,184Ta radionuclides from proton bombardment on natural tungsten were measured using the stacked-foil activation technique for the proton energies up to 40 MeV. A new data set has been given for the formation of the investigated radionuclides. Results are in good agreement with the earlier reported experimental data and theoretical calculations based on the ALICE-IPPE code. The thick target integral yields were also deduced from the measured excitation functions. The deduced yield values were compared with the directly measured thick target yield (TTY), and found acceptable agreement. The investigated radionuclide 186Re has remarkable applications in the field of nuclear medicine, whereas the data of 183,184gRe and 183Ta have potential applications in thin layer activation analysis and biomedical tracer studies, respectively.Comment: 21papes, 14 figure

Intensification of yeast production with microbubbles

Yeast requires and consumes a high amount of oxygen rapidly during growth. Maintaining yeast cultures under sufficient aeration, however, is a significant challenge in yeast propagation. Due to their high surface area, microbubbles are more efficient in mass transfer than coarse bubbles. The performance of an airlift loop bioreactor equipped with a fluidic oscillator generated microbubbles in yeast propagation is presented here. The approach is compared with a conventional bubble generation method that produces coarse bubbles. Dosing with microbubbles transferred more oxygen to the cultures, achieving non-zero dissolved O2 levels and consequently, eliminating the starvation state of yeast in contrast to coarse bubble sparging. The average cell growth yield obtained under microbubble sparging reached 0.31 mg/h (±0.02) while 0.22 mg/h (±0.01) was recorded for cells grown with coarse bubbles during the log phase. The percent difference in average growth yield after 6 hours was 18%. Additionally, the use of microbubbles in yeast harvest from growth medium proved effective, yielding >99% cell recovery. The result of this study is crucial for the biofuel industry but also, the food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry for which end product purity is premium

Understanding the Practices and the Products of Creativity: Making and Tinkering Family Program at Informal Learning Environments

This study investigates how families' sociomaterial experiences influence the creative practices of novel idea generation and feasible solution generation and the products during family workshops using littleBits as prototyping tools. We conceptualize creativity as a distributed and materially-grounded activity. Methods are interaction analysis on video-based accounts of 31 families' activities and creativity assessment metrics to analyze the novelty scores of families' products. We take an exploratory approach to understand families' sociomaterial interactions in high and low novelty score groups. Findings illustrate that collaborative idea exchange and ongoing generative tinkering with materials support the emergence of novel ideas and feasible solutions

Towards a Stronger Conceptualization of the Maker Mindset: A Case Study of an After School Program with Squishy Circuits

This study investigates the theoretical conception of the maker mindset in a making and tinkering afterschool program using Squishy Circuits. With a qualitative case study methodology, we analyzed the discourse and interaction of one learner guided by two analytical frameworks. Our finding shows the importance of providing making activities with various learning orientations (design, technology, collaboration, play) that challenge learners beyond their preferred engagement style to foster the development of all aspects of the maker mindset. Our finding highlights the need for a more nuanced analytical framework for characterizing how the three dimensions of a maker mindset interlock and diverge through making activities