Product Intelligence: Its Conceptualization, Measurement and Impact on Consumer Satisfaction

In the last decade, companies have developed a large number of intelligent products. Due to the use of information technology, these products, for example, are able to work autonomously, cooperate with other products, or adapt to changing circumstances. Although intelligent products appear an attractive category of products, they have received little attention in the literature. The present article provides a conceptualization of the new construct of product intelligence and describes the development procedure of a measure for the construct. In addition, the article sets up and empirically tests a conceptual framework in which product intelligence leads to consumer satisfaction through the innovation attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Managerial implications for new product development and marketing of intelligent products are considered and suggestions for further research provided.Adoption;Innovation;Intelligent products;New product development;Smart products

Product Intelligence: Its Conceptualization, Measurement and Impact on Consumer Satisfaction

In the last decade, companies have developed a large number of intelligent products. Due to the use of information technology, these products, for example, are able to work autonomously, cooperate with other products, or adapt to changing circumstances. Although intelligent products appear an attractive category of products, they have received little attention in the literature. The present article provides a conceptualization of the new construct of product intelligence and describes the development procedure of a measure for the construct. In addition, the article sets up and empirically tests a conceptual framework in which product intelligence leads to consumer satisfaction through the innovation attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Managerial implications for new product development and marketing of intelligent products are considered and suggestions for further research provided

Cannabis and depression: A twin model approach to co-morbidity

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) co-occurs with major depressive disorder (MDD) more frequently than would be expected by chance. However, studies to date have not produced a clear understanding of the mechanisms underlying this co-morbidity. Genetically informative studies can add valuable insight to this problem, as they allow the evaluation of competing models of co-morbidity. This study uses data from the Australian Twin Registry to compare 13 co-morbidity twin models initially proposed by Neale and Kendler (Am J Hum Genet 57:935–953, 1995). The analysis sample comprised 2410 male and female monozygotic and dizygotic twins (average age 32) who were assessed on CUD and MDD using the SSAGA-OZ interview. Data were analyzed in OpenMx. Of the 13 different co-morbidity models, two fit equally well: CUD causes MDD and Random Multiformity of CUD. Both fit substantially better than the Correlated Liabilities model. Although the current study cannot differentiate between them statistically, these models, in combination, suggest that CUD risk factors may causally influence the risk to develop MDD, but only when risk for CUD is high

Overlap of heritable influences between Cannabis Use Disorder, frequency of use and opportunity to use cannabis: Trivariate twin modelling and implications for genetic design

Background: The genetic component of Cannabis Use Disorder may overlap with influences acting more generally on early stages of cannabis use. This paper aims to determine the extent to which genetic influences on the development of cannabis abuse/dependence are correlated with those acting on the opportunity to use cannabis and frequency of use. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 3303 Australian twins, measuring age of onset of cannabis use opportunity, lifetime frequency of cannabis use, and lifetime DSM-IV cannabis abuse/dependence. A trivariate Cholesky decomposition estimated additive genetic (A), shared environment (C) and unique environment (E) contributions to the opportunity to use cannabis, the frequency of cannabis use, cannabis abuse/dependence, and the extent of overlap between genetic and environmental factors associated with each phenotype. Results: Variance components estimates were A = 0.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58–0.70] and E = 0.36 (95% CI 0.29–0.42) for age of opportunity to use cannabis, A = 0.74 (95% CI 0.66–0.80) and E = 0.26 (95% CI 0.20–0.34) for cannabis use frequency, and A = 0.78 (95% CI 0.65–0.88) and E = 0.22 (95% CI 0.12–0.35) for cannabis abuse/dependence. Opportunity shares 45% of genetic influences with the frequency of use, and only 17% of additive genetic influences are unique to abuse/dependence from those acting on opportunity and frequency. Conclusions: There are significant genetic contributions to lifetime cannabis abuse/dependence, but a large proportion of this overlaps with influences acting on opportunity and frequency of use. Individuals without drug use opportunity are uninformative, and studies of drug use disorders must incorporate individual exposure to accurately identify aetiology

Examining the genetic and environmental associations between autistic social and communication deficits and psychopathic callous-unemotional traits

- BACKGROUND: Difficulties in appropriate social interaction are characteristic of both children with autism spectrum disorders and children with callous-unemotional traits (who are at risk of developing psychopathy). Extant experimental studies suggest that the nature of atypical social cognition that characterises these two profiles is not identical. However, 'empathizing' difficulties have been hypothesised for both groups, raising questions about the degree of aetiological separation between social impairments that characterize each disorder. This study explored the relative contribution of independent vs. shared aetiological influences to social and communication impairments associated with autistic traits and callous-unemotional traits, indexed by parent-report in a population-based cohort of twins. - METHODS: Participants were over 5,000 twin pairs from a UK cohort (the Twins Early Development Study; TEDS), assessed for callous-unemotional traits at 7 years and autistic social and communication impairments at 8 years. Multivariate model-fitting was used to explore the relative contribution of independent vs. overlapping genetic/environmental influences on these traits. - RESULTS: Both social and communication impairments and callous-unemotional traits were highly heritable, although the genetic and environmental influences accounting for individual differences on each domain were predominantly independent. - CONCLUSIONS: Extant evidence from experimental and neuro-imaging studies has suggested that, despite some superficially overlapping behaviours, the social difficulties seen in children with autism spectrum disorders and callous-unemotional traits are largely distinct. The current study is the first to demonstrate considerable aetiological independence of the social interaction difficulties seen in children with autism spectrum disorders and those with callous-unemotional traits

The Etiological and Predictive Association Between ADHD and Cognitive Performance From Childhood to Young Adulthood

Objective: Evidence about the etiology of the predictive associations between a diagnosis of ADHD and cognitive performance over time is scarce. Here, we examine these predictive and etiological patterns using a cross-lagged model design in a sample of 404 participants (74% males) from ADHD and control sibling pairs aged 6 to 17 years at baseline and 12 to 24 years at follow-up. Methods: Data included IQ, short-term and working memory measures, and response speed and variability from a four-choice reaction-time task. Results: ADHD and IQ predicted each other over time. ADHD at baseline predicted lower working memory performance at follow-up. Stable etiological influences emerged in the association between ADHD and cognitive variables across time. Conclusion: Whether early interventions can reduce negative interference with learning at school requires further study

Genetics of co-developing conduct and emotional problems during childhood and adolescence

Common genetic influences offer a partial explanation for comorbidity between different psychiatric disorders1,2,3. However, the genetics underlying co-development—the cross-domain co-occurrence of patterns of change over time—of psychiatric symptoms during childhood and adolescence has not been well explored. Here, we show genetic influence on joint symptom trajectories of parent-reported conduct and emotional problems (overall N = 15,082) across development (4–16 years) using both twin- and genome-wide polygenic score analyses (genotyped N = 2,610). Specifically, we found seven joint symptom trajectories, including two characterized by jointly stable and jointly increasing symptoms of conduct and emotional problems, respectively (7.3% of the sample, collectively). Twin modelling analyses revealed substantial genetic influence on trajectories (heritability estimates range of 0.41–0.78). Furthermore, individuals’ risk of being classified in the most symptomatic trajectory classes was significantly predicted by polygenic scores for years-of-education-associated alleles and depressive symptoms-associated alleles. Complementary analyses of child self-reported symptoms across late childhood and early adolescence yielded broadly similar results. Taken together, our results indicate that genetic factors are involved in the co-development of conduct and emotional problems across childhood and adolescence, and that individuals with co-developing symptoms across multiple domains may represent a clinical subgroup characterized by increased levels of genetic risk

Advantageous developmental outcomes of advancing paternal age

AbstractAdvanced paternal age (APA) at conception has been associated with negative outcomes in offspring, raising concerns about increasing age at fatherhood. Evidence from evolutionary and psychological research, however, suggests possible link between APA and a phenotypic advantage. We defined such advantage as educational success, which is positively associated with future socioeconomic status. We hypothesised that high IQ, strong focus on the subject of interest and little concern about ‘fitting in’ will be associated with such success. Although these traits are continuously distributed in the population, they cluster together in so-called ‘geeks’. We used these measures to compute a ‘geek index’ (GI), and showed it to be strongly predictive of future academic attainment, beyond the independent contribution of the individual traits. GI was associated with paternal age in male offspring only, and mediated the positive effects of APA on education outcomes, in a similar sexually dimorphic manner. The association between paternal age and GI was partly mediated by genetic factors not correlated with age at fatherhood, suggesting contribution of de novo factors to the ‘geeky’ phenotype. Our study sheds new light on the multifaceted nature of the APA effects and explores the intricate links between APA, autism and talent.</jats:p

Nuclear structure studies with the 7Li(e,e'p) reaction

Experimental momentum distributions for the transitions to the ground state and first excited state of 6He have been measured via the reaction 7Li(e,e'p)6He, in the missing momentum range from -70 to 260 MeV/c. They are compared to theoretical distributions calculated with mean-field wave functions and with variational Monte Carlo (VMC) wave functions which include strong state-dependent correlations in both 7Li and 6He. These VMC calculations provide a parameter-free prediction of the momentum distribution that reproduces the measured data, including its normalization. The deduced summed spectroscopic factor for the two transitions is 0.58 +/- 0.05, in perfect agreement with the VMC value of 0.60. This is the first successful comparison of experiment and ab initio theory for spectroscopic factors in p-shell nuclei.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure